Why Dieting Isn’t Helping You Lose Weight (5 Common Reasons)

Sometimes it can feel that we’re doing everything we can to lose weight, but the scale doesn't shift. There can be so many different reasons why. Below are some of the most common reasons why dieting alone might not help you lose weight.
​

You Aren’t Tracking What You Eat
You might feel that if what you’re eating looks healthy enough, then you’ll lose weight, right? Wrong. If you have no clue what the calorie values of the food you’re putting in your body are, then how will you know when you’ve had too much or not enough? Tracking your food intake is a great way of understanding how much food you need to be eating in order to lose weight. 

That super healthy-looking salad from the shop seems good for you, but it might be super high in calories because of the dressing or topping. Taking note of the calorie content and tracking will make sure you keep under the total calories for the day and help you to lose weight.

Not Exercising Enough
Dieting alone isn’t a great way of losing weight. The amount you have to consume when living a pretty sedentary lifestyle can feel really restrictive and isn’t a great long-term solution. Adding exercise as part of your daily routine can speed up the process without feeling like you’re missing out on certain foods in your diet. Being active can help you to maintain a calorie deficit, which you need in order to lose weight. 

Forgotten Liquid Calories
All those coffees and sodas you drink daily are ruining your diet. It's super easy to forget how sugary sodas are, and they alone could be preventing you from being in a calorie deficit. Even healthy-looking drinks like smoothies and fruit juices contain crazy amounts of sugar, and when consumed in large amounts, they will cause you to put on weight rather than help you lose it. You’re better off cutting out the sugary drinks, replacing a smoothie with a piece of fruit and a frappe with a black coffee.

Underlying Health Problems
Some people try everything they can, follow all the correct normal tips to lose weight and still really struggle to lose weight. There are health issues and health conditions, such as PCOS,  that can make losing weight extremely tricky without getting help from medical professionals. It's worth getting checked to see if you have an underlying condition, as you may need a more tailored weight loss program.

Not Enough Sleep
Getting a good night's sleep is overlooked when it comes to weight loss. When we sleep badly, we often have lower energy levels, and that can make us crave food more - particularly sugary food. Make sure you get your 7-8 hours every night in order to improve your sleep quality and therefore your weight loss progress.

Weight loss can be more complicated than it first seems. There are a variety of different reasons why you might not be losing weight with your diet alone. Keep in mind that weight loss takes time, and it is personal to each individual how much they can lose and what factors might be affecting their weight loss journey.

​