Hey Mamas,

Hope you have all had a good week. Here in the UK, the nights are getting lighter, which means summer is on its way yeyyyyyyyy! Are you summer body ready? Has lockdown got you feeling deflated and out of sorts? Most likely, have no fear I got your back ladies.

Today I want to talk with you about 5 reasons why you probably can’t lose weight. You haven’t had a bite of pizza or had a sneaky bag of crisps in what feels like forever, but you still can’t seem to shift the pounds. What’s up with that? Here are the real reasons that may be stopping your winning streak, plus some of my top tips.

The Science

We all know that you lose weight by eating less, but it’s when you’re in a calorie deficit that we will find ourselves losing weight. Along with regular exercise and a well-balanced diet, the weight will gradually and naturally drop off you as your body uses up your fat stores and burning those calories.

The possible weight loss mistakes…

1. You are eating too much healthy food. Yes, you just read that! The saying ‘too. much of a good thing’ applies right here Everything you eat contains calories, yes. Making healthier choices is better for your health, but it doesn’t mean it’s better for your waistline. Take avocado, for example, if you eat a medium avocado it is around 300 calories, you add that to your 2 poached eggs and 2 slices of toast before you know it you are consuming 700-800 calories in one meal. If you need to eat around 1700 to be in a calorie deficit you are not left with many calories for the rest of the day. See where I am coming from.

2. You are drinking your calories. This is easily done, varying from soft drinks, and hot drinks to alcoholic beverages. For example, order a small mocha at Starbucks you could be drinking around 300 calories just in one drink.

3. You are not burning as many calories as you think you are. The calorie burn that is calculated as you carry out exercise isn’t the only calorie burn that counts. What you do in between your structured workouts can have more of an impact on your health than you realise. Especially, since the lockdown this year, unlike last year when the pandemic hit fewer people are out walking and moving due to the colder weather. But this could be a reason why you are stuck. It is important to consider our NEAT (Non-Exercise- Activity- Thermogenesis).

4. Condiments. You are on track with your calories. Dinner time comes round and you’re plating up your chicken fillet, pile on the veg but on the side, you cover your meal with lashings of mayo. Error!!! We have all been there. Sadly, our condiments have more calories in them than we would think. That goes for the olive oil you use too. It’s hidden calories that a lot of us forget to take into account. Shocking

5. Condiments. You’re on track with your calories. Dinner time comes round and you’re plating up a delicious healthy grilled chicken fillet, a pile of veg on the side but then you cover your meal in lashings of mayonnaise or BBQ sauce. We’ve all been there. Sadly, our condiments have more calories in them than we would like to think. That goes for the olive oil we cook in too. It’s the hidden calories you didn’t know or think you were having. Mayo has around 94 calories per tablespoon as opposed to BBQ sauce which is only 29 calories and tomato ketchup in at around 19 calories. Olive oil has around 119 calories per tablespoon serving as well, however extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest fats packed full of antioxidants.

6. You are not sleeping enough. If you are lacking in sleep, pulling those late nights and early mornings with the kids (which can’t be helped I know), you may find weight slowly creeping on, but you can’t put a finger on why. Sleep deprivation causes changes in your hormones that regulate hunger and appetite, changes that you didn’t even know were happening. We have 2 main hormones in our body that help us when it comes to sleep- leptin, and Ghrelin, The hormone lepton usually suppresses and encourages the body to expend energy. This is the feeling you get when you wake up after a long lay-in and feel brand new. However, sleep deprivation reduces leptin levels within in your body which can leave you feeling groggy and low in energy. The hormone Ghrelin, on the other hand, triggers feelings of hunger. Ghrelin levels increase in your body when you are tired and your body needs more sleep. With these 2 hormones fighting against you, your only way to gain instant energy is to replace the lack of sleep with food and drink to keep your body energised. This is why you will be more likely to want junk food when you are tired. As opposed to feeling motivated and energised to do a workout and make a healthy dinner.

In summary, the best way to track your weight loss/gain is to track your calories. Work out how many you need each day, and take into account your NEAT and number of workouts. Then, put a plan together on how to achieve these goals.

If you need a hand putting together a plan, whether it be to lose weight, gain confidence or get fitter then check out my Fit Strong Mama 8-week online coaching programme. Online coaching is a service that involves a detailed process to identify exact goals and plans. Online coaching goes that step further than face-to-face personal training as it gives you continuous accountability, regular check-ins to assess progress and access to me for any ad-hoc support and queries. Get more value for your money! Let me help you get body confident, lose weight and feel healthy in a sustainable way. Together we can make those dreams a reality.