7 Reasons Why You are not Losing Fat on the Low-Carb Diet
Low-carb diets may or may not benefit people, and there really is no guarantee that you will lose fat while on this particular diet program. However, we need to clarify something up. Weight loss and fat loss are two different worlds entirely, but people often use them interchangeably. Let’s get the facts straight so that you leave with at least something useful.
Fat loss is what you want since excess fat is the reason you could become diabetic, obese, or be diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, or even cancer.
Weight loss is a negative thing unless you are trying to make weight for an MMA or wrestling match, and anything else similar. Your overall weight is a measurement of your muscle mass, fat, bone mass, skin, blood, water, and all your organs. So when you lose weight, what are you really losing? Stay away from the weight scale and get fat calipers instead if you truly want to be healthy.
That being said; let’s take a look at 7 reasons why you’re probably not losing fat like you should be.
#1: Your Training Sucks
Nutrition is an important part of any diet plan, but if you are moving your body incorrectly or too little then a problem occurs. You cannot lose much fat if you just cut down on carbs. You need to elevate your heart rate so more blood is pumping oxygen to your muscles, which in turn burns more calories since your body begins to heat up internally. This is how a fat burner works pretty much.
#2: Cheat Days are Abused
We often find ourselves looking for solutions to our fitness problems, and have seen the numerous articles talking about “cheat days” and how they are beneficial. A cheat day means you can eat a lot more carbs than you normally would, and is often performed once a week or every two weeks. The purpose is the basically shift hormone production allowing better muscle gains and fat loss.
However, if you abuse this then fat is obviously going to be retained regardless of how much training you perform. Limit your cheat days as noted above and fat loss will most surely take place.
#3: Fat Loss Plateaus need to be Monitored
Your diet is going to change as your body fat percentages begin to fluctuate. After a month or so your calorie intake needs to be changed to support your new body mass, or you are going to end up hitting a fat loss plateaus. This implies that if nothing is altered your fat loss is going to become stagnant and no further results will show. You can even begin to gain fat back if nothing is done. This is one reason why low-carb diets become inefficient, and low glycemic load diets seem to be a better choice.
#4: Amazing Fat Loss Results and then Nothing
This reason is branching off the previous one just discussed. Carbs hold a lot of water, so when you go on a low-carb diet a lot of the weight being lost is actually only water weight. This weight change makes you think something good is taking place, but in reality you need to make further adjustments to overcome your fat loss plateau. You can even consider this another reason why using a weight scale is just not beneficial.
#5: Your Cutting Cycle is just Never-Ending
Cutting cycles are great; don’t get me wrong, but when you do it for too long your metabolism never gets a break, which is a reason why you may not experience fat loss any further. The leanest and shredded men and women do not perform excessive cutting cycles. Instead, they perform at least two months of bulking to allow their metabolism to shift, and when cutting cycle begins again their metabolism slightly slows down even more. Remember, too much of something usually isn’t good – well, unless it’s money.
#6: You’re Eating Too Much
Yes, you can actually eat too much healthy foods as well. You always want to consume nutritious whole foods, but you have to limit them just like any other type of food. Drinking too much 100% fruit juice could even affect your health negatively. While on the low-carb diet program, you need to watch your calories a little bit to ensure your food consumption is properly correct with your fitness program.
#7: You need more Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important factors that is often overlooked. Without proper rest your muscles will not grow, you will not burn fat, and your appetite will actually increase. This is going to cause issues with your diet and fitness regimen, so get at least 6-8 hours of rest every night to keep on track with losing fat while on the low-carb diet.
Every little detail actually has major effects when it comes to your body, and being on a low-carb diet means you need to pay a little more too each detail going on with your body. What you eat, how you train, and the fluctuation of your body fat are just a few reasons that you may not be losing fat anymore. Stay on track with your diet and train properly!