Eating less and less but still not losing weight?

I am often asked by clients why they are not losing weight if they aren't eating very much. Here are some answers to that question along with some solutions that may help!

⚖️ 1. Your metabolism may have slowed down. The answer is: if you’ve been eating too little for too long, your body can go into “energy conservation” mode — often called adaptive thermogenesis or “starvation mode.”

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) decreases, meaning you burn fewer calories at rest.
Your body becomes more efficient at using energy, so fat loss slows dramatically.

🩺 What to do: Gradually increase calories toward a healthy maintenance level (sometimes called a reverse diet) while focusing on protein and strength training to rebuild metabolic rate.

🍽️ 2. You might be eating more than you think

When eating “hardly anything,” we often underestimate calories because:

Small extras (milk in coffee, sauces, dressings, bites, etc.) add up.
Portion sizes can be misleading.
Liquid calories (juices, alcohol) are easy to overlook.

🩺 What to do: Try tracking your intake honestly for a few days using an app (like MyFitnessPal). It can be eye-opening.

💧 3. Water retention or inflammation

Your weight on the scale isn’t just fat — it also reflects water, glycogen, and digestive contents.

Hormonal changes (especially around your cycle), high salt intake, or stress can cause fluid retention.
Intense exercise or inadequate recovery can increase inflammation, masking fat loss temporarily.

🩺 What to do: Track your measurements and how clothes fit, not just scale weight.

🧬 4. Hormonal or medical factors

Certain conditions make fat loss much harder, even in a calorie deficit:

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
Insulin resistance or prediabetes
Cortisol dysregulation from chronic stress or poor sleep
Certain medications (antidepressants, birth control, steroids, etc.)

🩺 What to do: Ask your doctor for basic labs — thyroid panel, fasting insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones if relevant.

😴 5. Sleep and stress

High stress and poor sleep raise cortisol, which encourages fat storage (especially belly fat) and increases cravings for quick energy foods.

🩺 What to do: Prioritize 7–9 hours of good-quality sleep and include stress management — walking, yoga, journaling, or deep breathing.

🏋️ 6. Loss of muscle mass

If your calorie intake is too low and you’re not doing resistance training, you may lose muscle — which lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss harder.

🩺 What to do: Include some form of strength or resistance training and ensure enough protein (about 1 gram per pound of body weight, if possible).

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