10 Reasons Why Your Weight-Loss Plan Isn't Working

Wanna know why your diet's not working? Do you get frustrated when you step on the scale and it's barely moved an inch since last week? Everyone runs into roadblocks now and then with a diet and exercise plan. How you respond to it can make all the difference when trying to lose weight and get in shape.

When I was in the process of losing 65 pounds and training for my half marathon, there were weeks where I would step on the scale and pull my hair out because I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. It takes patience, perseverance and LOTS of hard work.

But if you feel like you're doing all that and it's still not making a difference, take a step back and see if you're falling prey to one of the 10 deadly weight-loss mistakes.



1. You're trying to lose weight with a fad diet. I don't care who endorses it, how cutting edge it is or how easy it is to follow. Fad diets are for the birds. Why? Because, like anything worthwhile in life, weight-loss is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to take time and it's not supposed to be answerable with some special food that can target your belly fat or help get rid of your man boobs. C'mon people. I know you're smarter than to think drinking cabbage juice for a week is going to lead to long-term weight loss. Yes, you'll starve yourself and lose tons of water weight for a week, then gain it all back over the course of the next several weeks. Not only are they a waste of time, but according to the National Institutes of Health, fad diets are bad for your body, leading to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and, in extreme cases, even gallstones and irregular heartbeat.
2. Your plan doesn't include enough exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all adults get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate intensity physical activity per week. That's a minimum, folks. If you want to lose weight, you gotta combine smart eating with regular exercise. If you're not sweating, you're not doing enough to lose weight. Depending on how much you have to lose, this could range from a brisk, 30-minute walk on the treadmill five times a week, or intense cardio combined with strength training every day. The point is the same for everyone, though. If you don't get your body moving, your weight loss is bound to go slower than you had hoped for. The key: be consistent. A 2-hour workout one day isn't going to make up for not working out for a whole week.
3. Your plan includes too much exercise. You need to let your body rest. It will tell you when it's had enough. When it does, push it just a little bit more, then rest. Pushing yourself much beyond that can send your body into fat-storing mode. Why? It freaks out and thinks your robbing it of calories, so it holds onto them in a stubborn attempt to save your life and keep you from wasting away. If you're going to work out a lot, you need to eat more calories -- just make them smart ones. Lean proteins, whole grain carbs and lots of fruits and vegetables.
4. You're eating more than you want to admit. Let's face it, I know it sucks, but the only REAL way to know how much you're putting into your body is to count calories (or points, if you're on Weight Watchers). If you've never counted calories before, it can be incredibly tiring for the first few weeks but trust me, you'll get the hang of it, to the point where it becomes second nature. Here's the thing: losing weight really isn't that difficult of a concept to grasp. If you eat fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. But if you don't know how many calories you're putting in your body every day, how are you supposed to know how many calories to burn? Create a simple calorie journal every day. Jot down EXACTLY what you eat, and at the end of the day, log on to a simple nutrient information database. Here are a few I use on a regular basis:

• USDA's Nutrient Data Laboratory - Literally thousands of listings for whole foods and some name brand stuff
• CalorieKing - They claim to have over 50,000 different foods, including some fast food restuarant information
• NutritionData by Self - Lots of useful calorie calculators, customized entry options and the ability to create your own recipes. Requires sign-up, but it is free.

5. You're skipping meals or not snacking. If you're hungry, you're not doing it right. Let me be clear about that. Dieting is NOT about being hungry. Hunger is your body's way of telling you you're not fueling it correctly. Hunger means your body could be tapping into stores you don't want it to tap into -- such as lean muscle tissue -- in order to give you energy. Don't skip breakfast, and carry snacks with you. When you skip meals, you're much more likely to overeat at your next meal. Going without food for too long slows down your metabolism as well, causing your body to burn calories at a slower pace.
6. You need a partner. Find someone who wants to lose weight as badly as you do. Do NOT find someone who just kinda wants to sorta lose weight maybe if they eventually get around to it. Pair up with someone who's going to hold your feet to the fire at 5:30 a.m. when it's time to get up and head to the gym together. Pairing up with someone who can hold you accountable -- and vice versa -- increases your chances of losing weight and keeping it off.
7. You're not strength training. A wide variety of exercises is essential to losing weight and getting your body in prime shape to burn calories. Don't fall into the trap of thinking if you hit the weight machines it means you're going to turn into a body builder. In order to build massive amounts of muscle you need to eat more calories than you burn, so don't worry about that. What you will be doing is toning your muscles and making them more efficient. Remember -- muscle burns more calories than fat.
8. You're weighing yourself too often, or not enough. What's your mindset when you step on the scale? When you see a good weight loss number overnight, does that cause you to slack off that day or does it motivate you to do more? When you see a bad number, do you get down in the dumps and head for the buffet or does it put a fire in you to head to the gym? Depending on how you react to success and failure, you may either want to cut back to weekly weigh-ins or increase them to as many as once a day. Personally, I find daily weigh ins work the best for me. Seeing a good number keeps me going, and a bad number gets me upset enough at myself that I get back to work, but not so upset that I want to give up. Also, an important key is to weigh yourself the same time and under the same conditions. You normally will weigh less in the morning right after you get out of bed.
9. Your diet isn't balanced. I know low carb is king, but remember that it's not no-carb. And it doesn't mean you can just eat whatever kind of meat you want all the time and still lose weight. And either way, it's not a realistic, long-term diet plan. A real, balanced diet is like putting high octane fuel in your car. It maximizes your performance and helps your body run like a machine. Eat fresh foods you cook yourself. Avoid anything in a can. LOOK AT FOOD LABELS. Be smart about what you put in your body.
10. Let's face it, you're really not trying that hard. I know how it is. I've been there. You tell yourself, "Today is the day. I'm really going to do it this time." But then life gets in the way, and you don't. Decide if you're really ready to make a serious life commitment. If you need to lose 50 or more pounds, be realistic and understand it's going to take at least 4 to 6 months, if you're consistent. Decide today that you're going to change right now. Stop putting it off. Make a crazy goal -- like running in half marathon, like I did -- something that will push you just beyond what you think you're capable of. And then just do it, without excuses and without whining about it. YOU are the only one who can change YOU. So just do it.

Photo via Flickr user alancleaver