Why You Seemingly Can't Lose Weight Despite Following A Low Calorie Diet

By Russ Howe


We have all been there before. You've dieted hard and you've done tons of cardiovascular activity but you step on the scales and nothing has changed. You reach the conclusion that you just can't get in shape, that you simply can't lose weight on a low calorie diet with regular exercise. Today you'll find out why this happens and how to sort it out.

The general rule for those looking to drop some pounds, of course, is to eat less calories and exercise more. However, there are thousands upon thousands of people out there who are doing too much of one thing and not enough of the other. In rare instances, you even find people who are doing too much of both things.

To ensure that you not only lose unwanted body weight but also keep it off forever, you need to ensure that you do not follow these trends and end up on a near starvation diet coupled with endless hours of cardiovascular exercise. That is a sure fire recipe for failure.

We all know somebody who has fallen victim to that particular trend, due to the fact that it's often featured in celebrity magazines and pushed as the number one method to lose fat.

If you have ever followed a diet which calls for eating less than 1000 calories per day while battering the bike or treadmill every night, you will know it's not the most effective or lifestyle friendly choice. Individuals who go down this route usually encounter the following things:

They drop a few pounds at first due to the sudden shock to their system. They get to a sticking point after around two weeks. After around one month, they hit a wall where they seemingly cannot lose any more no matter what they do. They begin severely restricting calories even further and increasing cardiovascular exercise even more. They get frustrated at the lack of results, quit and binge eat. They pile all of their weight back on and end up heavier than when they started their diet.

Of course, once the individual ends up in that situation they often blame themselves and begin a new diet, adding an even greater calorific restriction and increasing cardiovascular exercise as a punishment for their previous failed effort.

You may wonder how on earth the body can not lose any unwanted pounds despite barely eating and working out all the time, but the answer is very simple. The metabolism is slowed by the body in reaction to the starvation diet and extra high workload being placed on it by the individual. The body is concerned that it is being starved, therefore it refuses to let you burn off any of it's valuable fat stores because it needs them to keep you alive.

Instead, it will feed you lean muscle and learn how to adapt to survive on a low calorie intake. Almost all of the carbohydrates and fats in everything you eat will be stored in a bid to bolster it's reserves of these all important fuels which crash diets often advise you to cut out. Long, steady state cardiovascular exercise has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on lean muscle tissue, making a severe problem even worse. Instead, switch to a short but effective HIIT routine coupled with a regular resistance training program.

The more lean muscle you can encourage in the gym, the easier you will find it to burn fat outside of the gym, too!

When trying to structure the perfect diet, the first rule is the eliminate any thoughts of starving yourself or cutting out certain nutrients like carbohydrates. If you are reading this and perhaps noticing that you may have put your own body through this in the past, the best way to get back on track is to slowly increase your calories each week rather than suddenly jumping up.

Who do you think will find it easier to lose body fat - the person eating 500 calories per day or the person eating 2000 per day? Obviously, the latter. They have more calories to play with and therefore will find results a lot easier to come by. You should never, ever be eating less than 1000 calories per day if you are regularly exercising.

If you have reached a point where you think you can't lose weight on a low calorie diet and want some answers, the first thing to do is look at your present diet and your training regime. If you recognize any of the signs in today's post then correcting this issue has to become a priority before you cause serious damage.




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