I'm Doing Everything Right, But I'm Still Not Losing Weight. What's Going On?

Rewind three-and-a-half months to January. You’ve woken up, feeling the after effects of last night’s celebration, and resolved to make a change in the new year. To lose weight. Fast forward to today. You’ve cut out the fast food, revamped your diet and committed to an exercise routine. But the numbers on the scale haven’t budged at all.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve been there. For most of my young adult life, I weighed in just under the average for my age and height. Then, when I turned 25 I started taking an anxiety medication that catapulted the scale upwards a full 45 pounds — despite not having changed my diet or exercise routine.

Over the first few months, I saw a couple pounds drop off, but in the last four months I’ve seen next to nothing. Not seeing those numbers steadily decline despite feeling like I had been sacrificing my favorite foods and spare time to log hours at the gym, was definitely discouraging. So much so that I became less motivated with my pursuit, almost wanting to throw in the towel.

What was the point of putting in hours of hard work multiple times a week if I had nothing to show for it? I know I’m not alone in the never-ending cycle of hard work, lack of results and discouragement and frustration. Get ready for a reality check — and a sigh of relief. Knowing that eating too many calories likely led to your unwanted weight gain, it may seem like a good idea to cut back — been there, done that — but you should think again.

“Very-low-calorie diets may create a quick initial weight loss, but when hunger, boredom or life circumstances get in the way, these unrealistic plans can become too hard to stick to,” Taub-Dix says. “This could lead to that familiar diet/binge cycle of eating, causing someone to feel badly about themselves for failing instead of being their own cheerleader to help them achieve their desire to look and feel their best.” Sound familiar?

I, for one, have struggled with this a lot ever since I first saw my weight flare up. I’d meticulously log all my calories and count my macros, and begin to restrict myself from eating more calories once I’d reached the magic number, despite how hungry I felt. Like clockwork, I would inevitably come home late one night and end up binging, ordering all my favorite Italian dishes from my neighborhood pizzeria — enough to feed multiple people — and eating it almost entirely on my own.

We have enough decisions to make each and every day; so many of us resort to relying on "avoid" lists to take the guesswork out of which foods we can and can’t eat. Taub-Dix explains that while a lengthy "avoid" list may seem like clear guidance at the start of a diet, it can lead to resentment and misinformation.

I’ve tried adhering to more of these lists than I can count, thinking it won’t be so bad cutting out only carbs or avoiding fried foods. But I end up finding it more difficult than ever. It leads me to seek comfort in other unhealthy foods, while giving myself false praise for having successfully avoided the one food I deemed “off limits” even though I’m still not eating ideally. Knowing that I needed to find balance, I tapped Taub-Dix for her advice.

“Foods that may need to be limited when one is trying to drop a few pounds is not the same as complete avoidance,” she says. And this includes labeling your favorite indulgences as off limits. “Instead of cutting out foods you enjoy, try watching your portion sizes or save richer foods for special occasions,” Taub-Dix says. To find a healthy balance, Taub-Dix recommends evaluating what it is you’re eating and when you’re eating it.

I live in an apartment and was concerned that I would wake the neighbors, but it was quiet. I am going to do the 3 day fast starting tomorrow and if that goes well, I will bump up to the 7 day or longer. I love my Breville. After taking me through a 30-day juice fast (big props to Joe Cross!) it still runs like a champ. I use it Every Single DAY!