Working Out But Not Losing Weight – Don’t Give Up Just Yet!

I realize that not everybody who works out is focused on losing weight. Some people are more focused on getting cut and defined and whether they lose weight or not, it isn’t that important to them. Then there are some who want to bulk up and add weight. The common “go-to” approach for achieving any of these outcomes is to workout. Working out can be very rewarding and fun when you are accomplishing what you set out to do.

What is NOT fun is when you start working out to lose weight but you find that you are not losing weight or that you have hit a plateau.

To be honest though, losing weight should not be your number one priority … even if you are working out to lose weight. Instead, focus on losing inches. Okay, if you’re working out but not losing weight or inches, then we’ve got a problem.

My first recommendation is to not give up. Fitness is a lifestyle. If you approach your workout with the mindset that you’re going to lose a bunch of weight or add a bunch of muscle and then you’re all done, guess what — you’re headed for failure.

Having said that, I do feel that it’s okay (even good) to dig in and really push yourself at different times. For example, right before summer or any occasion that I want to look my best I push a little harder, eat a little better and workout a little more. That’s fine. What isn’t fine is doing all of this work only to completely quit working out and eating smart. I’ve been there too and it’s quite depressing to see how fast you can waste all of your previous efforts.

Help, I’ve Working Out But Not Losing Weight!

First of all, don’t think that there is some magic pill, diet or even workout that is going to fix everything. The most important thing is to be consistent. There are literally hundreds of different workouts out there to help you lose weight.

If you ask one person, they might swear by one workout whereas another person will swear by another. The fact is, it’s most-likely that either workout probably does work. The “trick” is finding the one that works for you … and the sticking to it.

The point is, I can tell you for sure that just “working out” is not going to guarantee that you’ll lose weight. In addition to being consistent, you must realize that losing weight really is “simple.” I’m not saying it’s easy, just simple.

In order to lose weight you need to consume less calories than you burn. Simple, right?

The most effective approach to doing this is through your diet, not your workout. Working out is doubtlessly more fun than dieting … at least to most of us. Unfortunately, the cliched saying that you can’t out-work a bad diet does hold some merit. It’s not completely accurate because working out does pick up A LOT of slack from a poor diet but when it comes to losing weight (and being healthy) you really do need to focus on dieting.

More often than not, your poor diet is the reason you are not losing weight, not because you are doing the wrong workout.

Along with being consistent with your workout and diet, you also need to make sure that your time is being spent efficiently. There is no reason that you need to be in the gym for two hours a day busting your butt just to lose weight … you just don’t.

It’s important to have a life and to enjoy it. After all, what’s the point of working out and being fit if that consumes all of your time? Not only will your weight loss be short lived, but you will be miserable in the process.

3 Tips If You Are Working Out But Not Losing Weight

1) Diet – One of the most game changing views towards dieting (to me) is the approach of focusing on calories throughout a full week instead of in each day.

With this concept you don’t have to feel like your diet is completely shot if you have a high calorie dinner every now and then. All you have to do is eat a little less the next day and you’re right back on track … diet NOT ruined!

Yes, you can have nachos, pizza, ice cream and even beer. Moderation is key. Your diet cannot consist of these things on a regular basis, but you shouldn’t feel like you are “off your diet” if you do indulge.

The all or nothing approach is a bad approach.

Here are a few articles that go into more detail on some different dieting methods:

• How To Lose Weight Counting Calories
• Intermittent Fasting To Lose Weight
• How Many Carbs Per Day To Lose Weight
• One Diet Cheat Day Every Per Week 🙂

2) Workout – Again, stay consistent. A moderate weight lifting (or other type of resistance training) program is very important.

Lately, I’ve been recommending Visual Impact for women and/or for men because you can tailor them to your specific goals quite easily. I’ve personally used the men’s program and got great results (see my results) in just two months. I have also heard numerous times that the women’s program delivers results as well.

There are different types of workouts. Some focus on weight loss, sports, weight gain, etc. The important thing to do is to find a workout that works for you and meets your goals and to then stick to it all while you are keeping a strict eye on your diet.

Here are a few articles that go into more detail on some different workout methods:

• Weight Lifting for Women to Get Toned & Feminine Bodies
• How to Workout to Get Great Muscle Definition
• Bulking Up Workout Plan To Gain Lean Muscle Without the Fat

3) Cardio – I’m quite an advocate of cardio. When it comes to adding a maximum amount of calories burned to your overall deficit, cardio can play a big role.

Whether or not you believe it’s good for weight loss (which I do), you can’t deny that the majority of us get less and less active as we go through life. The whole idea of trying to get in the shortest workouts as possible may not be the best thing in the world for us.

Exercising is actually good for you and you should do it whether you’re trying to lose weight or not.

Cardio is especially helpful when you’ve been eating less and working out but you’re still not losing weight. A great way to increase the amount of weight you can lose is to ad in some cardio. However, the types of cardio and how much cardio you do does matter for optimum results.

Here are a few articles that go into more detail on cardio:

• Is Cardio Good For Weight Loss?
• What Is The Best Cardio To Lose Weight And … What Is Not?
• How Much Cardio Should You Do To Lose Weight?

In the end, I’ve think that most of us have struggled with our workouts. Even if you’ve been working out to lose weight and have not been getting the type of results that you want, you should definitely not give up.

Try putting more emphasis on your diet but don’t give up your workout in the process. If you are struggling to put together a good diet, here are a few diets that I recommend. (for a long-term approach, I do not recommend the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet on the page … that is a short term approach only.)