It can be a real disappointment to step on the scale at the gym only to find that the number hasn’t changed. What’s even more frustrating is when you step up on the scale and the number has somehow gone up. How are you not losing weight even if you’re working out? There are a few answers to this troubling question.
#1 You’re eating too much…
You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. This is a saying you should take to heart. Even if you have been able to motivate yourself to get into the gym a few times a week, if your diet is not reflective of your sudden commitment to your health, you aren’t going to get very far. You need to be eating at a slight calorie deficit and/or creating one through your routine.
If you require 2,000 calories a day to maintain your current body and you begin burning 200 calories through exercise, you have a deficit and that means weight loss. But, if you have suddenly upped your daily calorie intake to 2,200 calories, that means you are back at a maintenance intake and you will not lose weight.
What’s worse is when people get too tired from working out and they begin eating even more than they’re burning. Now you have a surplus and you’ll begin to gain weight. Pay attention to what you’re eating and log every single meal to find the culprit.
#2 You’re gaining muscle…
A more preferred potential answer to the question isn’t that you’re gaining fat or failing to lose it. Rather, you might actually be burning fat, you’re just replacing it with muscle mass in the process.
This is great because a pound of muscle is a much smaller than a pound of fat. That means burning off fat and gaining the same amount (or even more) in muscle is still going to make you fitter and slimmer–but the number on the scale won’t change. This is when BMI (Body Mass Index) and other measurements will be handy.
Taking measurements of your body and progress photos will also help you see changes that the scale may not show.
Remember, it’s not all about the number on the scale. At the end of the day, it’s about how you look and (more importantly) how you feel.
