Why Can't I Lose Weight When I Exercise Everyday?

It can be frustrating. You're doing all this work and the numbers on the scale indicate no signs of progress. Perhaps the problem is with your diet or in your working out method.

Type of Weight Loss

• The type of weight you lose (or gain) matters a great deal. Water weight loss is very temporary; losing muscle only makes it easier to gain fat; and gaining muscle will actually increase your weight (but in a good way) because muscle weighs more than fat.

Types of Exercise

• Are you working out within your aerobic range during your aerobic workout? Aerobic exercise (done properly) consumes a lot of fat. Are you incorporating both aerobic and strength training into your exercise routine? Resistance training boosts your percentage of lean muscle mass, which serves you well around the clock because muscle requires a lot of energy to maintain.

Misconceptions

• It's a mistake to believe that exercise alone is the solution to weight loss. The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.

Diet Considerations

• While it's very important not to overload your body with calories, it's also important not to starve yourself. Starvation depresses your metabolism and makes it difficult to lose weight.

Solution

• Increasing your energy demands with a workout of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day and three to four days of resistance training per week--while also supplying your body with just a little less than what it needs to meet its energy demands with a diet of nutrient-rich, low-calorie foods--will provide successful weight loss results.