Moving on, baseball – weight loss can only be America’s true pastime. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2020, 17.1% of adults in the United States between 2015 and 2018 on a diet at any given time, with the vast majority of these individuals losing weight as a means of achieving weight loss. But for most people, these weight loss efforts do not last long – a meta-analysis from 2020 published in BMJ found that among 21,942 people on a diet, while many had “modest weight loss” at the six-month limit, their weight loss had largely stuck or stopped after 12 months.
With that said, it is more than just willpower that prevents you from achieving the results you want. Read on to discover why you can not lose weight despite losing weight, according to experts. And if you’re eager to lose weight, check out these 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work.
Although your current diet helped you lose weight for a while, your body may eventually burn fewer calories due to limitation over time.
“When we consume less than normal, our body recognizes that it is getting less energy. It responds to this by ‘adapting’ and burning less energy at rest,” he explains. Kylie Ivanir, RD of In nutrition. “People think they have to keep limiting more and more to lose weight.” Her recommendation? Increasing muscle mass to increase your basal metabolism, which can help start further weight loss.
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If you have recently added exercise to your routine, you may actually have a harder time losing weight.
“People often allow themselves to overdo it after exercise and overestimate the calories they burned while exercising,” Ivanir explains. “While it’s important to consume a proper post-workout meal for recovery, this over-consumption often takes people out of the calorie deficit needed to lose weight.” And if you want to refuel your exercise routine, check out the 14 best foods for better exercise results, according to experts.
Just because your diet allows you to eat a certain type of food does not mean that you can eat as much of the food you want without gaining weight. Ivanir says this is especially common among people on a low-carb or ketogenic diet who stop eating too many high-calorie foods.
“A popular snack chosen among those who focus on reducing their carbohydrate consumption is nuts. While nuts and nuts are extremely nutritious, they are high in calories, which can prevent people from having a calorie deficit,” says Ivanir.
If you have cut out some high-fiber carbohydrates from your diet to lose weight, you can do yourself a favor in the long run.
“If you do not eat enough fiber, chances are you will either have insane cravings between meals or you will need to eat more calories to stay full,” he says. Megan Byrd, RD, av Oregon dietitian.
Having a black and white mentality when it comes to weight loss can be the reason why you have a hard time losing weight, even if dieting used to come easy for you in the past.
“The rest-binge cycle is that all-or-nothing way of eating where you avoid ‘bad’ foods for the most part until you feel completely out of control around them and eat until you feel uncomfortable,” he says. Emma Townsin, RD, a British registered dietitian, certified intuitive food consultant and founder of Food freedom.
“We can not willpower out of a binge-restricted cycle, because it is the limitation that leads to this eating,” she explains. Do you want to enjoy your favorite dishes while still losing weight? Check out the 50 Healthiest Snacks to Eat for Weight Loss.
