If you’re not losing weight, yet doing everything right with your diet and workouts, you could be missing one of these three common culprits.

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“I’m doing everything right, Pete. But I’m just not losing weight.”

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I receive a variation of that phrase. So many people have been led to believe that their quick low carb fixes are enough to flush out 20 pounds in 20 days. And then when all of that water weight flushes back in and spikes the weight again, they get frustrated.

Or there’s the folks who are just wrecking their diets on the weekends without giving it much thought, but swear they are in a calorie deficit (they’re not).

It’s not really your fault. 

However it is your responsibility to get back on the right track.

And that’s where I come into play to help.

Today we’re going to talk about three common scenarios why you think you are doing everything right and eating in a calorie deficit, but for some reason, the results are not happening and you’re not losing weight.

I’ll break down the whys behind this and then explain the action steps to get things moving in the right direction again.

Let’s get into it. 

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3 Reasons Why You Aren’t Losing Weight

Here’s the cold hard truth about the weight loss game: If fat loss results are not happening, then it’s probably one of three culprits.

There are a ton of gurus out there that would have you believe otherwise.

They get paid tons of money to make you think you are broken. That your metabolism is old and busted (it’s not). Or that you are just not destined to lose weight because of crazy hormones or chemicals in random foods or because certain food groups are “fattening.”

This is not the case.

Instead, it’s a measure of three very simple things. All of which ladder back up to the most important piece of the equation.

It’s all about the law of thermodynamics. 

In other words, it’s all about the calorie deficit.

That’s about it.

When fat loss results are not showing, despite doing everything right, it doesn’t mean you are broken. It means that you might need to make some small changes to get progress showing again.

These three things will help you determine if you are in fact on the right track or if you need to adjust.

No. 1 –– You might be seeing progress, but you’re not realizing it yet.

This is common for the folks that conflate weight loss with fat loss.

Understand that during your fat loss journey, the scale weight will likely trend downwards. But that doesn’t mean that everything you lose from the scale weight measurement is fat.

Nor does it mean that if the scale weight isn’t moving a lot that you aren’t losing fat.

There’s a difference.

Remember, a calorie deficit can lead to weight loss. This is science. But, in order to lose fat, which is what you’re truly after, you’ll need adequate protein and strength training to preserve lean muscle tissue.

If you are not hitting the weights and crushing some protein, you’ll lose a ton of muscle along with some fat during the calorie deficit.

Likewise, in the beginning of a fat loss phase, you’ll see a huge drop in scale weight during the first few weeks.

This is not all fat.

Some of it might be the fat you’re looking to get rid of, sure. But, in addition, you’re also losing water weight, gut content (a.k.a., poop) and glycogen (fancy scientific word for stored energy).

Because the scale weight doesn’t reflect the entire puzzle of progress, you’ll need to explore additional methods to tracking your journey.

Take measurements. If you are getting smaller, that means you’re losing fat. Track those measurements weekly (bi-weekly at minimum).

Take progress pictures. Do not rely on the mirror, it will fuck with your mind. Instead, take a progress picture from the front and side every single month under the same lighting conditions.

Compare those as often as you like.

If the scale is barely moving, but measurements and progress pictures are improving, then fat loss is happening and you’re crushing it.

But, you’d never know this if you weren’t tracking the data consistently. 

No. 2 –– You just haven’t been in the calorie deficit long enough to see results.

You can get anything “on demand” right now.

Want some burgers and fries delivered to your door in less than 60 minutes? There’s an app for that.

Need some diapers ASAP? You can make it happen.

So we expect weight loss to do the same thing.

And it doesn’t help when silly ass “fitness” magazines share silly ass headlines like “8 Weeks to Summer Shred.” This is misleading and unhelpful.

And it’s likely gotten you to believe that this weight loss thing happens quickly. It does not. Fat loss takes a long time. If you’re not prepared for the long journey, you will fall into the trap of rushing the process and doing something drastic before real results kick in.

Losing a few pounds off of the scale is awesome and it’s part of the process for most people. However, there is so much more to it, as we explained in the previous point about tracking all of the progress markers.

You must understand that in order to see the results you’re after, you must be patient. 

A good rate of fat loss is to end up averaging about 0.5 to 2.0 pounds per week. At the beginning of your journey, the higher number of this average is possible. 

As you settle into it, expect the rate of loss to slow down significantly.

On top of that, remember that this is an average. Your weight will not go down every day. It will not go down every single week. 

This is where the patience kicks in.

You must be objective in tracking and reviewing your numbers and be able to review things after a few weeks (not days) to determine if you’re ready to make a change. 

And when a change in your calorie target is warranted, you don’t blow up your calories and recalculate altogether. You simply make a tweak of about 100-150 calories and then keep going.

That’s it.

But if you rushed the process and gave up before you even saw real results because you were chasing some random number on your scale for a few days, you’ll be missing the broader picture.

Flex the patience muscle.

No. 3 –– You’re simply not in a calorie deficit.

Feelings ain’t facts.

If the weight isn’t budging, it’s because your eating is off somewhere and it’s time to tighten up the consistency.

We’ve all felt like we’ve hit a plateau before. But honestly, plateaus are far less common than you’ve been led to believe.

Here’s what I define as a plateau in your fat loss progress

• Hitting your calories and protein with 80-90 percent consistency 
• Eating enough nutrients throughout your day
• Drinking enough water
• Strength training 2-3 times per week with a focus on progressive overload
• Keeping daily movement high
• Managing good sleep and mitigating stress

And you must do all of the above for a solid 2-3 weeks at least. 

Read that again.

A plateau is being 80-90 percent consistent in all of the above for at least 2-3 weeks with no movement in your scale or measurements. 

In other words, if your weekends are full of boozy brunches and not tracking everything, then you’re probably not in a fat loss plateau.

That’s good news!

It means by simply changing up a few small things (namely consistency), you can likely see progress again.

As I’ve laid out time and time again, though: if you’ve been managing your calories and protein and being pretty consistent with it, that means you probably don’t need to do anything drastic to get things moving again.

You’re making the fat loss game harder than it needs to be. Simplify your process and really start looking at everything you’re doing objectively. 

When you do that, you’ll see that your lack of progress really falls within one of these three common mistakes.

And when you’re able to pinpoint just which one is the culprit, you’ll know exactly what the action steps are to get back on track.

Let me help you figure out why you aren’t losing weight and how to fix it … 

Finding the right time and right workout plan can be incredibly overwhelming. But, I’m here to help you out.

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “I’m not losing weight” and I’ll answer any questions you have.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

If you enjoyed this post, maybe you’d like more knowledge bombs from me. I’d be honored if you join my mailing list to get regular updates every time I post something pretty dope.