You’re relying on a juice cleanse
While a green smoothie can be hugely beneficial to your health, relying on juice cleanses for weight management in another story. Drop a few on a juice cleanse, and you’ll bounce right back soon after.
Cleanses can slow your metabolism. The typical juice cleanse involves consuming nothing for days except organic juice, which is extremely low in calories and has almost no protein (and even cleanses that include nut milks don’t have the amount you need). Living off of these juices puts your body in starvation mode and slows fat burning, says Janet Brill, R.D., a nutritionist based in Philadelphia.
“It also causes your body to consume muscle mass for fuel, and that further decreases your metabolism.”
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You’re sticking to your tried-and-tested routine
If you continue doing the same ol’ exercises forever and ever, you’re eventually going to get really good at them—which means you won’t burn as many calories as you used to. Bring variety to your favourite workouts – mix them up and challenge yourself – and watch your weight loss grow.
You’re building muscle
Muscle weighs more than fat, so the number on the scale might not move, but your new toned look should be proof enough that you’re making progress!
Not convinced? Mitzi Dulan, R.D., author of The Pinterest Diet suggests “the jeans test”: Find a pair you’re aiming to squeeze into, and see how your body feels in them.
As you clean up your diet and clock more sweat sessions, you’ll likely notice a gap between your belly and jeans because your body is becoming leaner—even if that isn’t immediately obvious when you step on the scale.
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You’re building muscle
Muscle weighs more than fat, so the number on the scale might not move, but your new toned look should be proof enough that you’re making progress!
Not convinced? Mitzi Dulan, R.D., author of The Pinterest Diet suggests “the jeans test”: Find a pair you’re aiming to squeeze into, and see how your body feels in them.
As you clean up your diet and clock more sweat sessions, you’ll likely notice a gap between your belly and jeans because your body is becoming leaner—even if that isn’t immediately obvious when you step on the scale.
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You’re focusing on the scales
It turns out you may be more successful if you put more emphasis on the weight-loss process, rather than the number of kilos, according to a recent study.
The University of Zurich study found that people who focus on the process of losing weight instead of the scale tend to see steadier progress and fewer setbacks.
Women in the study dieted for six weeks. Those who focused more on process-oriented success (things like persistence and resisting temptations) were predicted to lose about two more kilograms per week than the women who only focused on a desired outcome (such as a goal weight or size).
“Focusing on the process motivates people to keep going because it seems doable,” says weight-loss expert Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D. “The goal then becomes any change, even a small one, rather than the end result. What’s more, when you focus on the process, you can see the weekly small steps of achievement—which in turn gives positive emotional feedback and more motivation.”
Gerbstadt suggests recording your eating and exercise habits daily to maintain a focus on the weight-loss process.
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You’re not being strict enough
Most likely, you’re overestimating how much you’re dieting and exercising. “Generally speaking, when people are dieting and exercising but not seeing results, it’s because they think they’re being more virtuous than they really are—and over-rewarding themselves as a result,” says Lisa Young, Ph.D., R.D., author of The Portion Teller Plan.
Think overly generous portion sizes and mindless grazing – it all adds up. Plus, if Your exercise routine could be equally misleading for two reasons. The first? You’re not working out as much as you think you are – do you spend more time chatting with friends or thinking about which workout to do rather than getting on with it? – or you’re not mixing it up enough. “Your body will reach a plateau if you do that, and you’re not going to see results,” says Young—so it’s really important to vary it up.
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You think exercise negates holiday excess
Exercising during any holiday season doesn’t prevent weight gain for most people, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “People who exercise regularly may think that they can overindulge because they exercised,” says study author Jamie Cooper, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University. “It is so easy to eat a lot of [kilojoules] during the holidays, and exercise simply cannot undo all that damage.”
In addition to hitting the gym, stay mindful of what you’re eating.
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