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10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight: Part 1

Posted by Caley on August 24th, 2009 at 10:12am

Even with regular exercise and healthy eating, the pounds may not immediately peel off. Do not be discouraged! Effective weight loss requires careful attention to how many calories are being consumed and how many are being burned every day. Excess calories can come from unexpected places. In addition, the scale is not necessarily the best judge of your overall health. Here are the first three reasons why you might not be losing weight:

Increased Muscle Mass

If you have started working out more regularly or more intensely, you are likely gaining muscle mass. While the scale may stay the same, you will nonetheless look leaner and more toned as you exercise more often. In this way, the scale does not show your overall fitness. After I stopped playing soccer on a competitive team, I stayed around the same weight but went up a size. Fat replaced some of my muscle mass.

Increased Appetite

As we covered in a previous blog post, exercising more often may make you hungrier overall. Exercise may make your body crave high-calorie foods and you might think you deserve a few doughnut after your workout. If you replace all the calories you burn in the workout and add more, you are not going to lose weight. The key is to fill up on lower-calorie, high-fiber foods, such as whole wheat pasta, instead of the cheeseburger and fries.

“Healthy” Unhealthy Foods

Many foods marketed as “healthy” are far from low-calorie. Just because you are eating a salad does not mean it’s healthy. The Bros. Bistro salad from Einstein Bros. Bagels packs an amazing 820 calories, without the chicken! Watch out for taco salads, Caesar salads and anything with butter-laden “flatbread.” Keep an eye on the dressing too. Order the salad dressing on the side and only use a small amount. French dressing is the most calorie-rich, with 88 calories per tablespoon. Find healthy salad to make yourself.