3 Reasons Weight Loss Takes So Long

It can feel like weight loss takes so long that you’ll just never reach your goals. All you want to do is treat yourself right, arrive at a consistent place where you feel you’re at a steady healthy bodyweight, and stop wondering how your clothes will fit, but it can feel like you’re just never going to get there.  This can be frustrating and disheartening, but by learning about what’s going on in your body, you can reassure yourself that you’re on the right track.

Why Weight Loss Takes So Long

Patients is by far the most important skill to develop when you’re working on your bodyweight. The reason is that fad and crash diets only lead to disaster, and slow and stead are by far the best road to long-term results. Starving yourself might seem to give fast results over the span of a few days, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last and can often lead to rebounding pounds beyond your starting point.

As much as it would be great to just get it over with and reach our goals, we can use the fact that weight loss takes so long as a reminder that we’re not just in it to reach a certain number on the bathroom scale. Instead, we’re working on adopting lifestyle habits we’ll keep doing for years. We’re making healthy changes we’ll be able to keep doing over time so that when we reach our goal, we stay there.

Don’t forget that after you reach your target bodyweight, everything doesn’t stop. From that point, a new goal is set, and that involves maintenance. So, there’s no reason to be in a rush or think short-term when the ultimate goal is for the rest of your life!

3 Reasons Weight Loss Takes So Long

There are many reasons that weight loss takes so long even when you feel that you’re doing everything right. Consider these three most common causes so that you can either correct the issue or simply better understand what’s going on and know that you’re still on the right path to reach your goals.

1 – You’re Cutting Too Many Calories

It’s easy to go overboard on trying to create a calorie deficit, particularly when you first get started. However, when you cut too many calories at once, your body’s systems can react as though you’re going through a period of starvation and will shift to conserve energy. This means storing calories, slowing down your metabolism and making you feel sluggish so it’s harder to focus, motivate yourself and exercise.

Instead, moderate your food intake so that you have a reasonable – not excessive – deficit.

2 – You’re Stuck on a Yo-Yo

If you’ve been creating a healthy calorie deficit but have been doing so by depriving yourself of the foods you love, then you will go through periods when you have strong cravings for those foods, particularly if they’re sweet or fatty. This can lead you to experience times of dropping pounds followed by rebounds of a few or several pounds.

Instead, aim for a calorie deficit of 200 to 500 per day and be fair to yourself about which foods you’re eating. Remember, this is a long-term strategy. You want to love your meals and snacks!

3 – There’s More Going on Than What Your Scale Sees

Often, it feels like weight loss takes so long that nothing must be happening, but the fact is that there’s a lot going on that isn’t measurable on your scale.  Your body weight can fluctuate due to lost and gained fluid retention, burning body fat, burning or gaining lean muscle mass, the clothing you’re wearing or even just how heavy the food is within your digestive system. Keep up your great work! The results will follow, even if they don’t look completely consistent on your scale.