St. Pete Personal Trainer Reveals 7 Reasons The Scale Isn’t Budging

7 Reasons The Scale Isn’t  Budging  & What To Do About It

As St. Pete’s go to fitness expert for men and women over 50, clients generally come to Fitness St. Pete because they have “tried everything” to lose weight with no success, have seen our amazing transformation stories and want to know our “secrets”.

You need to read this  if …

✔️ You ever feel frustrated because the scale isn’t budging

…….Especially when you’ve been eating better and  working out

✔️ You notice your old “dieting tricks” don’t work and you feel like you’ve lost control of your body

✔️ The scale won’t budge and your clothes just don’t fit no matter what you do

It’s so frustrating –  What gives?

Well, there are a lot of reasons the scale won’t budge and, if you’re over 50 there are even more! Often times the little things people don’t think about can make a big difference.

For most people, losing body fat can be a constant battle!

As a St. Pete Personal Trainer for almost 30  years with a focus on fitness and weight loss, and  the  founder of St Pete and Tierra Verde’s ONLY fitness community for over 50 bodies I feel that  it’s my responsibility to help you win that battle every time you step on the scale or try on that favorite outfit.

Before I go on, I want you to prepare to be totally and brutally honest with yourself today…  I’m here to help you bust some myths and give you some answers for reasons why your over 50 body isn’t seeing the scale move.

First, Let me first explain that I am NOT one to read into the number on the scale as the first measure of progress. Here at Fitness St Pet, we use tape measurements as our first measure of success, the way clothes fit as number 2 and, finally the scale as the third because, since  we are being honest –  body fat is mass and if are losing fat the scale will tip in a favorable direction even while you are adding metabolism boosting, body shaping, aches and pains reducing muscle.

Because we work with over 50 men and women, the majority of whom have never lifted weights, we actually see our clients drop a dress size or 2 while only losing a handful of pounds.

 So, here is where your honesty comes in. I am going to give you five different reasons why the scale may not be cooperating with your weight loss efforts. Identify which of the 7 apply to you and fix them now!

Reason 1 – The Midlife Slowdown

During this time in our lives as over 50 bodies, the next hurdle after our fast paced, social driven lifestyles, loss of muscle is one of the biggest hurdles when it comes to weight gain. If you are a woman of menopausal or post menopausal age, it gets worse because menopause  accelerates the rate at which women lose lean muscle tissue.(AKA: age related sarcopenia)

The average adult loses about 1 – 1.5 pounds of muscle per 2 years, but as women get closer to menopause, their muscle depletion takes place at almost twice that rate.

This causes female body composition to become higher in fat, which significantly reduces a woman’s daily calorie-burning potential.

At the same time, the hormonal changes of menopause also cause women’s bodies to redirect body fat to the abdominal area, resulting in a more male pattern of midsection weight gain.

HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS: Research shows that strength and resistance training significantly reduces abdominal fat in folks “of a certain age” while increasing lean muscle tissue in their bodies.

Reason 2 – Too Much Cardio

Excessive steady-state cardio releases cortisol or the “stress hormone” in your body. Cortisol has proven to promote storage of body fat. So if you are wondering why you see people training for triathlons and marathons or spending hours on the elliptical machine at the gym without their bodies changing much, THIS is one of the primary reasons.

Interval training and metabolic resistance training are the way to go, it’s as simple as that.

20-30 minutes of Short hard bursts of exercise followed by less intense exercise or rest periods and whole body movements are  more effective than an hour of steady state cardio.  On top of that, you limit your release of cortisol AND keep your metabolism up for 48 – 72 hours after your workout.

MORE FROM FAT LOSS U:  How To Speed Up Your Slow Metabolism In 5 Simple Steps

Reason 3 – You Decided to Eat “Diet Foods”

When most people walk into a grocery store, they chose the foods that say “fat-free”, “30% less sugar”, “half the calories” or “low carb”. All of these marketing tools are used by the food industry to target those who are trying to lose weight.

I want to you BANISH the notion that fat-free, or low carb  foods will automatically help you lose weight! 

These terms should read “this product has chemicals”, “toxic to your body”, and “don’t eat this if you want to lose weight!”

Diet foods are a marketing scheme.

Setting aside the fact, that these foods can cause an array of hormonal imbalances that that will slow and even halt your weight loss efforts, people tend to eat them without paying attention to serving sizes or portions because they are “healthy” or “on their diet” which causes people to consume far too many calories to effectively strip fat.

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Reason 4 – Eating Too Many Processed Carbs

Processed carbs are processed carbs. Whether you are eating a Cliff Bar, the protein bar touted by your fav fitness influencer or a pastry, the body will treat it the same way. Insulin and blood sugar levels will get thrown off once again slowing your weight loss. 

Your scale will not lie to you! If you think that any processed carbs will help you lose body fat, think again! It is hard to think that a processed energy bar or health conscious cereal can have the same effect as a snickers bar  but coming to terms with that notion will help your move in the right direction!

Whenever possible, stay away from boxed or bagged foods! If the food item has more than 5 ingredients on the it is most likely highly processed!

Reason 5 – You Are Not Getting Enough Sleep

Mindset, nutrition and workouts are  are all factors in losing or managing weight. The one most overlooked factor is lack of sleep.

The amount of sleep you get directly affects your diet. People who are sleep deprived tend to weigh more and have more trouble losing weight than those who get adequate rest, even when they follow the same diet.

People who consistently get less than six hours of sleep also show glucose and insulin levels and characteristics similar to diabetics, even if they are otherwise very healthy because your fat cells lose their ability to properly use insulin.

Not getting enough sleep also makes your more stressed out, which in turn makes it more difficult for you to control your appetite. A sleep-deprived body will produce more of the stress hormone cortisol which triggers the reward center in your brain and makes you crave food.

Basically, you produce the most growth hormone while you’re sleeping, which helps burn fat as well as repair and build muscles so you can increase strength and lose weight. Not to mention, if you’re exhausted, you’re much more likely to skip the gym

To put it simply: While you sleep,  your body has a chance to metabolize all the bad stuff and use all the good stuff!

We coach our clients on no less than 6 hours and preferably 8 hours of sleep per night.

More from Fat Loss U: 
5 Tips For Better Sleep

Reason 6 – Bone Density 

As we age, our bone density diminishes which, in turn, slows our metabolism.

The easy fix to this is to lift weights to keep bone density up and be sure you are taking a quality calcium supplement. Calcium also provides small increases in thermogenesis (the body’s core temperature). This may boost metabolism, which can prompt our bodies to burn fat.
“At midlife, women tend to gain one-quarter to one-half a pound per year whether they want it or not, and it all goes to their waist,” says Robert Heaney, MD, an internationally recognized expert in bone biology and calcium nutrition with Creighton University in Nebraska.

“We’ve found that women with the highest dairy intake have an average weight gain of zero, and those with the lowest dairy intake gained a pound per year.” 

Since dairy is also the enemy of fat loss and optimum health, we have our clients take a quality calcium supplement to get all the benefits with non of the inflammatory or weight gain side effects.

BONUS TIP:  Be sure sure it’s got vitamin D and is in an acidic medium.

If you have any questions or want info on the calcium/magnesium supplement our clients take, just drop a comment below.

Reason 7 – Medications

The list of medications that cause weight gain is endless and can vary from person to person.

They can do everything from alter the body’s electrolyte and water balances and cause changes to metabolism.

Antidepressant induced weight gain is tied to appetite changes. With medications for depression, increases in appetite  can often occur. Generally, then, anything becomes a little bit more appetizing —and our cravings usually don’t fall under fruits and vegetables.

To curb weight caused by medications you would  use the same strategies you’d use to control weight with or without the added effects of medication.

Choose low-calorie foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, eat fiber-rich and slow-to-digest complex carbohydrates, watch your sodium intake and drink lots of water.

More From Fat Loss U:  
The Ultimate High Protein Snacks For Weight Loss

SOURCES: 
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/23/health/cortisol-weight-wellness/index.html#:~:text=High%2Dintensity%20exercises%20or%20endurance,the%20same%20way%2C%20Vincent%20said.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sleep-and-weight-loss#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8

Want to learn more about our PROVEN system that doesn’t just get weight off but KEEPS it off without starvation diets, icky drinks, strange supplements or insane workouts? Tap HERE  To Find Out More
 

I look forward to helping you be the best YOU can be !

Committed To Your Success & Awesomeness

Dianne Villano , Your Over 50 Body Transformation Expert

P.S. Have you met our Member Of The Quarter and OF of our North Shore Park session Diane – the over 55 executive who had let decades of desk work and a sedentary leave her barely able to get up off the floor or do “regular every day activities” ? Check out her inspiring weight loss and transformation story .