6 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight on a Calorie Deficit
You downloaded MyFitnessPal because you heard that you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight and get that toned fit female body.
You stepped on the scale a week or two later and you freaked out.
“WHAT?! I’m doing EVERYTHING right but my weight isn’t changing?”
“Why am I not losing weight on a calorie deficit ?”
“Is my metabolism broken?”
The reality is that most women give up on their diets within 1-2 months because they do not see progress OR their diet is way too restrictive, so they can’t sustain it long enough.
You may fall into this category.
You tried all the diets, tracked your calories for a couple of weeks, lost some weight, but then hit a weight loss plateau and gained back any weight you lost.
You know there has to be something missing because nothing is working for you.
You become desperate and start wondering if there is some magical women’s weight loss supplement out there that could trick your metabolism into burning off all the stubborn pounds once and for all.
You start to except defeat and think it might just be impossible for you to lose the unwanted weight, gain the self-confidence you’ve always wanted, and be that fit female you always wanted to be.
I’m here to tell you that it does not have to be this way.
Your metabolism is not broken.
The fitness transformation and weight loss success you desire is 100% possible…
….and I’m here to help you find the answer.
Let’s start with the facts and science.
How Does Fat Loss Actually Happen?
Fat loss stems much farther than “cleaning up your diet and moving your body.”
The first step in making progress is understanding how fat loss happens through a caloric deficit. So let’s go over the four main terms you need to understand to know how fat loss occurs…
The four terms we will go over that you must know are:
Calorie (kcal)
Maintenance Calories
Calorie Surplus
Calorie Deficit
As you know, you must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
A calorie (kcal) is a unit of energy, specifically the energy your body uses to survive and function. Without energy, your organs would shut down and you would die.
The term “maintenance calories” refers to the amount of calories (energy) your body needs to maintain your weight. This is determined by your BMR (basal metabolic rate), E.A.T. (exercise activity thermogenesis), thermic effect of food, and N.E.A.T. (non-exercise activity induced-thermogenesis). This number can vary from day to day and is completely unique to each person.
If you ate perfectly at maintenance calories every single day, your weight would always stay the same. You would not lose or gain weight.
A “calorie surplus” (the opposite of calorie deficit) means you are consuming more calories (through food and drink) than you are burning in a day. In other words, you are taking in more calories than what your maintenance is at. If you ate at a calorie surplus consistently everyday, you would gain weight over time.
When you consume a surplus of calories, your body has to store the extra energy in your body. In other words, your body will turn that energy into body fat. Even though it sounds like a cruel thing for your body to do, it’s actually a survival method. Your body wants to store extra energy in case you run out of food (energy) one day. That way, your body can use that stored energy (fat) to come up with the calories you aren’t getting from food.
This leads into what is required for fat loss: a “calorie deficit.” A calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. You cannot lose weight without a calorie deficit, and you cannot be in a calorie deficit and not lose weight.
So it’s true— it isn’t carbs, processed foods, fruit, or sugar making you fat. Too many calories makes you gain fat.
A calorie deficit means you are consuming fewer calories through food and drink than your maintenance calories. When this happens, your body has to find that energy somewhere else so your organs can still function and you can survive as an organism. That is when your body will go into your stored energy (body fat) and burn it away to come up with that missing energy.
This means that if you aren’t losing weight, you simply are not in a calorie deficit.
If you want to know how to find your goal caloric intake to lose weight, you can do a simple calculation that I lay out in my free “Fat Loss Made Simple” guide by clicking here.
I do want to point out that, yes, there are many outlying factors that make weight loss much more difficult such as hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders, under-active thyroids, etc. These factors not go unnoticed and I encourage you to regularly get your bloodwork done to make sure you are completely healthy. Be sure to always consult and work closely with your doctor or endocrinologist on your internal health to help with your fat loss process.
I also don’t want to skip over the fact that while a calorie deficit is THE only factor that leads to weight loss, I do not want to underplay other important topics such as macronutrients, quality of food, metabolic adaptation, and others. For simplicity and time sake, I will only be covering the 6 reasons I have listed below.
If you want more information in regards to age, supplements, workouts, macronutrients, etc, I would be happy to cover these in another article!
SO with that being said..
If you have been meal prepping, tracking your calories, drinking your water, and eating healthy but haven’t lost weight…
There’s 6 main reasons why this is happening
So let’s dive in.
Reason #1: You’re not tracking your calories accurately (or at all).
Let me tell you, this is the most common reason I see with online fat loss clients I work with.
Simply entering food into MyFitnessPal does not mean you are truly in a calorie deficit or tracking food accurately.
When I say “tracking accurately” that means you are:
Using a food scale
Weighing everything in grams
Accounting for extra calories subtracted from fiber and sugars
Weighing everything raw
Weighing out every. Single. Thing. That goes into your mouth.
Not taking extra bites, licks, sips, or tastes of anyone else’s food or random snacks in your fridge
Tracking all condiments with a food scale
Cooking and weighing all homemade food— not eating out
If you go out to eat, eyeball your food portions, or use measuring cups, you are not tracking accurately.
You might be consuming hundreds of calories more than you think.
According to a research study, 95% of people underestimate their calorie intake…by a lot.
This study was performed on women who claimed to be eating an average of 1340 calories per day, but the study revealed they were truly eating over 2500 calories per day on average.
That’s nearly DOUBLE than the women claimed to be eating.
The Solution..
First— Invest in a food scale from Amazon. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy– a simple $12 food scale will do.
Second— Challenge yourself to spend a minimum of 30 days only eating from home, weighing out everything you eat and drink accurately, and tracking your calories properly. Everything should be weighed raw and in grams.
After the 30 days end, take a look at your data as well as your progress and go from there.
Reason #2: You’re not tracking oils, bites, licks, sips, or snacks
Remember– every single thing that goes into your mouth has calories.
If you ate 4 goldfish from your kid’s school snack– that counts.
If you spray oil on the pan before cooking– that counts (no, it’s not actually zero calories)
If you had a small drizzle of oil or ketchup with your food– that counts.
If you took one little bite of your husband’s sandwich– that counts.
If you licked the spoon from the peanut butter— that counts
If you walked to the pantry and ate a few crackers while you were stressed— that counts.
Trust me, I know you’re probably thinking, “Ugh but thinking about all of that is SO tedious!”
Instead, try to consider this as a wake up call for uncovering habits you have around food (whether they are good or bad habits)
When you’re in the moment, these little instances may not seem to matter much…But over time, those calories add up quite a lot.
Think of it this way: if you use one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan you cook your food with three times a day, that is 120 extra calories for each meal. 360 calories added to your day alone.
If you took a small handful of nuts here for 40 calories, a bite of your partner’s sandwich there for 50 calories, a small drizzle of ketchup for 20 calories, that is going to add up.
Solution
Start writing down every single thing that you consume. Keep a pen and paper on you at all times (not just MyFitnessPal) and write down the actual meals you consume along with condiments. Add in the drinks you have, the bites you take, the small snacks you consume, everything.
Even if it’s just 3 goldfish– write it down.
Awareness is the first key step in understanding how many calories you are truly consuming.
Reason #3: You’re Overestimating and/or Eating Back Calories Burned
Research studies reveal that people overestimate the calories they burn in a workout by up to 70%.
Not to mention, your Apple Watch, Fitbit, or other tracking device is shown to be up to 92% inaccurate in how many calories you are burning.
Machines included are overestimating by up to 24% on top of that.
The hard truth to hear is– exercise is a crappy way of losing weight because it does not burn many calories.
Yes, even your 1 hour HIIT cardio session or intense metabolic workout isn’t burning nearly as many calories as you believe or what your tracker is telling you.
In fact, the calories you burn from exercise only make up about 5% of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) AKA the total calories you burn in a day…
That’s a very small impact.
Don’t get me wrong here=- you SHOULD be exercising for many other benefits, but exercising to lose weight is something I do not recommend.
The best weight loss programs for women are ones that include a combination of a calorie deficit and weight lifting.
You can check out my free guide here to learn more about setting up your own exercise routine.
Solution
First, here’s what I always tell my online weight loss clients — do not track how many calories you are burning.
I know that closing all three rings on your Apple Watch is one of the most satisfying feelings ever (even I get caught in closing those dang rings), but it isn’t doing you much good other than giving you a small dopamine rush.
Second, never eat back your estimated calories burned.
When you calculate your calorie deficit, that number already takes into account your activity level. Eating back calories burned (even if accurate) will simply put you back to maintenance calories.
Reason #4: You Haven’t Been at Least 85% Consistent Over a Long Period of Time
Another common mistake I see many women make is telling me they have been following a diet and tracking their calories for weeks or months, but when we actually add up the data it reveals they have been much more inconsistent than they realized.
If you are tracking calories sporadically over the course of the month, stay on track for a week but then go all out during the weekend, miss a whole week at a time, or only track part of your day…
You are not being consistent.
Period.
On another note, do not get caught up in thinking two weeks or even a few months is long term.
Long term consistency means multiple months of following your nutrition plan and calories accurately.
Even if you have a planned cheat meal that you do not track, you’re still not fully consistent.
On an important note: your calorie deficit is not based on a single day. You must be in a calorie deficit over the course of a week to see your weight decrease on a weekly basis. If you are consuming “cheat meals” or giving yourself “cheat days”, you can throw off your weekly calorie balance from that single meal.
Solution
Keep a calendar on hand and start tracking your consistency.
For the next 30 days, I want you to track how many days you are truly accurate (according to reason #1) hitting your target calories and weighing out everything in grams.
On the days you are 100% without a doubt on point, put a big X on that day.
On the days you are off even by a little bit with your calorie goal or you eat food you don’t make at home, leave that day blank.
If you were not as accurate as reason #1 states or you did not track your bites/snacks/condiments, you cannot count that day as “on track.”
If you forgot to record some calories or simply recorded everything except for your dinner because you went out with your spouse, you cannot count that day as “on track.”
Once the month is over, you should not have more than 4 days blank. If you miss more than 4 days, your consistency is off.
This might be a huge reality check with you that stings a bit.
Just remember that if you choose to lie to yourself, you’re only setting yourself back. It can be hard to be truthful with yourself about how accurate and consistent you have truly been, but it is necessary if you really want that fit female body.
Reason #5: You Haven’t Been Patient Long Enough
You want to know the one trait that separates women who successfully lose weight and women who never lose weight?
Patience.
The women who actually lose weight simply never give up.
If you keep going, even when you feel like you are not making any progress, I promise you will eventually succeed.
Think about how long it took you to get out of shape– probably years. All of your life.
If it took you multiple years or even decades to get out of shape, you are not going to get in shape or lose that weight in 3 months or even one year.
True progress takes time, and you will not succeed until you accept that fact and keep going in your journey no matter what.
Solution
I want you to make a promise to yourself. Tell yourself that no matter what happens, what comes up, what obstacles get in the way, or how hard it gets– you will not give up.
You will have ups and downs, but that’s okay and that’s all a part of the process.
It doesn’t matter how far you go off track. What matters is if you throw in the towel or get right back on track the next day.
Stick to a true, accurate, calorie deficit for 4 weeks straight being at LEAST 90% consistent. Accuracy, again, in terms of reason #1. Eating everything from home, weighing everything in grams, adding in all condiments, bites, snacks, and liquids.
The best way to stay consistent and patient over the long term, proven by science, is to find a group of women to surround yourself with.
Women who join LSF Legacy, my 4 month group coaching program, struggle with consistency just like you…but everything changes once they get started because they get the accountability they need.
Reason #6: You were in a Calorie Deficit, but your Metabolism has Adjusted
If you were tracking consistently and losing weight but then reached a plateau, this one's for you.
In particular, if you lost 15 or more pounds and then stalled, it is likely because that original calorie deficit is no longer a calorie deficit for your body.
When you lose fat, your metabolism will adjust to your new lower weight. Women who have more weight on their body will have a higher level of maintenance calories simply because they are holding more mass and burning more calories.
If you weigh less now than when you started, you need to lower your current calorie goal.
This needs to be done strategically and with expertise to keep your metabolism as high as possible. Otherwise, you can create faster metabolic adaptation which puts you in need of a reverse diet.
I create Weight Loss Meal Plans that are 100% customized with the macros already calculated for you.
Click here if you want to check out the details and see if a plan would be the key in your journey.
Solution
In order to create a calorie deficit, you have two options:
Eat fewer calories in a day
Increase your weekly cardio frequency, intensity, time, or type.
You may manipulate either the calories in or calories out portion of the equation.
I recommend calculating your maintenance calories (however many calories you are currently eating on a daily basis to maintain your weight) and then starting with a 200 calorie deficit (200 calories below maintenance) up to a 500 calorie deficit max (500 calories below maintenance).
This would set you at a standard calorie deficit to ensure you lose weight sustainably and preserve muscle mass.
Stay consistent with these new numbers for at least 4 weeks, weigh yourself daily, and dictate based on those results if whether or not you are in a calorie deficit. If your weight has stayed the same, repeat the process.
BONUS #7
There is a possibility you HAVE been in a calorie deficit for several weeks but have not lost weight.
This only applies to you if you fit into one of these three groups:
You are brand new to lifting weights (you had never stepped in a gym until recently)
You are coming back to lifting after multiple months off (possibly from a serious injury or surgery)
You just now started taking nutrition and weight lifting seriously (you were never consistent or serious before)
I have had many women ask me, “Can I build muscle in a calorie deficit?”
My answer— “ABSOLUTELY!”
Calories do not play a significant role in the muscle building process. I will go more in depth on this in another article.
You will always lose body fat in a calorie deficit, but you may not always lose body weight.
Weight does not directly indicate fat. It includes everything that’s in your body.
The reason this happens is because these three groups of people might be experiencing a phenomenon called “body recomposition.”
If you are lifting weights on a calorie deficit, you are likely building muscle while simultaneously losing body fat.
If your weight has stalled for more than three months while staying 100% consistent and you have not noticed progress in any way, you are likely just at maintenance calories and need to lower your caloric intake or increase your energy expenditure.
Solution
Start measuring your progress in other ways besides the scale. Start by:
Tracking your strength in the gym
Taking weekly progress photos
Taking weekly body measurements
You might see a decrease in your waist measurement but no change in your scale weight. This means you have added lean muscle and lost some body fat.
If your strength in the gym is progressively increasing, you are definitely building muscle.
Conclusion
Weight loss in itself can be a very overwhelming and confusing process especially with the information thrown all over the internet and social media.
You might be in that state of frustration as you feel like you’ve put in tons of work and effort but haven’t seen the changes.
Now, you can call yourself the calorie deficit queen and can take some time to find the true reason you are not in a calorie deficit before you go looking up women’s weight loss supplements.
(Trust me, these don’t exist).
If you pass every test listed above, make sure to look into bloodwork for health purposes and find any potential underlying issues.
Just remember— you’re always going to be learning and making adjustments.
Of course, if you need more support and guidance or you’re looking for someone to hold you accountable through your fitness journey, this is exactly what LSF Legacy, my 4 month signature weight loss program, was created for.
If you want to know more or when spots open
Love,
Coach Alissa.
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Of course! You can build muscle in a calorie deficit as long as you meet a few criteria:
-You are consuming ENOUGH calories to have energy to train hard (so do not cut your calories too low)
-You are taking in enough protein
-You are drinking enough water
-You are getting enough sleep
-You are training with progressive overload, intensity, and consistency to build muscle
Check out my Custom Fat Loss Meal Plans HERE where I will give you the best calorie deficit meals and foods that fit with your schedule!
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If you are losing weight, you are in a calorie deficit.
If you are not losing weight, it’s because you are not in a calorie deficit (as long as you are comparing long term weight loss trends)
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This depends on how much weight you have to lose along with many other factors.
Typically, many of my online weight loss clients will start with a 12-24 week weight loss phase before we take a diet break for a week.
Some clients I have worked with have had to include reverse diets and refeeds in their weight loss phases.
Ultimately, you are unique and this is best determined by an expert! I would recommend staying in a calorie deficit no longer than 6 months max without a break.
Being In a calorie deficit for too long can result in weight regain.
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Nope! Whether you are in a calorie deficit or at maintenance calories, you should always lift weights with the intention of progressive overload and muscle growth.
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I teach all of my online weight loss clients to build balanced meals and follow the 80/20 rule of dieting.
This means they add in a protein, veggie, carb, and fat to each meal to make it balanced and satiating.
If you are feeling hungrier in a calorie deficit, you can stay full by consuming balanced meals and low calorie dense foods— foods that are higher in volume and lower in calories.
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Calories will always determine your body weight, but macronutrients determine your body composition.
I recommend focusing on your calories first before tracking macros.
Technically, as long as you are consuming adequate amounts of each macro, the total amount is not as important for weight loss as your calorie amount.
You can read more about this in this study.
