If the phrase “I’m doing everything right and I’m still not seeing progress. I’m crushing my workouts and I’m eating within a calorie deficit but I’m not losing any weight. I don’t know what’s up” sounds familiar you’re in the right place and this article is for you. Here’s the thing. If you were really in a calorie deficit you’d be losing weight. It’s science. Calories in<calories out = calorie deficit=weight loss. However, there are a few sneaky ways you might be thwarting yourself and blowing past your daily calorie goal without even realizing it. Pulled together here for you, the most common areas calorie deficits go to die:
The Weekend
Like you think Monday-Thursday you’re truly on point with workouts and nutrition. You’re staying within your calorie goal every day, eating your veggies & saying no to office bday cake. Then Friday comes along and you’re at HH with drinks & appetizers. Followed by a big mimosa brunch Saturday which leads to pizza Saturday night and then maybe some doughnuts Sunday morning. This might be an extreme example but sound familiar? You don’t have to count your calories on the weekend but your calories will still count. Killing your workouts & nutrition game 4 days a week does you no good if you’re going overboard with treats & alcohol on the weekends.
So how do you overcome this? Try being less rigid during the week so you don’t feel the need to over-indulge come the weekend. Having a few controlled treats during the week is much better than completely derailing for 3 days.
You’re underestimating what you’re eating and not tracking properly(or at all)
People tend to really underestimate the amount of calories that are in the food they eat. If you really think you’re being consistent with your nutrition your portion sizes might be off.
How to fix this? Get diligent with tracking. Start if you’re not already. If you are tracking try using a scale, measuring cups, whatever works for you to get real accurate with your portion sizes. Make sure you track everything too! Those bites of cookie cake still count even if you don’t put them in MyFitnessPal.
Tracking calories isn’t for everyone and you don’t have to do it forever! BUT tracking for a few days makes you more aware of what you’re eating and you’ll start being more mindful about your food intake.
Not getting enough NEAT calories in
You’re crushing your workouts, you’re forreal crushing your nutrition but you’re still not seeing any progress. What gives?! Your NEAT calories(non exercise activity thermogenesis aka calories burned outside of exercise) could be low. If you work a desk job and/or have a very sedentary life outside of your hour workout everyday this might be the culprit holding you back from hitting your fat loss goals.
How to increase your NEAT calories? It’s pretty simple, just move more! Take the stairs over the elevator, park further away, do more household chores, etc. Anything that gets you moving will add to your NEAT calorie bank.
Not lifting heavy enough
Some clients are adamant that they’re crushing their workouts but when pressed further admit they’re cruising through them in 20 minutes and don’t feel like they’re working that hard. What’s to blame? They’re not going heavy enough with their weights. You don’t have to be dripping sweat & extremely sore after every workout but if you’re never sore it’s a good indicator you’re not using heavy enough weight.
So what to do? Go heavier with your weights! The last 2-3 reps of the exercise should feel very difficult. The only way to see progress is to continue to increase your weight over time as your body adapts to the current load. Once you can successfully complete all reps in the rep range and they no longer feel difficult, it’s time to increase weight again.
Calorie deficit for fat loss is cold hard science and if you’re not seeing results while you’re in one you’re likely not being as consistent as you think. Over the next week see if any of these scenarios ring true to you and try the suggested solution out. Shoot me an email or DM to let me know how it goes!
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