Weight Loss Is More Than “Eat Less, Move More”
You’re doing the work, tracking your food, hitting the gym, sticking to your plan, but the scale refuses to budge. It’s frustrating, demoralising, and confusing. But you’re not alone. Fat loss isn’t just about effort – it’s about understanding the mechanisms that govern your body’s energy balance and knowing how to adjust when things stall.
This blog breaks down 9 of the most common (and overlooked) reasons people struggle to lose weight, even when it seems like they’re doing everything right.
The Energy Balance Equation — The Starting Point
At its core, weight loss comes down to energy balance – the relationship between energy in (calories from food and drink) and energy out (what your body burns to survive and move). When you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, fat loss occurs. But the human body is dynamic, and many factors can influence both sides of this equation.
Understanding the basics is key, but so is digging deeper into the behaviours, adaptations, and variables that influence how your body responds to a calorie deficit.
1. You’ve Overestimated Your Calorie Needs
Most people burn fewer calories than they think. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) depends on your resting metabolic rate, physical activity, and digestion. Online calculators can be helpful, but they’re not perfect, especially if you’ve misclassified your activity level.
For example, if you train three times a week but spend the rest of your time sedentary, you may not be “moderately active” by physiological standards. Overestimating your TDEE leads to consuming more calories than you burn, even when it feels like you’re eating less.
2. You’re Undereating — But Not Really
Research consistently shows that most people underreport calorie intake, often by as much as 20–30%. This includes forgetting snacks, misjudging portion sizes, or ignoring extras like sauces, oils, and nibbles.
Tracking every bite, accurately, for a week can often expose the hidden calories sabotaging your deficit. That teaspoon of peanut butter? That oat milk flat white? They count.
3. You’re Overtraining — And It’s Backfiring
It’s a common trap: more cardio = more fat loss, right? Not necessarily. Excessive exercise — especially long bouts of cardio — can increase hunger, fatigue, and stress hormone levels, leading to compensatory eating.
Instead of relying solely on workouts to drive your deficit, focus on Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) — walking, standing, fidgeting, and movement throughout the day. NEAT adds up significantly and doesn’t spike hunger like intense workouts can.
4. You’re Not Eating Enough
Severe calorie restriction can trigger metabolic adaptation – a survival mechanism where the body conserves energy by slowing down. This can reduce thyroid output, increase hunger hormones like ghrelin, raise cortisol, and decrease reproductive and metabolic functions.
If you’ve been dieting aggressively for a long time and progress has stalled, the fix might be to eat more, not less, at least temporarily.
5. You’re Gaining Muscle While Losing Fat
The scale isn’t always the best metric. If you’ve recently started strength training or upped your protein intake, you might be recombining – building lean mass while burning fat. The result? Weight stays stable, but body composition improves.
Use non-scale indicators like:
How your clothes fit
Strength levels in the gym
Visual progress (photos)
Energy, mood, and overall health
6. You’re Drinking Too Many Calories
Calories from liquids often fly under the radar. Lattes, fruit juices, soft drinks, energy drinks, and even smoothies can add up quickly. Alcohol, too, not only adds calories but often comes with less inhibited food choices.
Try:
Switching to zero-calorie options
Reducing milky or sugar-heavy coffees
Limiting alcohol intake, or adjusting food intake to account for it
7. You’re Not Sleeping Enough
Sleep isn’t just recovery – it’s a fat loss tool. Poor sleep affects hormone regulation, making you crave more calorie-dense foods while impairing your ability to burn fat. Studies show that dieters who are sleep-deprived lose more muscle and less fat, even on the same diet.
Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night. Better sleep = better results.
8. You’re Dehydrated
Even mild dehydration can mask itself as hunger. Staying hydrated helps control appetite, supports digestion, and improves exercise performance.
As a guide:
Women: 2.5–3L per day
Men: 3–3.5L per day
Add 1L per hour of training
9. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein
When in a calorie deficit, your body pulls from its energy stores – ideally fat, but often muscle too. Eating adequate protein helps protect lean tissue and keeps your metabolism firing.
Aim for 1.6–2.2g of protein per kg of body weight daily, combined with resistance training. This preserves muscle, supports recovery, and improves satiety — making your deficit more manageable.
Final Thoughts
Fat loss is never just about willpower. It’s about understanding the variables, recognising where things may be breaking down, and adjusting accordingly. Most “plateaus” aren’t due to broken metabolisms – they’re caused by one or more of the issues above.
If progress stalls, zoom out. Look at the bigger picture. Reassess your intake, output, stress, sleep, hydration, and training. The solution isn’t to double down on restriction — it’s to troubleshoot like a coach.
