Dietitian Leanne Ward shares the 10 reasons why you’re not losing weight 

A dietitian has shared the 10 reasons why you’re not losing weight, and it all starts with falling off the wagon at the weekends.

Leanne Ward, from Brisbane, said the single most important thing for weight loss is consistency, but too many of us aren’t honest with how much we’re eating and how often we’re moving when we want to lose weight.

The fat loss expert said she normally has clients wanting to lose somewhere between five and 10kg, and they always struggle to lose the last 1-2kg. 

Leanne said her tips will help you to stay on track.

1. You’re not being consistent 

The first reason why Leanne said you’re not seeing results is that you’re not being anywhere near consistent enough.

‘If you’re being healthy Monday to Friday and then letting yourself completely off at the weekends, then it’s not enough,’ she said on a recent podcast episode. 

‘Two days is enough to kick you out of a deficit and you’re probably eating and drinking much more than you think at the weekends.’

Instead, she advocates keeping an honest food diary for two weeks, so you can see all of the inconsistencies in your diet.

You might notice there are a few bad habits, whether it’s that second glass of wine on a Thursday night or the muffin breakfast when you’re in a rush on Friday.

The dietitian (pictured) said all too often it’s the weekends that are de-railing our fat loss journeys, as we have big brunches and meals out and lots of drinks

2. The weekend is de-railing you

In the same way that consistency is king, Leanne explained that all too often it’s the weekends making her clients fall off track.

‘The weekends are typical times that we lose the structure, consistency and we don’t eat at home as much,’ Leanne said.

‘When you’re not cooking the food yourself, you’ll always find that things have been added to it to make it taste good.’

The easiest way to combat this is to try and take it into account. 

For example, if you’re going to have larger meals at the weekend, perhaps drop the snacking.

Alternatively, go down to brunch and dinner if you’re going to have a few drinks.

3. You’re eating healthy foods, but you’re not in a deficit

The ‘golden rule’ of weight loss, Leanne explained, is being in a calorie deficit. 

This means eating less food than your body needs.

‘If you’re not losing weight, you’re not in a deficit,’ she said. 

The opposite of being in a calorie deficit is a calorie surplus, and if you want to stay at the same weight, you need to be in ‘maintenance’. 

4. You’re doing non-hungry eating

While many of us think we only eat when we’re hungry, in actual fact Leanne said all too many of us have ‘head hunger’ rather than actual ‘stomach hunger’.

‘Head hunger is eating when you’re bored, sad or happy,’ Leanne said.

‘But it’s important to remember than no amount of food will ever truly satisfy you if you weren’t hungry to begin with.’ 

5. You’re tracking incorrectly

Many people use apps like MyFitnessPal to track their intake, but then they are surprised when they’re not losing weight.

The dietitian said it’s worth remembering that you could be under-estimating how much you’re eating when you put it in to the app, and you also might be adding cheeky extra handfuls and mouthfuls here and there. 

6. You’ve calculated your requirements wrong

‘Look up an online calculator and add in your height, weight, age, activity level and body fat if you have it for the most accurate calculations for your body,’ Leanne said. 

Then, remember you need to eat in a 10-20 per cent deficit to lose weight. 

Leanne said make sure you put in as accurate information as possible for the most accurate results, as too many of her clients get things wrong. 

‘Most of my clients have desk jobs and think they’re doing lots of exercise by doing a 30-45 minute workout every day, but moving your body for half an hour out of 24 just isn’t enough,’ Leanne (pictured) said

7. You think you’re moving more than you are

When it comes to activity, Leanne said more people than not think they are moving more than they really are.

‘Most of my clients have desk jobs and think they’re doing lots of exercise by doing a 30-45 minute workout every day, but moving your body for half an hour out of 24 just isn’t enough,’ she said.

Instead, if you want to get a bit more from your weight loss, Leanne said you should make sure you get some 10,000 steps as well as your workouts.

‘Steps are really underrated for weight loss,’ she said.

8. You’re making critical health decisions when you’re tapped out

A big reason so many of us aren’t losing weight is that we are self-sabotaging ourselves by making big health decisions when we’re tired, Leanne said.

You’re far better off making good healthy decisions earlier in the day as you’re more likely to stick to them, rather than leaving your decisions till 9pm when you’ll likely be tired and emotional.

‘Map out your day and make conscious, good decisions early,’ Leanne said. 

This should contribute to weight loss in no time.

9. You need a break

Often when we plateau with weight loss, it’s because we simply need a break. 

‘If you’ve been consistent for four weeks and the scale is still stick and not budging, it’s probably a sign you need to take a break from dieting or even try reverse dieting to eat more for a period of time,’ she said.

‘Too many of us push in a fat loss phase and don’t get the results we need. Later on you can go back into a deficit, but give your body the fuel it needs when it needs it.’

Leanne (pictured) also said sometimes you need to take a break from your weight loss goals in order to see the best results

10. You’re giving up too quickly

Finally, the dietitian explained that weight loss and fat loss in particular takes time.

When you start a diet, Leanne said you shouldn’t get on the scales for as long as two weeks as you won’t see any results.

Meanwhile, if your weight loss goal is 10kg, it’s worth remembering it could take as long as six months.

‘Adopt the lifestyle approach and do something that is sustainable for a decent period of time,’ she said.

‘A lot of fat loss is happening in the background and you can’t see it initially on the scales.’