Top 3 Reasons You Are Not Losing Fat

You've cleaned up your diet, you're working out. You're skipping the wine, the bread, the dessert. You tracked your calories, done the hiit works out, chug the green juice. But when you step on the scale, nothing worse. It goes up. Your jeans still don't zip and you're like, what? What the hey is going on? And that's when the self doubt creeps in. Am I doing something wrong? Is it my age? Maybe I'm just not meant to lose weight. Maybe I am going to gain weight every year as I've been told. So let me stop you right here. You're not broken, you're not crazy. You're following the wrong blueprint. What you've been told about fat loss is outdated. It's generic. And for the most part, it's flat out wrong, in spite of what you may be told at the gym. So today we're unpacking the top three reasons you're not losing fat, even if you're eating healthy. And reason number one might flip everything you think you know about exercise. So grab a coffee, put your walking shoes on. Whatever you do, don't skip this. Reason number three. You're eating healthy, but you're not eating enough. The one tip that so many women don't understand. You're eating clean. You've swapped cereal for smoothie, added salads, even logged every meal in my fitness pal. But here's the kicker. You're not eating enough. So let's talk science. When your calorie intake drops too low, especially for too long, which I did for years, your body kicks into adaptive thermogenesis. Fancy term, but here's what it means. Your body slows your metabolism on purpose to conserve energy. It reduces calorie burn at rest. And here's the real kicker. It down regulates your thyroid hormones. It even suppresses some reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Why? Because making a baby requires resources. Your body thinks it's in a famine. This is not about willpower, it's about biology. So now you're exhausted, cranky, craving sugar because your brain is screaming feed me or I shut the whole thing down. Quick numbers your metabolic rate. What you burn. Doing nothing is often around 1000 calories. If you're eating 1200 a day, that's less really than your body needs just to survive. Especially if you're moving. The fix. Bump up your calories gradually. Think 10 to 15% increase weekly. If you've been under eating. Focus on muscle. Preserving macros protein equals muscle retention. Carbs equal thyroid support and energy. I'm talking about whole grain carbs. Fats, hormone production. Especially good quality fats like avocado, avocado oils and nuts. What's an example of a meal? A Greek yogurt parfait with berries and almond butter. Perhaps a chicken wrap with avocado and quinoa. Perhaps salmon with sweet potatoes and broccoli. You're not eating bad, but you might need to eat more. You're giving your body the signal it's safe to let go of fat. Drop a note if this reframed everything for you. And if you're one of the people like I was for so long that was under eating and thinking I was doing the right thing and couldn't understand why it wasn't working. Reason number two, your hormones are out of whack. So let's get into the stuff most health coaches skip over. Your hormones are the hidden traffic lights of fat loss. When they're green, everything flows. When they're red, nothing moves. Not even fat. Let's break it down. Brief science class again. Cortisol is your stress hormone. It's designed for survival. But when people's cortisol levels are high, your body prioritizes safety over fat loss. It wants to protect you because it's in fight flight. Elevated cortisol triggers glucose release, blood sugar spike. Insulin follows. And if that energy isn't used, it's stored as belly fat. So chronic stress equals chronic fat storage. The second one is insulin resistance. Insulin helps shuttle glucose into your cells for fuel. But if your cells stop responding due to high sugar intake, too much stress, or poor sleep, your body pumps out more insulin. What's the result? Ah, you guessed it. Fat storage mode. And that fat storage mode stays on. What are some of the signs of insulin resistance? Energy crashes after meals. Constant hunger, especially for carbs. That can also be a neurotransmitter issue, which we'll talk at a later YouTube. Stubborn fat around the belly. Thirdly, thyroid. Specifically T3 and T4. Your thyroid controls metabolism, speed. If it's underactive. Common in women, it slows calorie burn, increases fatigue, and worsens weight gain, even on low calories. And here's the kicker. Low calorie diets and over training suppresses thyroid hormones. Though even your good intentions can backfire. So what is the fix? Sleep is your hormonal reset button. You've probably heard it over and over again. A single night of four to five hours can spike cortisol by 30% and impair glucose handling the next day. Ditch inflammatory oils Canola, soybean, sunflower. They also interfere with hormonal signaling. Go for olive oil, avocado oil, grass fed butter, ghee Track your symptoms and your cycle if you're bloated, gaining weight or exhausted mid cycle or before your period. If you're still having them, your hormones may be flagging a bigger issue. So if you want to dig deeper into hormone signs, comment below, I have many pieces of information that can be very helpful. Reason Number one this will surprise you. Too much cardio, not enough strength training. And this is going to challenge what you've been told since middle school physical ed. But it's time someone told you the truth. Cardio doesn't equal fat loss. Strength training does. Here's the science again. Cardio burns calories during a workout. Strength training burns calories after for hours because of something called excess post exercise, oxygen consumption or epoc. Translation, your body keeps burning long after you're done lifting. Plus, strength training builds muscle and muscle is metabolically active. Every pound of muscle you build increases your resting calorie burn by 6 to 10 calories per day. Now imagine 5 to 10 pounds of lean muscle. That's an extra 300 to 500 calories burned per day just for being alive. No extra effort. Cardio, on the other hand, burns both fat and muscle for some raises your cortisol, especially if you're doing it for a long time, increases hunger in many people, which leads to accidental overeating. So you don't need to give up cardio entirely, but it should support your training, not be the main event. So what's the fix? Lift three to four times a week. Prioritize squats? I know I don't like them either. Deadlifts, push pull movements, progressive overload, add weight or reps weekly, full recovery, no more no pain, no gain mentality. Please consult someone when you're beginning to do weights though, so you know the form is appropriate for you. So what are some of the results to expect? A tighter, more defined body, more energy, better posture, less back pain, a metabolism that works for you. And let's be real confident hits different when you're lifting £100 off the ground and feeling like a hero. A superhero. So comment if you're ready to switch from cardio bunny to strength queen. If you liked this, please like the button below and subscribe. I have many more articles and many more YouTubes to follow.