Why You’re (Probably) Not Losing Weight
We’ve all been there. You’re eating “clean.” You’ve thrown away all the delicious junk food in the cabinet. The fridge is stocked with nothing but organic fruits and vegetables and lean protein. Only the finest of carbs have survived The Purge. You’re even – GASP – working out…
…AND THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE HAS GONE UP NOT DOWN!
Is this proof that healthy foods are a sham? That working out is useless? That binge-watching Netflix with a large pizza is the One True Path??
While I’d like to say yes, that’s a hard no. My apologies.
Then why am I not losing weight??
Believe it or not, it’s pretty common for the scale to climb when you start eating better and working out. (Psst…this is why you should always take measurements and before/after pictures!)
There are some standard reasons why this may happen like inflammation cause by working those muscles, and muscle gain (it is denser than fat after all!), stress and over-training, but there’s one you may be (willfully ignoring)…
…it’s possible you’re not burning as many calories as you think you are.
Most adults – and even some kids – have fitness trackers. We map our runs, see how much of a burn we got at the gym, and basically monitor our every waking moment through them. Unfortunately, most aren’t super accurate. If you’re using your calorie burn based on the number listed on your tracker, it’s likely your numbers are off.
At one time, 80 million people were using MyFitnessPal to track their calories…and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Not only are the numbers on MyFitnessPal off by up to 8%, but food labels are legally allowed to be off by up to 20%!! #thanksfda
That 500 calorie meal you tracked could be closer to 640 calories. Do that three times a day, seven days a week, and you’re looking at 3,000 extra calories consumed per week.
If trackers are flawed, and MyFitnessPal is inaccurate, what do you do??
My recommendation: STOP TRACKING CALORIES! Focus on portions and quality of food. Choose nutrient-dense foods vs those with empty calories. Moe more. Look at measurements not the scale. AND BE PATIENT!
Want to break away from the scale and reclaim your life? Fill out this form and we’ll evaluate your current eating habits, and identify where you can make small but sustainable changes.
As always, leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions!
