2 Major Reasons Why People Don't Lose Weight

For years I was frustrated that I couldn't lose weight even though I regularly went to the gym, tried not to eat fried foods and didn't allow myself to eat ice cream. For years almost every single day I thought about my weight and wasn't happy with it. I constantly felt like people were judging me if I was eating something unhealthy and saying in their heads, "Yeah, that's why you're overweight". I used to do those lemonade diets of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. That's all you eat. For 10 days! I did it three times in four years. I think I did it more to believe in myself than anything else. Really I was doing it to lose weight. It didn't work.

Here is what I've learned from helping over 100 people lose weight as a personal trainer.
Either people overdo it or under-do it. By this I mean that people either consume too many calories and don't exercise enough to burn those calories or they eat too few calories to keep up with their activity level. Both are extremes and the body shuts down or gains weight to stay alive.

Also, the quick diets or bursts of exercise for two weeks you might have done in your 20's may not work in your 30's because metabolism slows down and the body learns how to keep the fat just in case of starvation. Losing weight comes down to balance because everyone has different nutritional needs based on height, gender, age, metabolism, muscle mass and activity level. A good rule of thumb is to add a zero to the end of your weight and eat at least that 4 digit number of calories plus 2-300 calories per day based on your activity level.

Sure calories in, calories out is a good place to start since you want to have a balance of calorie expenditure to consumption, but not all calories are created equal. People may not see a change in weight loss because of this.  Feeding your system empty calories is pointless and ultimately will not help you reach weight loss goals. Here is an example of a day in the life of empty calories.

Breakfast: bagel and coffee 10am (when you woke up at 7)

Lunch: light salad 1pm

Mid-Afternoon snack: low-fat cookies and frappuccino 3pm 

Dinner: small salad, pasta with chicken, garlic bread, frozen yogurt for dessert

This meal plan might feel like you aren't eating much and therefore you should lose weight, but you didn't give your body much to work with. The nutrients in this daily food log are the salads, chicken and milk (if not nonfat) in the coffees. This is too many refined carbohydrates and not enough vitamins, protein or healthy fats for your system to get what it needs to function.

Another reason why people may not lose weight when they think they should is that when people workout they feel that this gives them the opportunity to eat whatever they want. The justification might go something like, "I can eat this. I went to the gym today".

Losing weight has more to do with nutritional balance and less to do with exercise. People generally have a harder time changing what they eat than exercising. You can exercise two or three hours a day and not lose weight (I've seen it). Both of the above examples are extremes and the body is smarter than our thought process. Basically, if someone consumes too many refined carbohydrates or sugar (both equally turn into glucose in the body and the body cannot use all of those empty calories) then the body will store it as fat. Again, the body will hold onto fat if it is not getting enough nutrients. The body is a system that will not let go of fat (survival) unless it is getting what it needs (nutrients).

So here is what I recommend. Try writing down (or email yourself) or use Sharecare (a free website I use for recording your daily food intake) for one week. And this means writing down EVERYTHING. You can think of portions in terms of quarter cups, half cups, cups and tablespoons. Drinks count too as ounces.

Having to write down exactly what you eat makes you more accountable for what you put in your mouth. Also, being able to see what you have actually eaten in one day helps you understand why you may not be seeing the results you want. Eating out makes it difficult to gauge how many calories, amount of fat etc., is in the food (which is why it's harder to lose weight if you eat out a lot). Try bringing lunch and snacks to work and make your own dinners. You will save a lot of money and your clothes will fit better.

Or here is an even more straight forward plan: cut out all white foods, sugar and alcohol for 2 weeks. This means no white breads or pastas, cereal, alcohol, white rice, pastries, products with sugar in it (especially including High Fructose Corn Syrup) or alcohol. You can eat any complex carbohydrate that is whole wheat or whole grain, whole wheat pasta, brown rice etc. Yes, this is very hard to do. You will probably come to realize how many empty calories you take in on a normal basis.

Below is an example of a day in a meal plan that someone who exercises consistently can be eating. Note the protein in almost every meal. We need protein to build and repair muscle and tissue such as organic chicken, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish and legumes (which we break down with exercise and movement). We need healthy fats such as avocado, coconut, olive oil and sunflower seeds to lubricate our joints, keep our brain healthy and increase our metabolic rate. Finally, we need complex carbohydrates for energy and vitamins such as whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice and quinoa.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 piece whole wheat toast, 1/4 tsp butter, 1 breakfast veggie pattie, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1 orange (To see weight loss results and have energy throughout the day, eat like a king for breakfast and like a pauper for dinner).
Snack: 1 scoop whey protein, 1 tbsp fresh ground flax seeds, 8oz milk or nut milk
Lunch: 1 cup lentil salad with 3-4 oz organic chicken over 1 cup arugula
Snack: 5-7 strawberries, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 tbsp raw almonds
Dinner: 5 oz blackened tuna, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup sauteed kale

By the way, my own adventures of losing the baby weight are going well. I originally wanted to lose 10 pounds. I lost 5 pounds and have taken a break. I still have about 7-8 more pounds to go (I realized my scale at our dojo is a few pounds lighter than the one I used at Crunch for years). I plan on resuming my new goal in June. By the way, I am 5'4", currently weigh 135 (or 138 depending on the scale) and I've lost a lot of my muscle that is seen in the right pic with yellow top. Damn it! But my baby girl Maytal is definitely worth it and you can always build new muscle :) I plan on gaining 3-4 pounds of muscle back. Also, I'm almost done with school and will be a Certified Nutrition Consultant by fall.

For any questions, leave a comment!
Healthy Eating!