Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the 21 Day Fix???
You are working out, you are eating right and using the containers correctly—BUT you are not losing weight on the 21 Day Fix. You are frustrated and considering giving up. Nooooooo!!! Take a deep breath, and a seat, and read this post slowly and carefully. If you still have questions, you can either message your Beachbody Coach or, if you don’t have one, you can message me and we can chat about your situation.
The very first thing I’m going to do is show you a picture—because, you know the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words!” This one is worth two thousand.
Meet my customer, Amber Snow. Amber stopped drinking alcohol and did three rounds of the 21 Day Fix in order to prepare her body for conception. (How awesome is this??? I so wish I would have done that rather than used both of my pregnancies as an excuse to let myself go…but, THAT’S a whole other blog post lol.) I want you to look at her picture and take a guess as to how much weight she lost:
Do you have a number in mind? Now, what if I told you that Amber’s total weight loss in this before and after photo was just 6 pounds? Would you think me crazy??? Well, it’s true. Amber lost just 6 pounds but, as you can see quite clearly, her physical transformation was AMAZING.
This is solid proof that the number on the scale is NOT the most reliable way of measuring your progress on ANY weight loss program that combines fitness and nutrition. I want you to be really educated on this, so here’s a helpful blog post by my partner, Dave, on how to measure correctly—How to Track Fitness Progress
8 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight on the 21 Day Fix
Okay, let’s talk about some POSSIBLE reasons why you’re not losing weight on the 21 Day Fix (or other weight loss program) OR that you’re actually gaining weight:
REASON #1: YOU’RE NOT REALLY BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF—The 21 Day Fix is based on pure science. You will not GAIN weight while doing it if you’re doing it correctly. (I definitely recommend you do this program with the help of an experienced coach (if you don’t have one, contact me!). So, are you being 100% honest with yourself? Are you as committed to say you are? Are your actions truly a reflection of your commitment? Maybe you just want to dip your toe in on your first round. However, if you aren’t all in, you need to adjust your expectations of the program. If you feel like honesty is one of your reasons for not losing weight on the 21 Day Fix, I’d like you to read this—Having Integrity with Your Health and Fitness
REASON #2: YOU’RE CHOOSING THE HIGHEST CALORIE FOODS—The range within each calorie level bracket is 300 calories. For instance, the range in the lowest bracket is from 1200 to 1500 calories. If you’re packing your containers with higher calorie foods, you could be adding as much as 300 extra calories a day and that could stop you from losing about 2 pounds over the 21 days. (Remember, you have to burn about 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat. Be SURE and read my post about creating a calorie deficit!) In my first round of the Fix, I lost 7 pounds. HONESTLY, I was NOT being perfect because I chose to give myself an extra blue every day. If I wouldn’t have done this, I could have lost 9-11 pounds.
REASON #3: YOU’RE NOT DOING THE WORKOUTS—Yes, you can just follow the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan and not do the workouts. And, yes, it’s totally fine to just follow the eating plan and do a different workout. I like some variety every so often, so sometimes I’ll do some PiYo to increase my flexibility and decrease my boredom lol. However, if you’re not doing ANY workouts, you’re simply not burning enough calories so you’re not creating a calorie deficit, which is what you need to lose weight. (Click on the link to read more and watch a video I did a few years back about this.)
REASON #4: YOU’RE GAINING MUSCLE—If you ARE doing the workouts right, you’re losing fat and gaining muscle. I don’t think I have to tell you that muscle gain is a GREAT thing, right? However, although they weigh the same, muscle is denser than fat, so it can slow your weight loss. Here’s a really helpful post by Dave on this: One Pound of Fat vs One Pound of Muscle
REASON #5: YOU’RE STRESSED OUT—Whether it’s emotional or physical, stress causes weight gain. When you’re emotionally stressed or your body is experiencing stress from working out beyond its limits, our body releases the cortisol hormone to help it survive the situation. To keep it simple, cortisol causes excess water retention (i.e., weight gain) in order to help rebuild muscle tissue. Don’t worry, your body will repair its muscle tissue and, best of all, increase your metabolism so you gain weight quicker in the future. How long this takes depends upon the person—and ranges from 3 to 12 weeks. This is where the Performance Recover post-workout supplement comes in! This weight loss power tool will help your body recover quicker and minimize any weight gain associated with body stress.
If you feel like emotional stress is an issue for you, make self-care a priority. Meditate, do some personal development, take a hot bath—do whatever it takes to de-stress yourself. You’re on the right track with exercise as it’s been proven to significantly reduce stress when done consistently!
REASON #6: YOU’RE NOT EATING ALL YOUR CONTAINERS—No, that’s not a typo. I did not mean eating too many of your containers, I meant exactly what it says. When you don’t eat all your containers and your body is starving, it becomes stressed, cortisol is released and your metabolism slows down. (Reread #5 for more info!)
REASON #7: YOU’RE STUCK ON A PLATEAU—If you’re doing the exact same workouts at the exact same intensity over and over, you’re not forcing your body to adapt. When your body is adapting, your metabolism doesn’t change and your weight doesn’t either. This is called a plateau. There’s a reason Autumn keeps pushing your harder…she’s trying to boost your metabolism AND your results!
REASON #8: YOU’VE BEEN ON YOUR PERIOD—You can pretty much count on weight fluctuations and/or a higher number on the scale on a monthly basis. Of course, any other hormonal issues, such as being in peri- or post-menopause, will challenge you as well.
Do you see yourself somewhere on this list? If so, it would be really helpful to others if you shared what you learned in a comment below. I hope you have a greater understanding of why you’re not losing weight on the 21 Day Fix and you can make mental or action-oriented adjustments rather than give up!
Final Thoughts & a FREE 21 Day Fix Tool
A few parting words—don’t weigh yourself every day, be honest, be committed, have faith in yourself and TRUST THE PROGRAM! #coachmonicasorders lol. YOU GOT THIS!
If you don’t have a Beachbody Coach and would like to work with me, let’s get you started now—Get Started. I have a private Facebook support group that will be a BIG help to you on your 21 Day Fix journey. Having a positive tribe has been proven to boost success!
Have you signed up to get my FREE 21 Day Fix Meal Plan yet? Along with seven daily 21 Day Fix menus, you’ll also get my Getting Started Guide, Daily Success Schedule, and be added to my email list so you’ll start receiving my e-newsletter, which will send tips and info (like this post) straight to your Inbox!
