Why You're Not Losing Weight (Even When You're Doing Everything 'Right')

You’ve been eating healthy, watching your portions, and squeezing in workouts when you can… and the scale hasn’t budged. You feel frustrated, defeated, and honestly? It makes you want to throw your hands up and say, "What’s the point?"

As a nutrition coach (and someone who’s been there myself), I want to reassure you that you’re not broken, and it’s not because you lack willpower. There are real reasons why weight loss can stall, even when you’re doing everything "right." Let’s break down what might actually be happening and what you can do to get back in the driver’s seat.

It’s Not Just Calories In, Calories Out—It’s Everything That Affects That Equation

We’ve all heard "just eat less and move more," but that oversimplifies a very complex system. While calories in vs. calories out (CICO) is the foundation of weight change, the actual balance of that equation is influenced by dozens of factors that most people never consider.

Here’s what can impact it:

• Sleep quality and duration

• Chronic stress and nervous system regulation

• Hormonal shifts like perimenopause or thyroid dysfunction

• NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)

  
  CICO is real, but your daily life profoundly influences how your body processes and regulates calories. You could be in a calorie deficit on paper and still struggle to lose weight because of how these factors affect your energy expenditure and hunger cues.

Stress, Sleep & Recovery: the Missing PieceS for Many

When weight loss stalls, most people zoom in on food and exercise. But often, the roadblock may be what’s happening outside the kitchen or gym.

When weight loss stalls, most people zoom in on food and exercise. But often, the roadblock may be what’s happening outside the kitchen or gym.

• Poor sleep messes with ghrelin and leptin, your hunger and fullness hormones.

• Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which could potentially, in turn, increase cravings (there is ALOT of buzz around cortisol, we are talking about chronically elevated levels in this bullet).

• High stress and low sleep also make us feel more tired, reducing movement and making us feel unmotivated to exercise or make wise nutritional choices.

Although things don’t "cause" weight gain or plauteuing directly, they can absolutely influence the behaviors and hormonal signals that make creating a calorie deficit harder to maintain.

Hormones Shift—But They Don’t Take Away Your Power

Yes, hormones matter. No, they’re not the end of the story.

Things like perimenopause, PCOS, insulin resistance, or thyroid conditions can impact:

• Your appetite and cravings

• How your body distributes fat

• Your recovery rate and energy levels

But they don’t override the fundamentals of energy balance. Although they might change how your body responds to certain routines, meaning you may need to adjust how you approach nutrition, movement, and rest, it’s not about pushing harder. It’s about getting more strategic.

“Healthy” Isn’t Always the Same as “Fat Loss-Friendly”

Many people trying to lose weight (myself included back in the day) fall into the trap of thinking that eating "healthy" automatically means they’re in a calorie deficit.

It doesn’t.

You can eat nutrient-dense, whole foods and still be consuming more energy than your body needs for fat loss.

Take avocado, for example. It’s full of fiber, healthy fats, and vitamins, but a whole one can be 250–300 calories. Add olive oil, nuts, chia seeds, and a protein smoothie, and you could be in a surplus without realizing it.

On the other hand, some find themselves sticking to their “clean” routine or having an extreme calorie deficit Monday through Friday, feeling restricted, and overdoing it on the weekends. This is what we call “Accidental maintenance”.

Healthy foods support your well-being. But fat loss still requires consistently taking in just a little less over time. And that’s where awareness, not obsession, becomes powerful.

You’ve Been Hustling, WHEN You Might Actually Need to Heal

You’ve been pushing hard for months—dieting, training, and grinding—and you’re still stuck? Your body might be asking for a break, or a reframe, not more discipline.

Long-term stress and chronic dieting can reduce your total daily energy expenditure without you realizing it. You might be moving less, recovering poorly, or mentally drained, leading to less overall movement and lowered inhibitions.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken. It means your body is trying to conserve energy.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is:

• Get more consistent sleep

• Walk more instead of taking that sixth workout for the week.

• Eat enough to fuel your body before dropping calories again

Healing and resting are productive.

What Actually Moves the Needle (and What I Teach My Clients)

To summarize: Sustainable weight loss isn’t about extremes. It’s about:

• Eating enough protein and fiber (approx 1.2g protein/kg of bw, and 25g fiber daily)

• Managing stress and sleep

• Creating a structure you can stick with

• Building your health behaviors around movement, a growth mindset, and nourishment

It’s also about looking at the whole picture. That’s where something like coaching comes in—to help you take all these moving parts and build a plan that actually fits your life.

You don’t need another crash diet. You need a strategy that works with your body, not against it.

If you feel like you’ve been doing everything right and nothing’s working, you’re not alone. It doesn’t mean you need to work harder. It might just mean it’s time to work differently.

- Coach S

Feeling stuck? Let’s figure out what’s going on under the surface. Book a complimentary call—no pressure, just a real plan for moving forward.