People often make mistakes during workout programs…
Some common exercise mistakes include the use of ineffective exercise machines, lack of a proper workout schedule and lack of proper nutrition knowledge.
These among other mistakes cause people to fail to acquire exercise goals. And one of the most common exercise goals is weight loss, particularly losing belly fat.
There can be many reasons why you are not losing belly fat. It could be that you’ve been misled by clever marketing to purchase ineffective equipment or follow a faulty and misleading fad diet plan.
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17 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat
There could several reasons, including your own lethargy and excuses that could keep you from losing fat.
While these reasons could be different depending on your own situation, the problem remains the same. In this article, we will take a look at 17 reasons that might be preventing you from losing belly fat.
Take a look:
1. You Have Poor Eating Habits
Have you eliminated processed foods? Have you stopped eating hamburgers and sandwiches? Well, this is could be a reason for your existing belly. These foods contain huge trans fats content that remains undigested and increases ‘fluffiness’.
If you want to get rid of unnecessary weight, you need to work on your diet plan. You can either eat 3 square meals daily or 6 small meals throughout the days. Both approaches are healthy, it’s just a matter or preference and convenience.
However, what’s important is that you maintain a balanced diet – the right amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals.
According to most experts, you should consume anywhere between 0.6 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. 30% of your diet should comprise of good proteins, another 25-30% from good fat and the remaining should come from healthy carbohydrates.
Your diet should include fresh, seasonal vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and lean meats. Moreover, you should also drink a vast amount of water throughout the day.
2. You’re Protein Intake is Insufficient
Whether they are carbohydrates, minerals or proteins, all nutrients are necessary for keeping healthy.
If you are missing any of these nutrients, you are certainly failing in losing belly fat. Proteins especially help in secreting appetite-regulating hormones such as ghrelin.
Moreover, 25% of muscle is made up of protein and since muscle burns more calories than fat, you could do with a little muscle on your frame.
Look for protein rich-foods such as eggs, wild salmon, beef, lean chicken breast, tuna and supplement with Whey protein if you’re working out a couple times a week.
3. You’re Eating a Restrictive Diet
Many people recommend diets that focus exclusively on fruits and vegetables. However, the truth is that such restrictive diets seldom work in the long run. It is much more beneficial to eat a whole foods diet consisting of many different foods.
For example, whole grain foods also offer amazing benefits. Several anti-oxidants and neutralizers are present in whole grain foods. Whole-grain foods such as brown rice and barley contain several vitamins and minerals that help in enhancing immunity and stabilizing sugar levels.
A wonderful whole grain called kamut contains high fiber and protein content that can help to maintain cholesterol levels and avoid heart related diseases.
In short, adopting a diet that support eating a large variety of foods is not only more sustainable but also offers diverse health benefits in the long run.
4. Performing Only Cardio and Aerobics
No doubt, a 30-minute run at a decent pace helps in burning calories, but in the long run, it affects metabolism. So, people fail to burn fat after working on treadmills and elliptical after a point.
Granted that aerobic activity can help you lose a considerable amount of weight, but as you lose weight, your metabolism slows down, which means that your burn fewer calories at your new weight.
One proven and effective way to kick start your metabolism and keep you losing weight is to add resistance training to your exercise routine.
According to your preference, you can use barbells or kettle bells or even perform body weight exercises.
If you’re a beginner to resistance training, you should check out the power tower. It is considered by many experts to be the most complete tool for resistance training and not only is it easy to use, it’s cheap and durable.
Remember, performing resistance training even 3 times a week can activate your metabolism and keep from experiencing plateaus in your weight loss.
5. No Cardio
In order to progress smoothly on the path to losing fat, it is important to adopt a balanced approach to exercise, one that includes both aerobic as well as anaerobic training. One cannot simply focus only on weight-training and neglect cardio or vice-versa.
Both are essential for achieving your weight loss goals. However, this does not mean that you need to become an exercise fanatic and exercise every day. Exercising 3-4 days a week is more than sufficient.
Start by incorporating some simple body weight exercises into your routine such as push-ups, squats, lunges, and pull-ups and continue your aerobic exercise along side.
6. You’re Eating Bad Fats
There are good fat and bad fats. Only fatty acids or fats present in whole grain foods can be considered nutritious.
If you’re eating foods high in unsaturated fats and trans fats that are mostly present in burgers and sandwiches, you’re only inviting trouble. On the other hand, even saturated fats create their share of health problems.
Instead of saturated fats, you should look to eat foods that contain monounsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory properties.
7. You’re Stressed
Certainly, your tension or stress levels can be a contributing factor for your belly fat. Most of the fat cells get enlarged because of stress. Most professionals also say that there is a direct relation between stress levels and extra body fat.
Now, although it isn’t quite possible to entirely eliminate stress causing factors from your work and personal life, it is possible to reduce the affects of stress through positive life style changes.
For example, regular exercise has been shown to improve brain function as well as psychological health. Small changes to your lifestyle practiced over a period of time can help decrease stress as well as improve your response to stress.
8. You Are Eating Snacks Late at Night
Late-night eating is always a bad option. Whether you select healthy or unhealthy foods, all cause health problems. At night, the body’s metabolism slows down. So, undigested calories get stored as fat. The accumulation of more and more fat leads to weight gain.
People consume snacks at late night either because of stress or boredom. Although late night sacks satisfy your hunger they harm the body in the long run. Even if you eat the foods that do not contain high fat or sugar content, still you can face weight gain.
Moreover, binge-ing on junk at night can interfere with your sleep which in turn can lead you to experience more stress and feel lazy. So, think twice before eating at night. Make it a habit to eat a good dinner and maintain at least a 2 hour gap between your dinner and bed.
9. You Are Not Getting Proper Sleep
Sleep is required for proper physical and mental health. According to statistics, adults and children have a 60% and 90% greater risk of becoming obese respectively without getting proper sleep.
People, who sleep for five hours or less, gain about 20 or more pounds. You may not be aware of the fact that the lack of necessary sleep increases hunger. So, you would eat naturally want to eat more without adequate sleep.
With undigested food, you would get more obese. According to physicians, Adults require 7-8 hours of sleep and Children require 9-10 hours of sleep.
10. You Lack Consistency
Without consistency, one cannot benefit from the best exercise programs and the best diets. Many people do the work and create workout schedules and diet plans. But, they don’t perform exercises and consume nutritious foods on a regular basis.
As a result, they fail to lose their weight. People need to know consistency is key – Do a little but do it consistently and you will see results. And, as far as losing belly fat goes, it pays to more consistent with diet than with exercise.
We’re not saying exercise isn’t important, all we’re saying is that what you eat is more important. You exercise as much you like; if all you eat is junk, you’ll still be unhealthy and have fat.
11. You Are Not Tracking Your Calories
While Calorie-counting can be tedious and frustrating, it pays to at least be aware of the calories that you consume.
You don’t need to maintain a record of each and everything that you eat in the day, although keeping a food journal has helped hundreds of individual stay on track with their diets. Whether you eat light popcorn or heavy cheesecakes, you need to be aware care of their calorie content.
All we’re saying is that you should make it a habit of reading the labels of the all the processed foods you eat, so that you know how many calories you’re consuming. This one habit can make a huge difference in your journey to fat loss.
12. You Are Not Drinking Enough Water
Water not only helps in maintaining a balanced diet but also helps in losing weight. A recent study revealed that people who drank 20 ounces of water 25-30 minutes before meals lost 40% more weight.
Water is a great thing for boosting the calorie burning rate in human beings. You should drink water both before and after your meals. For losing belly fat, you need to make a habit of drinking an ample amount of water every day.
13. You Are Not Creating a Calorie Deficit
Do you have an exercise goal? In order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. By a calorie deficit, we mean that you need to burn more calories than you consume. There are 3500 calories in a 1 pound of fat.
Most professionals recommend losing 1-2 pounds of body fat every week, since this is the healthy and proven method to lose weight. To achieve as 1-2 pounds weight loss weekly, you need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories daily.
This would translate into 3500 calories in 7 days or 1 week. You can create this deficit through your diet and exercise or even through your diet alone.
14. You Are Consuming Too Much Sodium
According to doctors and physicians, a human being needs 2300mg of sodium every day. Any more than that and it can cause vast health problems. Excessive sodium leads to transfer of water from the bloodstream to the skin.
Whether you use ordinary salt or table salt on salads, meats or cheese, you can suffer health or weight problems. For maintaining your weight, you should reduce the amount of salt you eat every day.
15. Drinking Sodas
Sugar present in sodas contains several calories and trans fats. Sugar beverages are among the most fattening products on earth. In addition to Pepsi and Coke, Vitamin water is also loaded with high sugar content.
Moreover, fruit juices are also not healthy and can cause obesity.
A study depicted that a 150ml glass of fruit juice contains more sugar than several pieces of whole grain fruit. So, it is better to give up these drinks that do not provide weight loss benefits instead create health problems.
16. You Are Drinking Excessive Alcohol
Alcohol not only targets the heart and kidneys but also causes weight gain problems. Wine, beer, and Rum are among the favorite drinks of many people. These beverages not only contain sugars but only contain high calories.
You need to know that heavy drinking is one of the most common causes of obesity in the present period. If you are serious about your weight and losing belly fat, you should give up your drinking habit.
However, you can drink light beverages such as vodkas on some special occasions.
17. You’re a Food Junkie
Do you shovel food into your mouth without paying the slightest attention to what you’re eating. It’s time you paid attention.
Have you heard of mindful eating?
Many professionals and doctors recommend mindful eating for losing belly fat. In this technique, natural signals tell the brain that it has got adequate food. For performing this technique, you should:
- Chew all the bites and eat slowly
- Eat without any stress or tension
- Stop eating when you experience any satiety signals inside your body.
This mode of eating slowly while paying attention to every bite not only makes you feel fuller quicker, but also aids in digestion. All those of you who suffer from an addiction to food and go on endless binges that make you feel miserable should adopt this method of eating.
You won’t be disappointed.
Summary
Here’s a quick summary of the points mentioned on why you’re not losing belly fat:
- Poor eating habits
- Insufficient protein intake
- Eating a restricted diet
- Performing only cardio and aerobics
- No cardio
- Eating bad fats
- Stressed
- Eating snacks late at night
- Not getting proper sleep
- Lacking consistency
- Not tracking calories
- Not drinking enough water
- Not creating a calorie deficit
- Consuming too much sodium
- Drinking sodas
- Drinking excessive alcohol
- Food junkie