I’m following a diet and still not losing weight... What can I do?

To get rid of excess body fat, you need to consume fewer kilocalories than the body spends during the day. How much specifically is an individual matter. Energy demand is influenced by many factors, such as: body weight, height, age or level of physical activity. Some of them are not influenced by us (e.g. age or height), but there are also some that we can modify. The level of physical activity certainly belongs to them.

Calories for Exercise

Unfortunately, physical activity is the element that is most difficult to subject to an objective assessment. Still, it is worth trying, because during workouts we burn the most calories and generate a significant amount of energy, which helps us maintain a caloric deficit. Spontaneous activities, such as climbing stairs or walking, should also be taken into account when estimating the level of activity practiced. If during weight loss your desire for such “spots” has decreased - this may be the first signal that the diet is too low-calorie.

Deviations from the diet

What about your diet? Are you sure that you stick to an established eating plan? Or are you tempted to snack between meals?

If this happens, you probably have too restrictive a diet or take too long breaks between meals. The feeling of hunger that you feel is not a determinant of effective calorie reduction. And on the contrary - it can be an obstacle to getting rid of extra pounds.

If the diet we follow is properly balanced, rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, the feeling of hunger will not appear too often, and therefore we will be better able to control what we eat. Maybe you need to change your plan?

Calorie drinks and supplements

Another aspect worth looking at in the absence of weight loss is fluids. Although they are not usually included in the diet, they are of no small importance. Of course, the best solution will be to choose calorie-free drinks, that is, water, tea, black coffee or “zero” drinks. However, if you can't imagine a little black without milk, and you always drink a glass of orange juice for breakfast, be sure to include their caloric content in your nutrition plan. This will allow you to control the number of calories actually consumed.

Also look at the supplements you consume. They also do not remain without influence on our weight loss. For example, creatine can lead to water retention in the body, and a protein supplement provides a good dose of calories (about 100 kcal without milk).

Smart Weighing

How do you control your weight loss? For many people, the only tool to monitor weight loss progress is a bathroom scale. When it does not show less value than yesterday, and sometimes even indicates a greater number of kilos, we often get frustrated. Calm down!

Body weight is influenced by many factors, the main of which are the content of food content or water retention in the body. Therefore, the progress of the diet should be determined on the basis of the weekly average body weight. To obtain it, the measurement should be taken at the same time, on an empty stomach, after using the toilet and after at least a day's break from intensive training. Only such a notation of the results will allow to determine the effectiveness of the diet used.

It is also worth bearing in mind that weight fluctuations during a diet are definitely more common in women. This is due to a number of hormonal changes occurring in their body, which depend on the phase of the menstrual cycle. Therefore, the measurement of body weight should be carried out in the first phase of the cycle, preferably on the 4-7th day. It will also be a good idea to measure the circuits and analyze the composition of the body, which will provide us with information about the mass, but also about components such as fat tissue, muscle tissue or water content.

Dream

This is a very important element in the process of losing weight! The right amount of sleep and its high quality help to achieve the dream figure.

And what is the danger of sleep deficiency? It increases the concentration of ghrelin (the hormone responsible for the feeling of hunger) and lowers the concentration of leptin (responsible for the feeling of satiety). As a consequence, when we do not get enough sleep, the next day we may feel more hungry than usual. This increases the risk of snacking and, consequently, consuming too many calories. In addition, a sleepless night has a negative effect on carbohydrate metabolism, which can also hinder weight reduction.

Remember that increased appetite is also influenced by stress, more precisely, an increase in the concentration of cortisol, which can interfere with carrying out the reduction.

Give yourself time

Many factors can influence the cessation of weight loss, despite the use of a diet. The body may need a boost or “de-stress” in the form of returning from the deficit to its caloric zero (the caloric value necessary to maintain the current body weight). After a preliminary self-analysis of the aspects that may hinder the reduction in our case, it is worth consulting with a nutritionist to verify the caloric content of the nutritional plan.

Bibliography:

1. Gawęcki J. (ed.): Human nutrition, the basics of nutrition science. PWN Scientific Publishing House, Warsaw 2012
2. Jarosz M., Rychlik E., Stoś K., Charzewska J. (eds.): Nutrition standards for the Polish population and their application. National Institute of Public Health - State Department of Hygiene, 2020
3. Spiegel K., Tasali E., Penev P., Van Cauter E.: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med 2004; 141:846 —50
4. Leproult, Rachel & Van Cauter, Eve.: Role of Sleep and Sleep Loss in Hormonal Release and Metabolism. Endocrine development. 2010, 17. 11-21