Why am I not Losing Weight in a Calorie Deficit?

So you’ve started your weight loss journey right by calculating your calorie daily calorie requirements, but now you’re frustrated because the whole calories in-calories out thing doesn’t seem to be working for you. Here’s why you might not losing weight in a calorie deficit.

The Importance of a Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss

The first thing on your mind may be that the whole calories in-calories out thing may be a lie, and isn’t the key for weight loss. I assure you, that isn’t the case. A calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss.

A calorie is simply the unit we use to measure the energy we get from food. If our body gets more energy than it needs to function, it will store that energy for times of scarcity. That is, it stores it in the form of fat.

Therefore, when our body gets less energy from food than it needs to function it will burn up those fat stores and give you the fat loss that you want. So a calorie deficit is essential for weight loss to occur.

How to Calculate your Calorie Deficit?

You can use this simple calculator to give you an estimate of your daily calorie requirements. However, to make sure you’re being more accurate with your nutrition and ensure weight loss occurs, I recommend that you read this article.

Why you’re not Losing Weight in a Calorie Deficit

There can be several reasons as to why you’re not losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit.

Firstly, you may not actually be in a calorie deficit. Before you get angry, I know you’re working hard to lose the weight but there may be reasons out of your control that can mess with your calorie deficit. Don’t worry, I’ll show you what they are and how to overcome them.

The second reason is that you have the whole calories in and out thing down and your body is primed for weight loss, but for some reason the scale doesn’t budge. We’ll learn about those as well.

Reasons why you’re Not Really in a Calorie Deficit

1. Your Calorie Deficit Calculation is Off

The formulas and online calculators you’re using to generate your daily calorie requirements to lose weight are only estimations. They are meant for a wide range of people and are by no means accurate or specific to your needs.

They can give you a ballpark figure to work with but this may still overestimate the amount of calories you need, taking you out of a calorie deficit. The best way is to autoregulate your weight loss as I discussed in How to Calculate Your Calorie Deficit.

2. You’re not Tracking your Diet Properly

If you aren’t tracking your calorie intake then there isn’t any way to determine whether or not you are in a deficit or not. Remember that reducing the amount of calories you are consuming is the most effective way to create a calorie deficit.

You should use a simple tracking app like myfitnesspal in order to more accurately estimate your daily calorie intake and make sure you lose weight.

However, even if you are tracking your diet, you may still underestimate the amount of calories you are consuming. Those condiments add up. Sugar and milk in your coffee adds up. A serving size that is a bit too large adds up.

At the end of the day you may be consuming much more calories than you’re recording, so you won’t be in a calorie deficit and won’t lose weight. If you’re serious about this goal, it won’t hurt to be a bit more meticulous.

3. Your Calorie Deficit lowered your Metabolism

When you’re providing your body with less energy than it requires, your body will adapt to overcome this. One adaptation is to use fat as an energy source. However, another adaptation is to lower your metabolism in order to reduce the amount of energy your body needs.

This adaptation will shift your calorie needs lower than you previously calculated, and you won’t be in a deficit anymore. To overcome this, keep track of your weight loss over time and when it stalls, slightly reduce your calorie intake.

4. You Burn Less Calories when Exercising

It’s easy to burn calories when you now start exercising. Your body isn’t accustomed to it and is very inefficient. This usually burns more calories. However, as your body adapts to exercise it does it more efficiently and burns less calories, thus throwing off your calorie deficit.

You can overcome this by ensuring that you’re continuing to progressively overload your muscles by using heavier weights, working out for longer or trying different exercises.

5. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

This refers to the energy you burn when you’re moving around on a daily basis. It’s all of the movements outside of exercise. What happens, when your body is adapting to lower calories, is that it reduces the amount of non-exercise activity thermogenesis occuring.

This is usually subconscious, but you will walk around less and fidget less in order to burn less calories. This can reduce your calorie deficit. In order to overcome it you can increase your activity level by walking more or reduce your calorie intake.

6. The Thermic Effect of Food

When you eat, your body spends some energy in order to digest and break down the food into molecules that it can use. This burns calories. When you’re dieting you are eating less, which reduces the calories you are burning due to the thermic effect of food.

To overcome this you must ensure that you are eating complex foods that your body must expend energy in order to digest. These foods include foods high in fiber, protein and complex carbohydrate sources.

Reasons why you’re Not Losing Weight in a Calorie Deficit

If you managed to correct the above reasons that may be affecting your calorie deficit then here are some reasons why you’re still not losing weight.

1. You’re Checking Too Soon to lose weight on a Calorie Deficit

You’ve been in a calorie deficit for 5 minutes and you’re not losing weight. Be patient. You can’t get on a diet today and expect big progress to happen tomorrow, or even a week for that matter. It takes some time for your body to realize it’s in a deficit and has to burn fat in order to survive.

Weight loss takes time. Keep up the hard work. Don’t worry, the consistency will pay off.

2. You’re Weighing Yourself Inconsistently

Believe it or not, but your weight can fluctuate by over 10lbs everyday. The food you eat, going to the restroom, sweating, and even breathing all contributes to fluctuations in your weight on a daily basis. This can make it seem like you’re not losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit.

It’s best to pick one time to weigh yourself everyday. I suggest to do it in the morning as soon as you wake up, before you have breakfast. This way you’ll be weighing yourself under similar conditions.

It’s also best to track weight loss on a weekly basis by checking the average weight for the entire week. This is because of the day to day fluctuations.

3. The Scale is Lying

Please check to make sure your scale is working properly. Improper calibration or low batteries can all throw off the weight it’s telling you. So please check them and make sure the scale is on a solid, flat surface.

4. You are Gaining Muscle on a Calorie Deficit

Muscle is denser than fat. If you’re working out you may be losing fat and building muscle simultaneously, so your weight will remain the same even in a calorie deficit.

This makes the scale a very unreliable source to gauge your progress. Use more reliable sources such as measuring tapes or even how you look in the mirror.

5. Fluid Distribution Prevents Weight Loss on a Calorie Deficit

You might be burning fat on your calorie deficit but not losing weight because of extra water weight. This can be due to the amount of salt you are consuming or because of hormonal influences. Don’t worry, this is temporary. Your body will adapt and remove the excess water weight.

If you’re worried you can reduce the amount of sodium or carbs in your diet as these can cause you to hold on to a lot of water.

6. Constipation Stops Weight Loss on a Calorie Deficit

If you’re constipated or not having regular bowel movements, there will be an excess of food products backed up in your gut. This excess weight will make it appear as if you’re not losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit. However, you may still be losing fat.

Overcome this by consuming foods higher in fiber such as vegetables and by maintaining healthy gut health with probiotics such as yogurt.

7. Stress is Preventing Weight Loss on a Calorie Deficit

Stress plays a huge role in your weight loss journey. It can make you have cravings and negatively affect your workouts, which will reduce your calorie deficit. Additionally, stress results in increased levels of the hormone cortisol.

Cortisol can reduce insulin sensitivity and make you more prone to store fat in your abdominal region. Additionally, cortisol also increases water retention. All of these factors will prevent you from losing weight in a calorie deficit. Overcome this by managing your stress levels.

8. Hormones are Preventing Weight Loss on a Calorie Deficit

Other than cortisol, there are tons of other hormones that may play a role in weight management such as estrogen, testosterone and insulin. You may be in a calorie deficit and not be losing weight because of some hormonal imbalance.

This may not be any source of concern because hormones vary such as during the menstrual cycle or during menopause.

Check out The Best Weight Loss Meal Plan for Women.

9. An Underlying Health Condition is Preventing Weight Loss

You may not be losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit because of some underlying condition. These conditions usually involve hormones. Some of them are diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and PCOS. If you suspect any of these conditions you should see your healthcare provider.

Putting it All Together

A calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss. I hope that now you’ve been able to identify the problem that has been holding you back from losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit, so you can overcome it and get one step closer to the physique of your dreams.

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