Why Am I Still Gaining Fat Even Though I Exercise Regularly?

If you’re hitting the treadmill every day and are not seeing the numbers you want on the scale, then you are not alone! 

Plenty of people exercise regularly and yet they still cannot seem to shed the pounds. There could be a couple of reasons for this.

True, a person could have a genetic issue - there are a variety of genetic issues that can make harder for a person to shed fat - but these genetic conditions are rare and it is far more likely that it is an issue with your diet or exercise, so let’s explore some of these issues a bit more in-depth.

1) You’re doing the wrong kind of exercise

Sure, you may be exercising regularly, but are you doing the right kind of exercise? 

While cardio is an important part of any good exercise regimen, cardio alone is not really the best way to go about burning fat. 

High-intensity interval training is probably the best way for people to burn fat. If you aren’t familiar with high-intensity interval training, it’s an exercise regimen wherein a person alternates between high-intensity exercises (like sprinting or squatting) for a small period of time and then switches to a lighter exercise for a small period, and then continues switching until the 15-minute session is over.

2) You aren’t cutting enough calories out of your diet

When you really break it down, losing fat is a simple process of calories in, calories out. The problem comes when people try to figure out just exactly how many calories they need to cut. You need to be careful when cutting calories. 

If you do not cut enough, you will not end up shedding enough fat, but if you cut too much, then you will not have enough energy to exercise regularly! 

Generally, you should aim to burn about 500 more calories than you consume each day. If you haven’t already gotten one of the many calorie tracking apps out there, you should get one immediately.

3) You’re not getting enough sleep

 This may seem like an odd reason to be retaining fat, but believe it or not, sleep deprivation can really set back your weight loss efforts. There are two reasons for this. 

First off, sleep deprivation causes issues with the two hormones in your body that are responsible for controlling hunger (they are called ghrelin and leptin), which means you will be hungrier than you normally would be. 

Secondly, sleep deprivation causes your body to store more fat than it would under normal circumstances.

The truth is, sometimes you can be doing everything ‘right’ and still struggle to see results. 

Remember, give it time! And don’t forget that you may actually be gaining pounds on the scale thanks to muscle, not fat!

Change Your Subconscious Self-Image For Permanent Weight Loss

The most important picture you will ever change in your subconscious mind is the picture you now have of yourself right now.

You will start with this image. You will start recreating your subconscious imagery by recreating your existing body picture. 

Before starting your imagery training, it is important that you become totally relaxed in order to focus your mind.

Once you have accomplished this, you will find it is quite easy to engage all of your senses, making it possible for you to create a new body image.

Once you feel you are completely relaxed,  see a picture of your body in your subconscious mind. When you have your body in focus,  reshape it, to exactly how you want it to look.

See your new body down to the smallest detail; make it become so real that it seems that you have already accomplished your weight goal. 

Once you have your new body picture completed, place yourself in a physical activity that you know you would enjoy and will be beneficial in helping you attain your new weight goal.

This activity can be anything from a brisk walk to an aerobics class, to playing tennis, to completing an unfinished task. Your new body is now capable of performing any activity that you find enjoyable.

The emotional states that drive you to overeat or eat when you are not hungry are fear, guilt and anger. These emotional states are responsible for depression and low self-esteem.

When creating your new self-image, you must exchange these negative emotional states for your most powerful emotional state. Love is your most powerful emotional state especially when directed to your new self-image.

It is essential that you practice reproducing your new active body imagery on a daily basis.

It is only through daily practice that your new body picture will become a permanent part of your subconscious, thus allowing you to reproduce this picture without a moment’s thought.

The health of your body is dependent on your mental health and taking control of the subconscious is the key to lasting permanent change of any behavior.