contributed by David Ryan Barnes, Lead Personal Trainer, Active Training Solutions

We live in a world where we have what seems like an unlimited amount of information available to us. More often than not, this information confuses us rather than properly informs us. It confuses us so much that we have a difficult time making decisions on what to eat, what not to eat and how much activity we should be doing. No matter where you are in your weight-loss journey, I would like to share with you three reasons why you may not be losing weight.

1. You’re Over-Informed – The amount of information that is out there regarding weight-loss is massive. Many of my successful clients have tried numerous different methods before I had the pleasure to work with them. When talking to my clients about their past successes and failures, one of the most commonly neglected variables was dedication. Not the kind of dedication that keeps you from eating a slice of cake in the middle of the night, but the kind that makes you stay the course and persevere. One cannot expect a program to work if they try it for three weeks, don’t see results and immediately abandon it in lieu of something they believe will work better for them, or even worse give up completely. The chances of this happening are increased when we immerse ourselves in information about weight-loss, then try to haphazardly implement everything that we’ve read. Drop the daily emails, magazine subscriptions and Facebook feeds like a bad habit. Find a program, COMPLETELY commit to it and enjoy your inevitable success.

2. You’re Starving – Don’t interpret this the wrong way. When I say starving, I’m not referring to a lack of calories, but an absence of nutrition in general. This is a direct result of the types of foods we reach for when we’re hungry. Most of us are on the go for the biggest part of our day, especially if you’re a parent. This tends to increase the chances that we reach for whatever we can find in the food department. Most of the portable foods we have available to us have absolutely no nutritional value. When we continually eat foods with no nutritional value, our bodies do not get the nutrition it needs to function optimally. We feel tired, lethargic and stress ensues as a result. Remove foods from your diet that contain ingredients that you’re not familiar with, or better yet, ingredients that you cannot pronounce!

3. You’re Activity Level is Too Low – This can also be a common issue when one is having trouble reaching their weight-loss goals. Generally speaking, when I begin working with a new client, I recommend as few diet or nutritional changes as possible. What we try to focus on in the beginning is their activity level and how we define activity. If a person is overweight, they will have an extremely hard time losing the weight if they do not increase their physical output. Sometimes this means starting small. Walking around the block or using the stairs at work instead of the elevator are both small things that will help you towards your goal, but at the end of the day, won’t be enough. Especially if having a couple extra bites at dinner can completely negate the calories burned during activities. Causing change requires a catalyst; an explosion if you will. One that cannot simply be achieved by adding a couple minimal tasks to your day, because your body will quickly adapt to the demand these activities require of you. If you’re having trouble figuring out what an appropriate amount of activity is for yourself, enlist the help of a professional to help you determine the amount of work you should be doing to achieve your maximum results.

In conclusion! Stop exposing yourself to information that can cause you to run in circles, eat foods with actual nutritional value and do all that YOU are able to do physically. Following those three simple guidelines will pay dividends to your future selves and get you closer to achieving your goals. If you feel you could use some direction, please do not hesitate to contact us at Active Training Solutions. We are always excited for the opportunity to start working with new clients!

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Three Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight