It can be frustrating to work out every day and not see results on the scale. Chances are, there's a reason why your workouts are not providing you with the results you seek. Find the culprit, and you should begin to shed some pounds.
Exercise Intensity
One reason that your daily exercise sessions may not be helping you to lose weight is that they are not intense enough. You may think that you are burning a larger number of calories than you actually are. The intensity of your movement can make a huge difference. For example, a 150-lb. person who walks for an hour will burn approximately 230 calories, according to the ProHealth online calorie calculator. The same person who runs for an hour can burn close to 1,000 calories.
Muscle Efficiency
There can be too much of a good thing when it comes to exercise. If you have been doing the same exercise for too long of a time, your muscles become more efficient at doing the movements. Then the exercise does not burn the same number of calories as it did when you first started. The way to get around this is to do a different kind of exercise, or do the exercise you already do in a different way. For example, if you normally walk around a track for exercise, try walking in a hilly neighborhood instead.
Diet
Even if you do everything right on the exercise front, there's always the chance that your diet is causing your weight loss to come to a standstill. Even if you eat a healthy diet, you may be consuming more calories than you need. If you are a moderately active woman, you can multiply your current weight by 12 to get the approximate number of calories to maintain your weight, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. For example, a 140-lb. woman who exercises regularly needs about 1,680 calories each day to maintain weight. You need to eat fewer calories than the number you arrive at if you want to lose weight. Write down the foods you eat for a few days to see whether you are consuming more calories than you think.
Disorders
There's a chance that difficulty losing weight could be from a medical problem. Look into this possibility after you have determined that you are exercising at an adequate intensity and eating a diet that is sufficiently low in calories. Disorders that can cause weight gain or make weight loss difficult are an underactive thyroid; Cushing's disease, in which the body produces too much cortisol; and polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder that also causes irregular periods. Other diseases also are possible. Your doctor can help you to rule out a medical condition as a cause of your weight loss difficulties.
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