The Reason You're Not Losing Weight

Weight loss can be difficult at times. It can be discouraging when you aren't losing weight.

For years, you may have struggled with the same five to ten kilos. You'll lose a couple of kilos one month and gain a couple the next. Lose two kilos in November, then regain them (plus an extra kilo or two!) in December.

Many people yo-yo throughout their lives, usually depending on how "committed" they are to their nutrition and workouts at the time.

But what if you believe you're doing everything "right" in terms of nutrition and exercise? and you still haven't lost any weight?

There could be several things going on, but they all boil down to two things:

1. Overestimation of the Importance of Exercise

2. Underestimation of Nutrition's Influence.

Many people rely too heavily on exercise to do all of their work for them. A bout of exercise does not result in a significant increase in calorie burn.

Let's take a look at how it works.

What Exactly Is TDEE?

Total daily energy expenditure refers to the number of calories you burn in a day (TDEE).

BMR (basal metabolic rate), NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), TEF (thermic effect of food), and EAT (exercise activity thermogenesis) sum up TDEE.

BMR, or how many calories your body burns just to keep your normal biological processes running, accounts for roughly 70% of your day.

NEAT, the amount of general activity you do throughout the day (walking, standing, fidgeting, cooking, twiddling your thumbs) accounts for approximately 15% of your total activity.

So, yes, walking 10,000 steps per day can have an effect on how many calories you burn throughout the day.

TEF, or the amount of energy required to process and digest your food, accounts for about 10% of total energy expenditure. Protein requires the most energy for your body to process, followed by carbohydrates and then fat. Digestion of whole, fibrous foods requires slightly more energy than the digestion of processed foods.

However, keep in mind that the differences are minor, and TEF is still a small portion of TDEE.

EAT, or the number of calories burned while exercising accounts for only about 5% of total calories burned.

Cardio machines tend to overestimate how many calories you're burning, and they don't account for how many calories you'd burn if you just sat around.

As a result, you may become overly excited about the calories you thought you were burning and inadvertently overeat later on.

Cardio also tends to increase your appetite, which is why I don't recommend it too much for the majority of my Holistic Coaching clients.

And, while weight training is beneficial, it will not significantly increase your daily energy expenditure.

By the way, the same is true for HIIT (high-intensity interval training).

It isn't the magical fat-burner that some believe it to be.

If you have a reasonable level of fitness, to begin with, HIIT is a very efficient way to exercise.

Let me state:

Exercise is wonderful!

However, exercise is not the key to losing weight!

Just don't actually rely on it for weight loss.

If you've only recently begun exercising and haven't made any changes to your diet, you're unlikely to notice a significant change in your weight.

When you start addressing nutrition, bigger changes take place.

The biggest blunder is not being aware of how many calories you're consuming.

Many people underestimate how much they consume on a daily basis.

A bite here, a taste there, a bit more sauce here, a little bit of sev there.

All those extra calories add up, and they frequently put you in a calorie surplus (where you gain weight) or keep you in balance (where your weight stays the same). While eating whole foods makes it easier to limit your calorie intake, it isn't always enough. Many whole foods, such as nuts and whole grains, can be high in calories.

You may struggle to lose weight if you do not keep your portion sizes reasonable. It's not about "clean eating." The term has no scientific meaning.

You'll start losing weight if you eat the right amount of calories, macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat), and fiber.

This is also part of the education process I provide my Holistic Coaching clients in order for them to learn more about the food they eat.

You must figure out how to incorporate your favorite treats into your daily routine. It appears to be too simple to be true, but it works.

And don't forget to be patient

If you're at least 10 kilos overweight, we'd expect a weekly weight loss of roughly half kilos.

The closer you get to your ideal weight, the more difficult it is to lose weight.

If you're having trouble losing weight, take a closer look at what you're eating.

A little fine-tuning may be all that is required to get it going.