The Top 3 Reasons You Can’t Lose Fat, According to Nutritionists

There are many reasons why individuals struggle to lose fat (and no, eating too little is not one of them), which is why I’ve put together this helpful list so that you can zero in on the highest probability reasons and do something about it.

1. You’re eating too much.
   
   I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear this or you think I’m wrong, but this is incontrovertible. The calories in, calories out (CICO) model of weight gain and weight loss is pretty much irrefutable at this point, in that the calories that you consume through food and drink must be fewer than the calories that you expend through living and moving for your body mass to drop. But hey, don’t feel bad. Almost everyone underestimates the calories they consume, even trained professionals underestimate by up to 20%. The first step to weight freedom is to acknowledge this, stop looking for quick-fix pills and potions, and address the issue. 

2. You overestimate how much energy you expend during exercise.
   
   This is a fact and something that has been made worse since everyone started wearing fitness trackers. For example, I might have a 60kg female client telling me that she burned 400kcal in a light weight training session, when in reality, it’s more likely that she expended closer to 200kcals. This gives her the false belief that she can then consume more calories than she needs because she has expended a bunch of calories in the gym. We can also be lured into a false sense of security by thinking we had a great workout, so we don’t need to do any more moving for the rest of the day. However, we now know that the activity outside of the gym (e.g. walking) can have a far greater impact on our calorie expenditure than 2-3 moderate gym sessions per week.

3.  You don’t plan well enough.
   
   Most of us plan our work and social lives down to a tee but give very little thought to the food we eat every day, usually leaving it until the last minute to choose what we want for work lunch, a snack, or dinner. This is inefficient on several levels, because how can you expect to get great results without giving the food you eat some thought? What happens when you are hungry and go into a supermarket, or onto Deliveroo, or into your favourite restaurant? Even with the best will in the world, you will find it hard to make a healthy choice. When you are hungry, you have very little willpower when it comes to food choice. Take the guesswork out of it and spend some time every Sunday planning what you will have the coming week, at what location, and at what time. Be specific! Remove the uncertainty from your food choices for better results. As they say, proper planning prevents p**s poor performance!

These are the most common issues I see when it comes to weight loss, along with the lack of a clear goal and the implementation of daily habits to help one achieve their goal. There needs to be systems in place that support you in achieving a sustainable calorie deficit over time, which requires patience and iteration, but that’s a post for another time.