
5 reasons you’re not losing weight & have hit a diet plateau
So, you’re not losing weight and you’ve hit the dreaded diet plateau? There comes a time in everybody’s life when they look down at their jelly belly, thunder thighs or lack of box gap when they say to themselves, “Ya know, I really gotta shed some pounds.”
For me, that time is now. I am getting married in 3 months – yikes! 3 months and 3 days to be exact. The countdown is definitely on. Recently after a retreat I gained about a kilo. This is making me miserable. It’s even worse because before going I was already 2 kilos over my healthy, happy weight.
I’m dieting, but I am not losing weight. And I think I know why. Here are 5 reasons that I am not (and you might not be) losing weight.
You’re not losing weight because: You’re cheating yourself
Do you write down everything you eat? Have you been forgetting to add the sugar you put in your coffee, the bite of your boyfriend’s garlic bread or the few jelly beans that crept into your mouth at work? These little extras can cost us big. You’ve really got to start cutting your calories down in a major way if you really, really want to lose weight fast.

You’re not losing weight because: You’re overestimating your exercise
I like to exercise a lot. There was a time when I was a gym junkie, doing 10 kilometre runs several times a week. Then I would get ravenously hungry and eat too much and not lose weight. Personally, I am a firm believer that exercise is crap at shedding the pounds, it’s what goes in your mouth that counts. Last week I broke my toe and since then I am moving a lot less. It hurts to walk across the freaking office, yo.
You’re not losing weight because: You’re underestimating your calories
This is the #1 problem that should be solved worldwide, if you ask me. There are no accurate ways to measure how many calories you’ve actually eaten. How many calories are in an egg? Well, how long is a piece of string? Every egg is different; every tomato is different and every piece of grilled chicken will have slightly more or less calories depending on a stack of variables.
You’re not losing weight because: You’re miserable
Yep, been there, done that, bought the tear-stained T-shirt. If you’re miserable, you may find it harder to shift the weight. According to Everyday Health, “While loss of appetite is a common depression symptom, feelings of sadness or worthlessness can make some people overeat.”
According to Debra Johnston, a manager at an Arizona an eating disorder treatment centre, “Depression can also result in emotional eating, a common event in which the need to eat is not associated with physical hunger.”
You’re not losing weight because: You are close to a healthy weight already
Sigh. I guess this one applies to me, and it may apply to you. Do you know your BMI? I have written about this before and why BMI may not be a suitable weigh-gauge for everyone. I have also blogged about what is the sexiest BMI to have? If you’re already close to your healthy weight (check your BMI here) then you may not be losing weight because you don’t have much to lose. Sorry.
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