Why am I not losing weight?

In my profession, I meet many people who are too concerned about their physical fitness and they even follow a certain routine with consistency and dedication. The hardest part is to tell them that they are doing it wrong. 9/10 people who are strictly eating clean and following some set of exercises are confused because they cannot see intended results and in the end, they just lose hope instead of losing weight. Well, not exactly weight… then what? Let’s start from the basics…

Human Body Weight
Let’s think of our body, what do you think contributes to our weight? The human body is made up of 4 major components – bones, muscles, fat, and water. In the female, bones make up 12% of the total body weight, muscles about 30 to 35%, and fat around 27%. In males, bones make up to 15% of the total body weight, muscles about 40 to 45%, and fat about 15%. Apart from these, it also includes your skin, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, blood plasma, organs, hair, etc. Interestingly 70% of your body weight is water. So what do we want to lose?

Weight loss? Or FAT loss?
What if I say it’s quite easy to lose weight? You simply need to weigh less on the weighing scales right? This can be achieved in many ways; reducing portion sizes, reducing water intake, even wearing different clothing, or probably by removing them all. Weight loss is simply a loss of overall body weight which includes muscle, fat, and water. Although most people claim they want to lose weight, they want to lose FAT and this is where 90% of us go wrong. Reducing body fat should be the goal that is more specific than weight loss.

Diet and exercise, is that enough?
Should I start eating only salads and give up carbs? What about running 5kms in the morning? And stop eating junk food? Fat loss is not as simple as skipping a meal or running a mile or two. While targeting to lose fat, you should be looking to preserve as much muscle as possible and maintain a certain level of water weight to avoid dehydration. Doing cardio and reducing calories is not a solution. Fat loss can only be achieved with a good nutrition plan and a good resistance program.

Diet Plan or Nutrition Plan, What do I need?
First of all, it is important to understand the difference between diet and nutrition. Diet is simply a daily course of food a person eats irrespective of any specific goal, quality, or quantity of food. On the other hand, nutrition refers to the quality of food and balanced quantity of macronutrients coming from the cleanest sources possible. This includes complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fiber according to your fitness goal. To lose fat, a negative energy balance needs to be created. You need to be consuming fewer calories than you expend.

Physical fitness program, What does it mean?
It is important to build and preserve muscle while working on losing those extra kilos of fat. Your physical fitness program should include resistance training along with weights and a limited amount of cardio. Just lifting weights will never turn you into a bodybuilder nor will you be physically fit just by doing cardio. Maintaining lean muscle, building strength, and at the same time losing fat should be the target. Muscle is less energy-dense than fat in the body. Muscle takes up less space in the body than fat does. If you lose body fat and gain muscle you will instantly look much slimmer and toned.

How much time does it take to lose body fat?
A healthy way to lose fat is to lose 1-2 lbs a week. It takes years to accumulate fat in the body, so don’t expect to lose the weight so quickly. Fat loss must be sustainable and it takes time. Rapid weight loss can result in losing lean body mass and losing water weight which has serious health consequences. Don’t forget how important muscle is for our body composition and can burn more calories. Water is equally important to maintain our physical health.

Changing your physical health requires dedication, self-discipline, perseverance, and resilience. In few cases, your attempts to become physically fit may not always deliver the intended results due to certain medical conditions but our self-driven lifestyle, poor eating habits, and inadequate exercise routines are major contributors.

While it might seem that we have become more serious about fitness than ever, the truth is that only 11% of all Indians follow the right path. Irregular or over-exercise coupled with ill-informed ideas about healthy living and fad diets are more horrifying than dealing with those extra kilos. Stay clear of myths such as eating before sunset or avoiding rice and potatoes, instead consult specialists to learn more about your body and its adaptive nature. Try to find and maintain a healthy balance between the calories you consume and shed.

In the end, it is important to remain consistent but it is equally important to avoid the temptation of evaluating the success on metrics like overall kg’s lost from start to finish. Remember that your body can sometimes make changes that no scale can measure such as increased strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and body balance. Start working towards being physically fit and make significant changes to your lifestyle.

Author: Kiran Patil
Certified Nutritionist and fitness expert
www.snatch-x.com
https://www.instagram.com/keeran_p23/