8 reasons? Who comes up with a number like 8, Craven?
Why not a good solid number like 10?
Because 8 seemed like an underused number for these list-type articles that have become so popular all over internet fitness sites, and I didn’t want to drag this out into a laundry list of things most people don’t’ do right. I just wanted to hit on the few major problems.
But enough intro fluff (and god knows I love me some fluff), let’s get right to these reasons you’re not seeing a loss in body fat.
Why not a good solid number like 10?
Because 8 seemed like an underused number for these list-type articles that have become so popular all over internet fitness sites, and I didn’t want to drag this out into a laundry list of things most people don’t’ do right. I just wanted to hit on the few major problems.
But enough intro fluff (and god knows I love me some fluff), let’s get right to these reasons you’re not seeing a loss in body fat.
1. You’re UNKNOWINGLY consuming too many calories
This might seem like a pretty obvious point for most people, but for some reason there’s a whole lot of folks that seem to think “calories don’t matter”, as long as you “eat fewer carbs.” Sure, as if it’s the carbs that are making you fat.
But actually, this couldn’t be any less true. It always comes down to the fact that you just need to eat less in general, not just carbs. It’s that simple. End of story.
If you’re eating roughly 10 to 12 calories for every pound of bodyweight then it should not be that difficult for your body to lose fat. People typically stuff their faces every 3 hours or so to “jack up their metabolism” or “stoke the metabolic fire” and as a result, inadvertently end up eating waaay more calories than they actually need.
This is why it’s important to track your macros/calories, or at the very least keep a mindful tab on the quantities of foods you’re eating every day.
Eating less can be difficult. It can be challenging. Consuming 2000 calories a day requires some structure, discipline, motivation, and a bit of sacrifice.
But I ask you, what doesn’t require all of that in this life that is worthwhile that you would like to accomplish?
This might seem like a pretty obvious point for most people, but for some reason there’s a whole lot of folks that seem to think “calories don’t matter”, as long as you “eat fewer carbs.” Sure, as if it’s the carbs that are making you fat.
But actually, this couldn’t be any less true. It always comes down to the fact that you just need to eat less in general, not just carbs. It’s that simple. End of story.
If you’re eating roughly 10 to 12 calories for every pound of bodyweight then it should not be that difficult for your body to lose fat. People typically stuff their faces every 3 hours or so to “jack up their metabolism” or “stoke the metabolic fire” and as a result, inadvertently end up eating waaay more calories than they actually need.
This is why it’s important to track your macros/calories, or at the very least keep a mindful tab on the quantities of foods you’re eating every day.
Eating less can be difficult. It can be challenging. Consuming 2000 calories a day requires some structure, discipline, motivation, and a bit of sacrifice.
But I ask you, what doesn’t require all of that in this life that is worthwhile that you would like to accomplish?
2. You’ve jumped on the Latest Celebrity Diet or Quick Fix Bandwagon Diet
You didn’t get fat overnight. You didn’t wake up one morning with an extra 20 pounds of body fat. Whether you know it or not, it took a lot of time and effort on your part to get your body in an overweight and underactive state.
The harsh reality of fat loss is it’s going to take some time. As long as it took you to put the weight on, you can expect that same amount of time to get the weight off.
There are no quick fixes here. No magic powders or elixirs. No amount of detox smoothies or liquid diets will get you lean in a matter of weeks.
The best method that works is continually working to improve your eating and exercise.
For a lot of people, I always recommend a Flexible Dieting approach to make fat loss plans sustainable for a lifetime.
Oh, and accepting the fact that it’s going to take some fucking hard work.
3. You’re Eating way too much “Good Fat”
Since we’re talking about trendy diets…
Some people really buy into the no carb/low carb/carbs are the devil/gluten in carbs will burn a whole in your soul fad.
Carbs aren’t the enemy. Fat isn’t the enemy. Neither one is inherently bad.
Let me repeat this so it sinks in.
CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY.
DIETARY FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY.
It’s a matter of quantity of each of those macros that affects your body composition.
Folks reduce their carbs, or cut them out completely and assume they don’t have to worry about anything else.
For a lot of people this will initially work on the basis that they are EATING LESS THAT THEY WERE with carbs.
But body adaptations happen or they carried away eating cheese covered bacon and unknowingly consume more calories than they need. Refer back to point #1.
Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Calories will always still matter at the end of the day, and if you’re consuming more calories from dietary fat than you burn, you’re never going to shed body fat.
I’m not trying to say low fat/higher carb diets are better, what I’m saying is there needs to be a structured value and balance of both dietary fats and carbs in your diet.
And as always, you need to keep a handle on total calories.
So stop with all the “carbs are fattening” nonsense while putting down spoonfuls of coconut oil just because you’ve been told they’re loaded with “good fats.” Fats are still fats, and will always be 9 calories per gram, so remember that next time you’re chomping down an entire avocado.
I’m not trying to say low fat/higher carb diets are better, what I’m saying is there needs to be a structured value and balance of both dietary fats and carbs in your diet.
And as always, you need to keep a handle on total calories.
So stop with all the “carbs are fattening” nonsense while putting down spoonfuls of coconut oil just because you’ve been told they’re loaded with “good fats.” Fats are still fats, and will always be 9 calories per gram, so remember that next time you’re chomping down an entire avocado.
4. You’re going Nuts Eating Nuts
Nuts are one of those acclaimed “healthy foods” in disguise.
They get a lot of play in the media as a healthy snack because of all the “carbs are bad” fear mongering going but. They can be a good snack choice, but the caveat is they contain a lot of calories due to their high fat content and they add up extremely quickly.
It’s terribly easy to mindlessly dip into a bag of nuts and go through half the bag without even looking away from your Instagram feed.
For most nuts, a single serving recommend on the nutrition facts is anywhere between 7 and 14 nuts, which is around 13-15 grams of fat PER SERVING.
Who do you know only has 7 nuts at a time?? It’s always at least a handful, where the number can easily be up to 20 nuts.
I typically don’t recommend nuts to my clients.
I like to suggest more voluminous foods such as green vegetable and meat proteins that are nutritionally dense that will fill you up and not pack on a lot of calories.
5. You’re Not Training Heavy Enough
The first inclination people have when trying to lose body fat is to jack up the reps they’re doing and lower the weight to “burn some fat”.
This couldn’t be worse advice for a fat loss phase, especially if you’re trying to maintain some lean muscle tissue and the shape of your muscles.
Your muscle didn’t get bigger and stronger doing 30 reps with pink dumbells, so why should you expect your hard earned muscle to stick around in a stressful time such as a diet phase if you’re not giving them the same intensity of training you use to get them big and strong?
When you diet, the primary role of strength training is to maintain, and in some instances even build lean muscle mass.
That’s the most important thing. If your nutrition is in check (more calories burned that consume) the fat loss with happen. Just make sure you’re maintaining that hard earned lean muscle.
Nuts are one of those acclaimed “healthy foods” in disguise.
They get a lot of play in the media as a healthy snack because of all the “carbs are bad” fear mongering going but. They can be a good snack choice, but the caveat is they contain a lot of calories due to their high fat content and they add up extremely quickly.
It’s terribly easy to mindlessly dip into a bag of nuts and go through half the bag without even looking away from your Instagram feed.
For most nuts, a single serving recommend on the nutrition facts is anywhere between 7 and 14 nuts, which is around 13-15 grams of fat PER SERVING.
Who do you know only has 7 nuts at a time?? It’s always at least a handful, where the number can easily be up to 20 nuts.
I typically don’t recommend nuts to my clients.
I like to suggest more voluminous foods such as green vegetable and meat proteins that are nutritionally dense that will fill you up and not pack on a lot of calories.
5. You’re Not Training Heavy Enough
The first inclination people have when trying to lose body fat is to jack up the reps they’re doing and lower the weight to “burn some fat”.
This couldn’t be worse advice for a fat loss phase, especially if you’re trying to maintain some lean muscle tissue and the shape of your muscles.
Your muscle didn’t get bigger and stronger doing 30 reps with pink dumbells, so why should you expect your hard earned muscle to stick around in a stressful time such as a diet phase if you’re not giving them the same intensity of training you use to get them big and strong?
When you diet, the primary role of strength training is to maintain, and in some instances even build lean muscle mass.
That’s the most important thing. If your nutrition is in check (more calories burned that consume) the fat loss with happen. Just make sure you’re maintaining that hard earned lean muscle.
6. You’re Overdoing the Cardio
I’ve said it many times before, and god knows I’ll continue to say it for the rest of my life.
Traditional forms of cardio are useless for fat loss if you’re NOT in a calorie deficit.
But you know what, useless can be okay if it’s something that you truly enjoy; it’s when the cardio starts to become counterproductive is when there’s a real problem.
Excessive amounts of cardio can lead to an overproduction of cortisol that can lead to water retention and increase the size and growth rate of certain fat cells.
One of the best and most useful forms of cardio is taking a long walk. If you start walking a half mile to a mile a day, you’ll be surprised at how your recovery will improve and the changes in your body composition that will occur.
7. You’re Not Being Consistent
All good things take time, and fat not is no exception to this.
If you’re training frequently, eating wholesome foods in a calorie deficit, and getting adequate rest, the fat loss IS HAPPENING.
The issue is it may not always manifest itself on the scale or even if your clothes (especially if you’re a female), but it’s happening.
Fat loss can often be masked by water retention, bloating, and a fluctuation in hormones which makes it seem like the scales not moving, but the physiology of it would say otherwise.
After a week or 2 of not seeing the numbers on the scale change, people often jump ship to a different “fad” program or supplement, or completely abandon their fat loss efforts all together and say they tried and it just wasn’t for them because they’re bodies special and doesn’t abide by the laws of physics or something stupid like that.
Trust me, you’re not that special where physics doesn’t apply to you.
Just stay the course and stay consistent, progress will be inevitable as long as you’re in a calorie deficit.
6. You’re Overdoing the Cardio
I’ve said it many times before, and god knows I’ll continue to say it for the rest of my life.
Traditional forms of cardio are useless for fat loss if you’re NOT in a calorie deficit.
But you know what, useless can be okay if it’s something that you truly enjoy; it’s when the cardio starts to become counterproductive is when there’s a real problem.
Excessive amounts of cardio can lead to an overproduction of cortisol that can lead to water retention and increase the size and growth rate of certain fat cells.
One of the best and most useful forms of cardio is taking a long walk. If you start walking a half mile to a mile a day, you’ll be surprised at how your recovery will improve and the changes in your body composition that will occur.
7. You’re Not Being Consistent
All good things take time, and fat not is no exception to this.
If you’re training frequently, eating wholesome foods in a calorie deficit, and getting adequate rest, the fat loss IS HAPPENING.
The issue is it may not always manifest itself on the scale or even if your clothes (especially if you’re a female), but it’s happening.
Fat loss can often be masked by water retention, bloating, and a fluctuation in hormones which makes it seem like the scales not moving, but the physiology of it would say otherwise.
After a week or 2 of not seeing the numbers on the scale change, people often jump ship to a different “fad” program or supplement, or completely abandon their fat loss efforts all together and say they tried and it just wasn’t for them because they’re bodies special and doesn’t abide by the laws of physics or something stupid like that.
Trust me, you’re not that special where physics doesn’t apply to you.
Just stay the course and stay consistent, progress will be inevitable as long as you’re in a calorie deficit.
8. You’re Not Managing Stress Properly
I saved the best and most important point for last.
Stress is important. It’s a vital part of life. It’s what gets you up in the morning and keeps you tentative and alive. It’s when you’re in an unnecessarily overly stressed state that causes issues.
When in a state of stress, the body produces a hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol has gotten a bad rep over the last few decades, but it’s a vital hormone that has many benefits in keeping you healthy and alive.
Like stated above, it’s the hormone that gets you up in the morning.
I saved the best and most important point for last.
Stress is important. It’s a vital part of life. It’s what gets you up in the morning and keeps you tentative and alive. It’s when you’re in an unnecessarily overly stressed state that causes issues.
When in a state of stress, the body produces a hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol has gotten a bad rep over the last few decades, but it’s a vital hormone that has many benefits in keeping you healthy and alive.
Like stated above, it’s the hormone that gets you up in the morning.