Working out regularly but still seeing the same number on the weighing scale? It may be time to dig a little deeper and take a closer look at your everyday habits.
You may be the most disciplined person when it comes to hitting the gym or showing up for a yoga class without fail. You finish your workouts feeling accomplished, convinced you’re doing everything right. But the moment you step onto the weighing scale, the feeling shifts. The number staring back at you refuses to move, leaving you disappointed and wondering how you can still be so far from your goal weight.
That moment often triggers a familiar question: if you’re working out regularly, why isn’t it showing when it comes to weight loss? The effort is there, the consistency is there; so what’s missing?
The answer often lies in your everyday habits, the small, almost invisible ones you don’t consciously track. Weight loss isn’t only about sweating it out in the gym or holding poses on a yoga mat. It’s also shaped by what you do in the remaining hours of the day: how you eat, move, sleep, snack, and even how you manage stress.
These seemingly minor choices quietly add up and can influence the number that shows up on your weighing scale far more than you realise.
Many people assume that sweating it out automatically means they’re burning a significant number of calories. However, this belief is largely a myth, as workouts often burn far fewer calories than we tend to assume.
Dr Vipul Lunawat, fitness expert and founder-director, Institute of Sports Science and Technology, shares that exercise is valuable, but the calorie expenditure is often overestimated.
“When it comes to weight loss, we often assume that a gruelling workout session will torch a significant number of calories. But the truth is, our bodies are cleverer than we think. Research suggests that our bodies compensate for the energy expended during exercise by reducing energy expenditure elsewhere,” he tells India Today.
While this doesn’t mean you should ditch workouts altogether, instead, focus on making your workouts more efficient.
And one way to do this is by incorporating strength training. By building muscle, you can boost your resting metabolic rate, helping your body burn more calories at rest.
Now, most people who work out regularly are also very conscious about what they eat. Agree? But the thing is, healthy eating doesn’t always mean weight-loss-friendly eating.
Edwina Raj, head of services – clinical nutrition and dietetics, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, shares that many healthy foods like nuts, ghee, avocado, smoothies, and dried fruits are high in calories. If eaten in large amounts, they can slow down weight loss even though they are nutritious.
Raj tells us, “Weight loss depends not just on food quality but also on portion size and total calorie intake. To tweak the diet, you should focus on balanced meals with the right portions. Including more vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains helps control hunger. Reducing sugar, refined carbs, and excess oil is important.”
The key is to look beyond the healthy label, you see. And don’t forget about the calories you drink, along with that constant snacking that doesn’t take a break.
Snacking and drinking your calories can quietly slow down weight loss. Many snacks and beverages add extra calories without really making you feel full.
Even so-called healthy snacks, when eaten too often or in large portions, can affect progress. Constant snacking also leaves the body with little time to tap into stored fat.
Another habit that can become an obstacle in your weight loss journey is not eating enough protein. While most of us like the idea of including protein in our meals, the reality is that we often overestimate how much protein we are actually consuming.
Dr Karthigai Selvi A, head of clinical nutrition and dietetics, Gleneagles BGS Hospital, Bengaluru, agrees that protein is often the missing piece.
If you’re working out but not eating enough protein, your body may struggle to maintain muscle, which slows metabolism over time. Protein also helps with fullness, so low intake can lead to constant hunger and overeating later in the day.
However, Dr Selvi suggests that the fix is fairly straightforward; include a good protein source at every meal, whether that’s eggs, dairy, legumes, tofu, fish, or lean meats. Even small increases spread across the day can improve results significantly.
Apart from how much time you spend at the gym and what you put in your body, what matters is how much you move throughout the day. An hour at the gym cannot undo an entire day of sitting.
Experts say overall daily movement plays a big role in weight loss. If you sit for long hours, your calorie burn stays low, even if you work out later. Small movements throughout the day really add up.
Walking more, taking the stairs, standing up often, or doing light stretches keeps the body active and boosts metabolism. This everyday movement, known as non-exercise activity, supports fat loss. People who stay active beyond the gym usually manage their weight better and see more lasting results.
And when we talk about habits, sleep is one of the most underestimated factors in weight loss.
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body quietly works against you, says Raj. The hormones that control hunger and fullness get thrown off, making you feel hungrier than usual and crave sugary or high-fat foods. Poor sleep also increases stress, which can slow down fat loss.
On top of that, low energy means you move less during the day and feel far less motivated to work out. Sleep deprivation can even affect how your body handles insulin, encouraging fat storage.
Now, think about it, what’s the one reason you usually blame for a bad night’s sleep? Stress, right? And while stress doesn’t just disrupt your sleep, it also affects your weight loss.
Surely, there is no switch-off button when it comes to stress, but managing it better can surely help.
It is vital to understand that chronic stress increases cortisol, which can encourage fat storage, especially around the abdomen, and make weight loss more difficult.
“It also tends to push people toward emotional eating or irregular meal patterns,” shares Dr Selvi.
Managing stress through movement, mindfulness, proper feeling, and adequate rest isn’t just good for mental health, it directly supports physical results as well.
Now let’s take a U-turn and come back to workouts. You’ve probably heard this many times: the more you work out, the more weight you’ll lose. But what often gets ignored in this equation are rest days.
According to Dr Lunawat, rest days are essential because the body doesn’t actually get stronger during workouts, it does so during recovery. Overtraining can lead to fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and even injuries, all of which can slow down weight loss.
When you exercise, you create tiny micro-tears in your muscles. Rest gives your body the time it needs to repair and rebuild those muscles, making them stronger. Without enough recovery, you may hit a weight-loss plateau or even start losing muscle mass.
Dr Lunawat also points out that many people make the mistake of relying only on cardio. While cardio is great for heart health and endurance, doing just that can limit fat loss and muscle development. A well-rounded routine works best when it includes cardio for cardiovascular fitness, strength training to build lean muscle and boost metabolism, and flexibility or mobility exercises to prevent injuries and aid recovery.
