Not Losing Weight Despite Calorie Deficit and Exercise? Your 2025 Weight Loss Troubleshoot Guide
- Coach Alan
- Jun 20
- 5 min read
You’re counting calories, hitting your workouts, but the scale won’t budge.
Sound familiar?
If you’re not losing weight despite a calorie deficit and exercise, it can feel like the universe is rigged against you. But before you give up altogether, it’s important to understand that fat loss and weight loss are not the same thing, and if you’re measuring the wrong things, you might be making more progress than you think.
Why You’re Not Losing Weight Despite a Calorie Deficit and Exercise
Let’s break this down first with a quick summary.
You might not be losing weight despite a calorie deficit and exercise because:
You’re tracking calories, but not accurately
You’re eating more than you think due to “invisible” extras like oils, dressings and liquid calories
You’re not moving enough outside your workouts
You’re losing fat, but retaining water (which keeps scale weight high)
You’re not building or preserving muscle, which affects calorie expenditure and fat-burning
You’re tracking weight, not fat loss (no measurements or photos)
Let’s dive deeper into what’s really going on.
The Weight vs. Fat Confusion
If you’re truly in a calorie deficit, fat loss will happen. It’s basic thermodynamics. But most people measure weight, not fat. And that’s where frustration creeps in.
Your weight includes water, glycogen, food in your gut, and hormones; all of which fluctuate daily. That means you could be losing fat while your weight stays the same or even increases for a few days.
This is why relying on the scale alone is misleading.
Weekly body measurements and bi-weekly progress photos are much more reliable indicators of fat loss over time.
Why Weight Fluctuates (Even in a Deficit)
Here’s how much your weight can jump up or down in 24 hours, even if you’re doing everything right:
Water retention: From salty meals, hormonal changes, or intense training
Glycogen storage: Every gram of stored carbohydrate holds about 3 grams of water
Food volume: A heavier meal the night before can cause a spike the next morning
It’s normal to fluctuate by 1–3 pounds daily, especially for women. But its important to remember that such fluctuations are due to the above factors, not fat gain (if you're truly in a calorie deficit).
Now Let’s Troubleshoot Why You're Not Losing Weight Despite Calorie Deficit and Exercise
If you’re not losing weight but working out, let’s walk through a few key questions.
1. Are You Tracking Everything?
This includes the sneaky stuff:
Cooking oils (1 tablespoon of olive oil = 120 calories)
Coffee add-ins, bites, licks, and tastes
That handful of nuts or crisps between meals
These extras can easily add 300–500 calories to your day without you realising it.
2. Are You Logging Accurately?
Even if you’re tracking, are you measuring things properly?
Guessing portion sizes or eyeballing servings can be wildly inaccurate. A “teaspoon” of peanut butter might actually be two. Weighing your food (even for a week) can recalibrate your sense of portion sizes and help you see where calories might be sneaking in.
3. Are You Moving Enough?
Workouts are a great tool, but they only makes up a small portion of your total daily energy burn. NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis); your unconscious movement like walking, fidgeting, standing, plays a much bigger role than most people think
If you work a desk job and don’t get many steps in, your calorie burn might be far lower than you realise, even with daily workouts.
4. Are You Strength Training?
Cardio is great, but if you’re not strength training, you might be losing muscle along with fat. That lowers your metabolic rate and makes future fat loss more difficult.
Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even at rest. The more lean mass you carry, the more efficient your body becomes at burning fat.
VIP: see my recent article titled Calorie Intake For Women.
Here’s What to Do Instead
If you’re stuck, here’s your four-part reset plan.
1. Track accurately for at least 7 days. Log everything; oils, sauces, snacks, and weekend meals. Double-check quantities.
2. Move more, even outside workouts. Aim for 30 minutes of walking daily, broken up if needed. For every hour of sitting, stand and move for 2 minutes.
3. Strength train 3–4 times weekly. Focus on good form, progressive overload, and consistency. Use your muscles so you don’t lose them.
4. Support fat loss with nutrition. Include 1–2 palm-sized portions of protein at each meal, drink 2–3L of water per day, and don’t fear carbs or fats. Just track them.
5. Measure fat, not weight. Take waist, hip, and stomach measurements weekly. Compare progress photos every second week.
Need help with all the above?
Try my 10-Day Mind-Body Reset; the exact blueprint I use to help clients kickstart fat loss when the scale won’t budge: https://www.mindbodytraining.ie/10-day-weight-loss-plan
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I not losing weight despite being in a calorie deficit and exercising?
There are several possible reasons. You might be inaccurately tracking your calorie intake or forgetting to log small items like cooking oil or snacks. It's also possible you're not burning as many calories as you think, or you're relying too much on the scales rather than tracking fat loss through measurements and photos.
How do I know if I’m in a true calorie deficit?
Track everything you eat, including small bites, drinks, and sauces. Use a food scale and double-check your food entries. If you're still unsure, try tightening up your tracking for a week and monitor your progress using measurements and photos rather than weight alone. If you're truly in a calorie deficit, you should notice a decrease in 3-4 cms around your waist/belly button each and every month.
Why does my weight fluctuate daily even when I’m dieting?
Daily weight fluctuations are normal and can be caused by water retention, hormonal changes, digestion, stress, or sodium intake. These fluctuations can mask actual fat loss, which is why it's important to look at trends over time rather than daily numbers.
What should I track instead of just my weight?
Measure progress using waist, hip, and belly button measurements once per week. You should also take front and side progress photos every two weeks. These indicators reflect fat loss more accurately than the scale alone.
Can you lose fat without losing weight?
Yes. If you’re building muscle while losing fat, your weight may stay the same or even increase. This is known as body recomposition and is a common reason why the scale doesn’t move, even though your body is visibly changing.
Final Thoughts
Not losing weight despite a calorie deficit and exercise can be frustrating, but the truth is fat loss is still happening; you just need better tools to see it.
Track smarter. Move more. Lift weights. Fuel your body. Measure fat, not frustration.
And if you want to take the guesswork out of it, apply for the 10-Day Mind-Body Reset; it’s short, simple, and proven to get you results that actually show: https://www.mindbodytraining.ie/10-day-weight-loss-plan
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