I used to ask myself this almost daily.
Do you find yourself doing everything 'right' but your weight loss is minimal or non-existent? Maybe you even end up putting ON weight rather than losing it?
Firstly - don't panic and assume there's something wrong with you! This is common and I see it a lot when working with clients. And it's normally down to one (or more) of 3 things:
1. Undereating | When we want to lose weight, the logical thought is to reduce how much we eat. And this can work (at least to start) but often we cut out TOO many calories which forces our body into 'preservation mode'.
Eating way under your maintenance calories forces your body to hold on to the fat you are trying to lose. So yes, a calorie reduction is important but aim to reduce only by 200-250 calories a day.
2. Over Exercising | This I see a lot. In a bid to burn the fat, we up our exercise or daily activity significantly, meaning we are burning more calories. This is great BUT, coupled with the extreme calorie deficit above, our body simply doesn't have enough energy to function effectively and that preservation mode kicks in once again and fat loss simply isn't a priority for your body.
Absolutely move more in any way you can but make sure you're eating enough to sustain this increase.
3. Low Protein Intake | Eating protein not only keeps us fuller for longer but is vital for building lean muscle.
If we don't consume enough protein in our diets then our body cannot build this muscle. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn at rest (increased metabolism).
If you're doing point 1 & 2 above then your body will likely be breaking down your lean muscle to sustain itself. Less muscle = less calories burnt each day.
Ensure you are eating a palm-sized portion of protein with every meal to increase your lean muscle (2 for men).
Summary: eat enough, move a bit more and include protein with every meal and you should see that weight loss kick start đ
Doing all this but still not seeing results? Drop me a message or comment below đ