I'm Doing Everything Right - Why am I Still Not Losing Weight?

As a fitness coach, I get asked asked this question every once in awhile, usually by women (okay, always), so I thought it might be good to share my latest response to a friend that has been doing the P90X program 4 days a week, plus one day of running:

Tough question and I'll try to cover it properly, but there's a lot of variables that go into each individual's weight. Maybe we'll get lucky and hit the solution that works for you:

1. Measuring your results by the scale is flawed, yes, I know it is how we all do it, but the tape measure and fat caliper provide the most accurate results.....especially for women. Women's bodies adjust as a natural survival instinct, the harder you work, the more the body fights to retain the weight. This is a child bearing side effect. I'm sure you've heard of the 100 stranded pioneer story, 50 men and 50 women trapped by a snow storm without food, all the men die and 40 women survive (or something like that). So, have you seen results in the way your clothes fit? Did you take before pictures so you can see the actual change?

2. How hard are you pushing yourself in your workouts? Have you been writing everything down? Are you making improvements? I know I sometimes go through the motions and just do what I did the week before without pushing myself an inch farther. Goal setting helps. If you're able to get all 25 reps in on each of the AbRipper moves (lucky you!), try for 30. 4 days a week may not be enough, sorry, it isn't for me. If you were doing 6 and now you're doing 4, you may just be maintaining. Running distance, treadmilling, spinning, etc. all have very short term results because the body once again plateaus. Try doing interval or tabata instead, since you like running - full out sprint for 30 secs, jog for 30 secs, walk for 30 secs over the same distance that you were running and you'll get twice the workout in the same amount of time.

3. Diet - this is the tough one and the most difficult to master. Personally, I like a bowl of ice cream or a few beers every once in awhile, but I can feel the affect and it doesn't like me. Maybe you are eating clean, following a low fat diet, maybe even starving yourself. That alone could be the problem, the body will do everything in it's power to hold onto the weight. I highly recommend 5 smaller meals a day, and I'm personally following the Primal Diet ( www.marksdailyapple.com ) or Caveman Diet which works great for me - and I feel a lot better as well. It is based on the theory, or fact, that our bodies stopped evolving before the agricultural revolution when grain was introduced to us. It involves eating all of the fruit, veggies (except white potatoes or corn, which is a grain), nuts, eggs, and meat, but avoiding all grain and sugar. I cook everything in butter or olive oil. I still make the side of rice or pasta for the family, but I don't eat it myself. I use romaine lettuce for bread on my sandwiches and sweet-n-low in my mojitos. It does take some discipline and a few weeks to adjust but it works for me. It could also be that you are just not eating enough to fuel your metabolism, add some fresh fruit if that is the case.

Sorry for the long answer, but those are my thoughts, and I believe that the answer is probably in there somewhere, if not all over the place.

I guess if it were an easy answer, we'd have a much larger unemployment rate! Everybody is different and what works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for everyone. I am a big big believer that dieting by itself is flawed, having lived that yoyo myself for the first 40 yrs. You lose weight, stop dieting and get fatter that you were before the diet in half the time it took you to lose the weight in the first place. Dieting eats fat and muscle which lowers your daily caloric burn, so when the diet ends the body needs less fuel! A permanent lifestyle change is in order!