Help me. I started working out last week, and haven’t lost any weight. In fact, I’ve gained 2lbs. What should I do?
Let’s start with the most important thing…. Don’t freak out. Weight loss is tricky. Although we tend to assume it’s linear, it’s often not. You may go a week or two without losing a single pound, and then lose 3 pounds the third week. Ask anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight over the course of 6-12 months, and they can attest to the erratic nature of weight loss.
You also need to remember the following things:
1. Your body will fluctuate 2-5lbs daily depending on your water balance. Women tend to fluctuate even more depending on their cycle and whether estrogen or progesterone is dominant. Although the scale may say you’ve gained or lost a pound, it’s actually just water gain/loss, not fat.
The fix – Weigh yourself at the same time every day, but keep a rolling average. Pay attention to the 7-day rolling average, not the daily weigh-in’s.
2. Watch out for those hidden calories – salad dressings, sauces, a handful of M&M’s, cooking with coconut oil, etc. It doesn’t take much to go from a calorie deficit to a calorie surplus and immediately halt your weight loss no matter how much you’re exercising.
The fix – For 2-3 weeks track every piece of food/drink you put in your mouth using the My Fitness Pal app. Although it’s not 100% accurate, it’s vastly superior to your ability to guestimate. After 2-3 weeks, you’ll have a pretty good idea how many calories you’re consuming daily, and see exactly where those extra calories are sneaking in from.
3. If you’re not dieting, start, but start small. Exercise should be used in conjunction with diet if you’re interested in losing weight.
The fix – Just remove a few of your really bad habits at first like soda or candy bars. Then gradually start eating healthier, focusing on fruits, vegetables, fish, and lean meat. Often that’s all you’ll need to do to jumpstart weight loss – removing 1 or 2 bad habits. There’s no need to carry a calculator in your pocket for every meal to track your calories.
4. Ask yourself – Am I working out hard (or often) enough to lose weight? Exercise shouldn’t be hard or painful, but it also shouldn’t be easy. If it is, you’re not giving your body a reason to adapt. Remember, your body is an amazing machine. If you continue to do the same thing with the same intensity, your body becomes more and more efficient and in turn, burns fewer calories each workout.
The fix – A good workout should be slightly uncomfortable, pushing you just barely past your current limits. If you’re new to exercise, remember the rule of 1/3’s. During the first 1/3 of the workout, you should be able to carry on a conversation with your workout buddy. During the 2nd third of your workout, you should be exercising at a high enough intensity that you shouldn’t be able to carry on a conversation with your workout buddy. The final 1/3 of the workout should be at a low enough intensity that you can then resume your conversation with your workout partner.
Take a look back over your last week of workouts. If you’re honest, I’m sure you’ll find that one of the above 4 things are halting your weight loss. The good news is that you aren’t “resistant” to weight loss. You just have a few simple changes to make. The bad news – it’s going to take some work.
