Losing weight is never an easy process. If you’re getting stuck and not losing weight anymore, take a moment and ask yourself some of these questions.
- Do I eat breakfast? We need fuel for the day and eating breakfast is a must.
- Am I starving myself? Eating every few hours keeps your blood sugar level and can control hunger. Eat breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and then dinner. Or split your lunch into a pre-run snack and then post-run meal.
- Am I drinking my calories? Alcohol, soda, juice, Vitamin Water, coffee, mochas…they all have calories and they ALL add up FAST.
- Do I keep track of my food? Writing down everything you eat keeps you accountable. That means logging in the 3 pieces of candy you snagged, the bite off your husband’s plate, a handful of chips before dinner…They all have calories.
- Am I eating portion sizes? This was my downfall for a long time. Not measuring, eating two or three servings of food adds up fast.
- Am I reading a book while I work out? If you can read a book or magazine or talk on the phone while working out YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. I see this at the gym all the time and it amazes me! They don’t even break a sweat and move at a snail’s pace. That doesn’t equal a workout, sorry.
- Am I eating too many calories? If you aren’t counting calories or points, you could be overeating and not even know it. Stay accountable to yourself.
- Do I eat fast food? There are very few fast food joints that offer healthy food.
- Am I eating all the food groups? Our bodies need protein and carbs, fat and veggies. Try to get a serving of each.
- Do I eat a lot of processed food? Processed food is usually high in calories and sodium (which can cause bloating and weight gain).
- Am I working out consistently? Going to the gym once a week isn’t really a work out routine. You have to commit to making changes and do it on a regular basis.
- Do I enjoy the activity I chose? If you hate running, don’t run. It’s not for everyone. I love swimming—that worked for me and I lost my weight through swimming. It was something I loved and I knew I’d stick with it!
- Have I seen my doctor? Getting a regular check up is important. Things like diabetes, thyroid issues and food allergies can halt weight loss.
- Do I take any medication? I’ve shared my story about gaining 15 pounds on Celexa. I did everything right—worked out all the time, continued to eat healthy, but while I took the meds, I kept gaining and gaining! Stopping Celexa, I lost 10 pounds almost immediately. Birth control can also be a culprit for weight gain.
- Am I eating TOO few calories? If your body goes into starvation mode, you’ll stop losing weight.
- Am I in a rut? Doing the same workout routine every day can cause weight loss plateaus. Hiring a personal trainer and beginning a weight lifting program helped me.
- Am I drinking enough water? I often times mistake hunger pains for thirst.
- Am I making excuses? Instead of complaining, why don’t we just DO IT. (Thanks, Nike. :))
QUESTION: How did you do asking yourself these questions? I know I could make some adjustments myself….
These comments were just food for thought. I don’t mean them to be judgmental in any way. I think when it comes to losing weight, one of the most important things that helps is a support system. My hope is that this blog can create a support system for people struggling. I’m not a nutritionist or a dietitian, so please see your doctor if you have concerns about why you can’t lose weight! These are just a few suggestions that helped me.
Lori (Finding Radiance)
For me snacking was (and is) the biggest problem. Just a few too many calories. It adds up so much faster than you think.
hundredtenpounds
Agreed. I am a snack-monster. 🙁
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
I like this list of questions – I think it’s pretty eye opening to really take a look and dissect your eating and fitness habits. With Weight WAtchers they say when you hit a plateau, its normally because you’re following the plan more loosely. Once you “know” what to do, you stop measuring so closely or counting those bites, licks, and tastes – and it really does add up!
hundredtenpounds
Very true…when my weight starts to fluctuate, I remind myself that I tend to “snack” and not write it down. 🙂
Tina @ Gotta Run Now
Good points! There have been times when I’ve jotted down every bit of food I ate. That’s tiresome so it was a good way to cut down on the snacking.
hundredtenpounds
Having an iPhone app makes the calorie counting sooo much easier.
Maris (In Good Taste)
Wow, so many variables! At the end of the day, it’s calories in vs. calories out. Keeping track is so important.
hundredtenpounds
I agree. If I’m gaining or not losing weight, it’s usually because I’ve gotten lazy about counting calories.
Curt
Very good and detailed post.
Of all those things that you listed, the ONE THING (cause we all want to know that one thing right? :P) that helped me start seeing massive results was when I started to document my diet.
You’d be amazed at how many little things we have throughout the day that you don’t think add up, but they do. By simply tracking everything, I really got a chance to see what was going with my diet.
And here’s an important note, it’s so insanely important to track everything that you eat. From that one piece of candy to that incredible salad. We tend to just forget about the little bad things and yet, it’s those little bad things that are making the difference.
Document it, don’t worry about being judged and analyze at the end of the week.
It will make all the difference!
Cheers!
–Curt
Lisa Eirene
Thank you for your insightful comment. I am totally with you about the documentation. And it IS difficult not to judge ourselves while we do it, but it’s an important part of being accountable. Keeping a “running log” of calories in your head isn’t quite the same as seeing at the ACTUAL number. Numbers don’t lie!