Exercising more but not losing weight?

I have seen a number of clients who increase their exercise but either don’t lose weight or even gain weight.  What could be happening here?

For some muscle development from significant exercise can appear as weight gain or a plateau in the weight loss arena, simply because muscle weighs more than fat.  The questions here are: Do you feel better, stronger, fitter? Are your clothes fitting better? Numbers on a scale aren’t the be all and end all of being healthy.

Protein powder – cacao of course

For others who don’t seem to be losing weight despite undertaking extra exercise, there could be something else going on…

Doing a workout doesn’t earn you extra kilojoules for cunsumption if you are trying to lose weight.  The key to weight loss is to go into energy deficit or negative energy balance (that is, consume less energy (kilojoules) than you expend).  Too often I see people wanting to lose weight so they exercise like crazy only to eat larger portions or additional snacks.

The other pitfall is the protein shake or bar after a workout, which is often not counted because it is considered ‘post workout protein recovery for muscle repair’.  A protein shake can have the energy density of a meal (a protein shake for me is my entire meal) and can be a hidden danger for people trying to lose weight.  And for the vast majority of us a one-hour workout at the gym probably doesn’t require masses of protein to be consumed.  It would be wise to time your workouts pre- breakfast, lunch or dinner and ensure that those meals have a reasonable protein source.

Have a think about making some small adjustments to get weight loss back on track.