Why you might not be losing the weight you want, despite exercising

Are you spending hours at the gym pounding the treadmill and lifting weights only to find there’s no or little difference on the scales? Exercising without losing any weight can naturally be frustrating. If you aren’t losing the weight you want, despite exercising, you’re in the right place as CMS Fitness, specialists in delivering a range of fitness courses in Yorkshire, takes a look at some of the reasons why your exercising efforts are going unrewarded on the scales.

You’re not eating the right things

Effective weight loss requires a balance of getting enough exercise and eating the right food. In fact, when it comes to weight loss, diet is 80 percent of the battle.
For adequate weight loss, aim to eat a well-balanced diet and avoid food eating too much food that is high in fat or sugar. One ‘rule of thumb’ is to eat carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes, on the days you do strength training, whilst rest and light cardio days should ideally be accompanied by eating a diet richer in protein and vegetables and avoiding too many carbs.

Also, eating too much won’t do you any favours on the scales, despite how much effort you’re putting into pounding the streets or lifting the weights. Whilst the recommended daily calorie intake varies from person to person, depending on factors such as age and size, consuming more than the recommended intake of calories is likely to result in weight gain instead of weight loss!

The NHS advises that in order to maintain his weight, a healthy male needs to consume around 2,500 calories a day, whilst a healthy female should have a 2,000 calorie intake a day. According to Runners Connect, if you want to lose weight safely, you should aim for a 300 – 600 a day calorie deficit.

Avoid ‘hidden calories’

Your seemingly inability to shed the pounds despite undergoing a regular exercise regime could be pinned on ‘hidden calories’. As the name suggests, hidden calories come from sources you might not expect, such as sports drinks, alcohol and even energy gels, all of which have high calorific content. It is therefore important to read the nutritional information on a product before you consume it.

Try a different type of exercise

If running or cycling don’t seem to be having the weight loss effect you are looking for, try another form of exercise, which might prove more effective in helping you reach your goals. Swimming, for example, can be a great type of exercise for developing muscle tone and facilitating weight loss.
Water weight

Another reason you might not be seeing the results you’re looking for on the scales in because of the increased amount of water your body will be holding when you exercise. When we increase our training, our bodies start to store more water in order to deliver glycogen to the muscles and repair the damaged muscle fibre.
Muscle weighs more than fat!

What could be seen as an ‘excuse’ for anyone failing to lose weight despite their exercise attempts, is actually true – muscle does weight more than fat! While you might gain a more toned and leaner physique, you might actually be putting weight on, as you’ll be supplementing low density fat tissue for higher density muscle tissue. Don’t be put off though, as exchanging fat tissue for muscle tissue, means a healthier, fitter you.

Seek exercise/nutrition guidance from an expert/personal fitness coach

If you’re feeling deflated and frustrated with the fact your weight loss exercising goals simply aren’t paying off on the scales, instead of giving up, it might be a good idea to seek advice from an exercise and nutrition expert.

A professional personal trainer will help you develop and maintain an exercise and weight loss plan that is tailored to your specific goals and lifestyle. A personal fitness coach will support you with the necessary dietary advice to ensure that your exercise regime and diet are optimised for maximum impact on the scales!

This blog post was written by Hadyn Luke, Director of CMS Fitness Courses (CMSFitness), specialists in health and fitness training. Based in Huddersfield, CMSFitness offer a diverse range of high-quality personal training and fitness courses in the West Yorkshire region. The company is recognised as a premium provider of health and fitness courses that offer a variety of commercial and government-funded training programmes for people of varying ages and backgrounds across Yorkshire.