Why Can't I Lose Weight? 3 Things Sabotaging Your Weight and Health Goals

May 12, 2022

Weight loss and better health are complex issues.  There are many things that can help or hinder results.  If you are sick of asking Google, "Why can't I lose weight?" read how these 3 behaviors can hinder your results.

You aren’t believing in the value of the compound interest of your efforts. 

Would you rather:  go on a 1 month diet of no carbs, lose 20 lbs and go back to your old habits gaining back 25 lbs over the next 2 months; OR commit to 3 small and specific tasks to do each day, lose 20 lbs over 3 months and keep them off?  Sadly, many will say the 1 month diet.  We live in the present not wanting to wait for the sum of our efforts to pay off when we can get faster results now.  If going to extremes when it comes to dieting and nutrition hasn’t worked for you in the past, it’s time to try something new. 

Your main focus in any past health attempt has been the scale and not your behaviors. 

Guess what?  The scale is playing tricks on your mind.  Have you ever felt great about your nutrition and exercise only to step on the scale, see that it’s up 2 pounds, and feel completely discouraged?  We all have.  Stop letting the scale dictate your mood and progress when you know you’ve been consistent in your healthy behaviors.  The scale will change day to day; keep consistent.  Set other benchmarks for your success.  Examples:  

• Use a habit tracker chart, like in James Clear's Atomic Habits, to track how often you are doing the behaviors you set out to do.  Review it at the end of the week and make any changes at the end of the month as needed.  
• Instead of just the scale for a weight loss target, measure your waist circumference monthly too.  This is an important measure in heart disease risk.  Women with a waist size greater than 35 inches and men with a waist larger than 40 inches are at higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  
• Daily energy or mood check.  If you struggle with one of these, check in daily and keep track.  Look back at the end of the month and see if something you’re doing is effecting these.  Do you have more energy when you do or don’t eat breakfast?  Is your mood better or worse when you eat more fruits and vegetables?  How does exercise effect your mood and energy? 

You are comparing yourself and your results to others based on what you see. 

What you can’t see are all the little details, good or bad, that got them there.  We can do really unhealthy things to look good.  Next time you are scrolling social or admiring a fave celebrity, stop in the moment and ask if you feel better or worse looking at this?  If the answer is worse, unfollow!  

Get help with your nutrition and changing behaviors.  Work with a registered dietitian through online visits.

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