9 Reasons Youre Not Losing Weight

December 15th, 2010

Im used to pushing it to the outer limits when recording new joints but losing body fat to shape up isnt an exercise in extremes; its a matter of balance. Do too much or too little of one thing and you may not lose body fat as quickly as you expect. To achieve the best results practice the discipline of moderation. If youre not seeing the results you want consider that the reason may be one of the following and use my personal quick fix to correct the problem in short order.

1. Youre adding muscle mass faster than youre losing body fat. This is a bestcase scenario your program is working but you just arent recognizing it. If the scales are giving you bad news it could be because youre increasing your muscle mass faster than youre losing body fat. Muscle mass is heavier than body fat and when your body starts to make this shift it adds muscle mass more quickly than it sheds body fat. LLs quick fix: All you need in this case is an attitude adjustment. Use your mirror pay attention to how your clothes are fitting and take the compliments you receive to heart. Theyre all much better gauges of your success than a number on a scale. If everything seems to be pointing to success except the needle ignore it.

2. Youre eating too much. If youre committing this sin you probably know it without my telling you more about it. If youre going to lose body fat you have to be in a calorie deficit. Theres a limit to how many calories you can burn by exercising each day so you have to limit caloric intake to make sure youre in a deficit. LLs quick fix: One thing you may have noticed when you started this program is that your appetite increased. Channel that into opportunity: Emphasize healthy lowcalorie foods such as vegetables and lean protein sources so that you can still consume a large volume of food without stuffing yourself full of unwanted calories. Satiety that satisfied feeling from eating can be achieved with fewer calories when you eat crunchy lowcalorie foods such as vegetables.

3. Youre not eating enough. Enough in this case may mean that youre not eating enough calories youre not eating often enough or both. If you habitually eat only a large meal or two a day you may be undereating. Strangely this can allow calories to be stored as body fat. When you eat a large quantity of food in a sitting and then neglect to eat for hours on end your body tends to hoard the calories it doesnt need from these infrequent meals as body fat. LLs quick fix: To find success eat fewer calories in a sitting and eat more frequently. This may mean actually increasing the total number of calories you consume a day but your body will be more inclined to burn them than to store them as body fat. Strive to take in up to six meals a day distributing the number of calories you consume fairly equally from one meal to the next.

4. Youre not training enough. If youre following the program as Ive laid it out youre training enough. The only suggestion I can offer is to train with more intensity. If youre not keeping up but youre doing what you can then just keep going at your pace. Your results will come. On the other hand if youre skipping workouts because youre busy or because you dont feel like it youre just not going to achieve results that are as impressive as you want. LLs quick fix: The first thing you have to realize is that you do have time to work out. Get in 15 minutes here and there each day. Make the commitment. Thats when youll see real results.

5. Youre training too much. This may be a shocker but training too much too hard or both can undermine progress. Keep in mind that the workouts themselves tear down your body. You make progress and grow after training during recovery. LLs quick fix: If you are overtraining see Dont OverTrain in Vain on page 190 for more on this you may need to back off on your training volume or frequency. You should limit weight training to about 4 days a week and you should include at least 1 if not 2 full rest days each week.

6. Youre not performing enough cardio. When youre weight training youre jacking up your metabolic rate by encouraging calorie burning and adding muscle mass. Cardiovascular training walking jogging running or using any of the gym machines such as treadmills bicycles or stairclimbers is also important for burning calories and ultimately for burning body fat. LLs quick fix: Make sure that you perform as much cardio as the program prescribes.

7. Youre performing too much cardio. Many people think they can climb onto a treadmill and just keep moving until their body is perfect. Thats not the case. Performing an excess of cardio either in intensity frequency or duration can take your body over the edge into a state of overtraining and it can burn muscle mass rather than body fat. Either way your cardio actually can end up working against your goal of shedding body fat and adding lean muscle mass. LLs quick fix: If you think this is the case cut back on your cardio somewhat either the length of sessions the frequency the intensity or a combination of these variables.

8. Youre eating too many carbs. If you consume a high percentage of your calories from carbohydrates you may be impeding your ability to shed body fat and you may not be encouraging enough muscle growth if youre simultaneously not eating enough protein. Carbs especially sugary or starchy carbs can make you feel sluggish and negatively affect your blood sugar. They can also encourage you to store body fat. LLs quick fix: To avoid this problem cut back on carbs in general relying more on slowburning sources such as oatmeal brown rice and yams which have a less negative impact on your blood sugar levels. Particularly avoid consuming sugary and starchy carbs by themselves. These include sodas pasta white bread and candy.

9. Youre not eating enough carbs before and after you work out. Nutrition is complex and specific to each individual. You need to cut back on sugary carbs in general but you want to include them before and after your workouts when they will help drive nutrients into your cells. Pre and postworkout they deliver nutrients to your muscles stimulated by your workouts rather than to your bodyfat stores. LLs quick fix: Consume as many as 50 grams of simple carbs in the half hour both before and after you work out. Check labels to see how large of a portion this equates to.

Reprinted from: LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout by LL Cool J and Dave Honig with Jeff O’Connell. Copyright 2007 by James Todd Smith. December 2006;27.95US/34.95CAN; 9781594866081 Permission granted by Rodale Inc. Emmaus PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling at 800 8484735.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;LL Cool J is a threetime Grammywinning rapper television and movie actor and bestselling author. With 11 consecutive platinum albums he is considered one of a select few artists who brought rap and hiphop culture from the underground to the mainstream. He previously authored the bestselling I Make My Own Rules. He lives on Long Island New York.

Dave “Scooter” Honig is a noted expert in boxing conditioning and has worked with champion athletes and celebrities for many years. He lives in New York City.

Jeff O’Connell is an executive writer for Men’s Health magazine and recently coauthored The PowerFood Nutrition Plan. He divides his time between New York City and Emmaus Pennsylvania.