3 Reasons You Are Not Seeing Progress & How To Fix It.

You have been doing everything right. You have been exercising, eating well, drinking well, you have even been drinking those “super green” smoothies that everyone yaps on about. But still not seeing the progress you want? In this article I will be outlining 3 reasons why you may not be seeing progress and most importantly how you can fix it!

1. YOU ARE UNDER EATING.

First on my list is you are unconsciously under-eating. Crazy as it may seem but the common misconception with losing weight, is the need to dramatically reduce your calories. By dramatically I mean more than a 15-25% deficit. Dramatically dropping your calories to speed up your results is not only difficult to adhere to, therefore leading to a relapse and lack of motivation. But it is also counterproductive as this leads to lower energy levels which in turn lead to lower total energy expenditure. Extreme low-calorie diets have been shown to unconsciously suppress the body’s levels of NEAT. NEAT also known as (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is “the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise”. As a result of this suppression this can reduce our bodies total caloric expenditure and stall our results consequently.

Yes, you may notice some short-term weight loss but soon you will hit a plateau. This is because as you lose weight your bodies caloric needs will now need be lower for you to continue to see results. So, if you began your journey on a 30% deficit for example, in order to keep seeing progress you will now need to be in a deficit of 30% + which is unsustainable.

You may not need to cut down your eating at all, for most you may need to increase your eating. Am I mental? No, all you need to do is replace the naughtiest foods with the goodies. For example, 2 shortbread biscuits may cost you 200+ calories where as whereas 218g of a chicken salad will cost you almost the same in calories. Point is, you will naturally consume less calories when eating wholefoods due to the increase in nutrient content it will keep you fuller for longer in comparison to refined foods. No need to reduce your caloric intake more than 15-25% as not only is it unsustainable but it slows down your progress in the long run. Eat more wholefoods and watch the fat melt off!

2. “DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT”

Second on my list, is doing the same form of exercise and expecting progress in your results. The key is to constantly expose your body to new stimulus,forcing it to adapt. Repeating the same routine over and over is counterproductive as your body has already adapted to running 3 miles for example therefore it needs a new challenging stimulus to shock it. You can easily fix this by trying out a new form of exercise every 6 weeks. For example, if you are used to conventional weight training, either increase the weight and include more fast twitch movements or calisthenics exercises. If you are used to running long distance switch to sprints for a while if you are used to sprints switch to hill sprints. The key is to keep your muscles guessing and force them to adapt to new stimulus as a result.

3. METABOLIC FLEXIBILITY

Third on my list is increasing your metabolic flexibility. Metabolic flexibility is a very broad term that covers different components. However, I will solely be providing an overview. What exactly is metabolic flexibility? “metabolic flexibility is the capacity for the organism to adapt fuel oxidation to fuel availability.” In simple terms, metabolic flexibility is the body’s ability to run efficiently on different fuel sources, either glucose or fat which could be dietary glucose or fat. The benefits of this are sustained energy levels as your body has these energy sources readily available and easier weight loss.

Great, so how can I increase my metabolic flexibility? By changing when and what you eat. Intermittent fasting/ time restrictive eating (I have a blog post explaining this in depth) is an easy way to control when you eat. This is an efficient method as during your fasted period your body will utilise your glucose and glycogen storage. Once those energy sources are depleted it will learn how to tap into your fat storage for fuel. But intermittent fasting is difficult you say? Not if you control what you eat within your feeding window. Consuming whole foods (foods that are closest to their natural state) will allow you to sustain your energy throughout.

The more your practice this, the more efficient your body will become at switching between energy sources. Which will result in fat loss!