5 Reason Why You're Not Losing Weight

You Diet Hard and Hit the Gym Regularly, Yet the Scale Won’t Budge. We Explore Five Hidden Reasons for Stalled Weight Loss, and How to Get Back on Track.

- Julia Lamberti-Morreira

#1 YOU’RE EXERCISING INCORRECTLY

You may gym regularly, but exercising incorrectly can be counter productive. “For instance, staying with the same training programme for too long will stall weight loss because the body will adapt,” says Bruce Namhing, a Johannesburg-based ETA certified personal trainer.

He recommends changing your training programme every six weeks by changing reps, sets and/or weights and regularly performing new exercises, sports and activities. “Using incorrect form when strength training will also hinder weight loss because you will not be working the right muscles and will achieve very little muscle gain, if at all,” he explains. This can lead to potential injury and less fat being burnt as muscle burns energy and speeds up your metabolic rate.

In addition, too much cardio may prevent you from losing weight because, as research has shown, long, low-intensity cardio sessions can burn muscle and decrease levels of human growth hormone, which is needed to burn fat. Lengthy cardio sessions can also increase cortisol, which can adversely affect weight loss.

So, keep cardio sessions at a high intensity, for shorter periods to really give your metabolism a fat-burning boost! Bruce explains that another reason for a lack of weight loss could be that you have set exercise goals that are too lofty, leading to failure, injury and a lack of momentum and motivation. “Instead, set smaller goals and increase exercise time and intensity as you hit your objectives,” he recommends.

#2 LOW CARB DIETING & HORMONAL HAVOC