5 Reasons you're not losing fat

1. You’re eating too many carbs. There is a huge misconception out there, that if you eat fat you will gain fat. This is untrue because fat is mainly converted to energy especially the lower your carbohydrates are. Carbohydrates is what actually causes your body to store fat and retain water, especially the fast absorbing carbs such as bread, potato’s, white rice, etc... Genetics and your goals will determine how many carbs you should be eating per day, but if you are trying to lose body fat, I recommend less than 50-100g per day.

2. You’re not eating enough protein. The more protein you eat throughout the course of a day, the greater chance you have of building muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. A faster metabolism will launch your body into fat loss mode. During digestion protein burns twice the amount of calories than carbs and fats. Therefore the more protein you eat, the more calories you will burn! I recommend .75 to 1.5g of protein / per 1lbs / per day, spread out through the day.

3. You’re not drinking enough water. The body is 40-70% water. Muscle is 75% water. You can last about 3 weeks without food, but only 5-7 days without water. To say water is the most important nutrient is an understatement. I have witnessed clients lose 10lbs in one week simply by increasing their water intake. Our bodies are like camels, if we don’t drink enough water, our bodies will retain water in order to keep it functioning properly. I recommend 4-8L per day depending on your goals and bodyweight.

4. You’re doing too much cardio. Excessive cardio is a double edged sword because you will lose fat and muscle. The more muscle you lose, the slower your metabolism will be. The slower your metabolism is, the more cardio you will have to do in order to keep losing. This can lead to health problems and the metabolism of a hippo. I recommend no more than 30 minutes per day in order to maintain muscle.

5. You’re not lifting weights. We’ve already established that muscle will speed up your metabolism. But by how much? One pound of muscle burns 50 calories per day, one pound of fat burns 20 calories per day. Unlike cardio, weight training keeps your metabolism elevated for up to 48 hours afterwards through a process called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). I recommend 60 minute weight training 3-5 times per week.