I Eat Healthy But I’m Not Losing Weight

On occasion, I have clients who express how frustrated they are with themselves when it comes to losing weight. No matter what size, what age, whether vegan, vegetarian, or whatever diet fad they’re on, I always hear the same old line, “I eat healthy but I’m not losing weight.”

What’s ironic is that the average person who eats right, whether they exercise or not, think this way too! Why? Well, if you want my honest opinion, it all has to do with the healthy foods trend that popularized in late 2000’s. Since then, Food and Health companies spend great amounts of money on marketing to sell their product or services. We all see it over 100 times a day! Someone in top physical shape, eating some low fat, low cholesterol, no carbs food with a smile on their face.

Hence, the subliminal perception we get is, “If we eat right, we will lose weight.”

Losing Weight Has More To Do With Just Eating Healthy

What most of my clients don’t know is that eating healthy isn’t all it takes to shed those pounds. Once they express their frustration with me, I find a time to sit with them and go over what they eat daily. Once we discuss exactly what they’re eating, I start to ask how much they’re eating, what they’re drinking, what’ they’re not eating, and so on.

After an extensive breaking down of their daily meals, they begin to realize that despite the fact that they’re eating healthy, there were a few steps that were out of the equation. Once I share these simple health tips with them, they realize that they were just a few health habits away from shedding those unwanted pounds.

Keep Track of What You Are Eating

If you don’t know what types of foods you are taking in, you might be getting in more of one food group than you need. Knowing what foods are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, makes it easier for you to know what your daily food intake should be.

For example, I have my clients break down their daily food intake. Occasionally, clients find out that the amount of fat they are taking in is too high. This is when I step in and customize their daily food intake to help lower the amount according to their fitness profile.

The best thing to remember is that you must be mindful of what portion sizes of carbs, fat, and protein you are getting in so that you know what will help you reach your goals. 

You Can’t Lose Weight Because You Are Eliminating Total Food Groups

For the majority of my clients, a balanced diet has always helped them reach their goals. When you work on achieving a healthy lifestyle, you have a nutrition plan that typically includes foods that you eat on a daily basis. If you eliminate food that you eat on a daily basis, eventually you will go back to eating those foods. This could cause you to gain your weight back. 

When it comes to the food that you love, if you know the portion sizes that will help you reach your goals, you will be able to maintain your progress a lot easier. 

You Are Taking In Too Many Liquid Calories

Sometimes we tend to sip and not really think about it especially if it’s something other than water.  A good rule to practice is to keep in mind how the fruit juices and coffee drinks we take in daily are effecting our changes. Even drinks that are artificially sweetened can cause bloating and also cause us to crave sugar.

When it comes to alcohol consumption, alcohol slows down the processing of body fat. In turn, this can slow down your progress.

You Can’t Lose Weight Because You Don’t Eat Enough Calories

If you don’t eat enough or you skip meals, your metabolism could slow down. When this occurs, this can cause weight gain or it could make it harder for you to lose weight. If your calories are too low, your body could go in to starvation mode, which will cause your body to store fat for energy. 

Try to Be More Active

If you aren’t active enough, you might not burn off the calories needed to reach your goals. When I say active, I’m not talking about playing golf and riding in a cart, gardening, or walking your dog.

Being active consists of exercising or doing cardio. These types of workouts are great in helping you get your heart rate up high enough that you are able to burn the body fat off that you want. 

If you feel you’re eating healthy but you aren’t making the changes you want to make, you might have to make some adjustments. Doing so will keep you from getting frustrated when your body isn’t making the changes you desire. If you ever need a consult on how to make those changes, feel free to contact me and we can schedule a time to talk.

With my nutrition clients, I make changes to their meal plan and activity every two weeks depending on their changes. Those fourteen days give the body enough time to make changes and if the body hasn’t changed the way we expected, then adjustments are made. That will definitely keep the body from plateauing.

Remember, don’t get frustrated! Let’s figure out how to keep your body heading in the right direction towards your goals!