you’re eating less, but not losing weight

If you’ve been eating 250-500 calories a week less than you used to, but you’re not losing weight or body fat, there’s five possible explanations I’ve come up with.

• You’ve dropped your calories too low.
  • If I eat too few calories, my body thinks I’m starving and will actually hold onto fat. Don’t eat less than 1600 calories a day if you’re active.
• You’ve reduced your calories too much.
  • Try reducing calories to 250. Our bodies don’t like big changes. More (or less) is not always better
• You were eating excessive calories that were making you gain weight.
  • If you’ve reduced calories and have hit a plateau, that might not be such a bad thing if your weight kept going up. At least now, you’re not getting heavier. Try reducing the calories a bit more and add more exercise to start dropping those pounds.
• You’re not eating enough carbs.
  • If you don’t eat 130 grams of carbs on average every day, you’re not allowing your muscles to grow. Muscles need protein and carbs to get stronger. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. People on low-carb diets tend to lose muscle, and their metabolism slows down, which means they have to eat even fewer calories. It’s okay to eat fewer carbs when you eat foods that are higher in fat a few days a week, just make sure to eat enough carbs when you’re exercising so you can build muscle instead of wasting it away.
• Your body is stressed out from a new diet.
  • What works for one person might be detrimental for another. Some diets stress my body out and make me gain weight. Start out by making a few changes, which is easier and leads to more permanent results.

P.S. You can also follow me on Instagram @FitGirlUSA for exercise motivation and videos. I have a certification in Fitness Nutrition. Make sure to order my diet book that explains nutrition from www.thehighfivediet.com

Photo: Fried chicken…the last thing you should eat if you’re trying to lose weight.