Not losing weight in a calorie deficit? You’ve been tracking your calories, hitting the gym, and cutting back on snacks—but the scale just won’t budge. It’s a frustrating paradox: you’re eating less than you burn, so why isn’t the weight coming off?
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Many midlife women find themselves in a calorie deficit yet still struggle to lose weight. The reasons can be more complex than simply counting calories.
Hidden Factors Behind Stubborn Weight Loss
Factors like hidden calorie sources, too many days away from tracking, poor relationship with food, imbalances in macronutrients, metabolic adaptation, hormonal imbalances, behavioral patterns, general activity, muscle mass, dieting history and even stress all play a role in how our bodies lose weight.
In this podcast episode, I explore the most common—and often overlooked—reasons why a calorie deficit might not lead to weight loss for midlife women, and what you can do to overcome these hurdles in your weight journey.
Understanding the Complexities of Weight Loss
If you're been doing everything right, it's time to figure out why you are not losing fat in a calorie deficit.
I've worked with over a thousand clients and the main thing I cannot emphasis enough is tracking data over time. Data does not lie and without tracking data (outside of a food tracking app) you really are driving blind and hoping you'll get to your weight loss goal.
Many women feel like they're doing everything right to lose weight, but are not losing weight because something is off and they are unaware of it. Tracking data can help your brain see what you may be missing that is creating your lack of results.
That said, it is important to understand that weight loss is not as simple as calories in and calories out, or taking a recommended number from an app or an online calorie deficit calculator. That number may not be a calorie deficit for your body.
The bottom line is... if you are not losing weight in a calorie deficit, you are not in fact in a calorie deficit. It's time for you to investigate what might be off.
In this Dish On Ditching Diets podcast episode, I explain ten reasons why you may be in a calorie deficit but not losing weight. This will help you diagnose what might be off in your journey that needs adjusting.
In this Dish On Ditching Diets Podcast Episode, You Will Hear:
- Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight In A Calorie Deficit
- Why If You Are Not Losing Weight, You're Not In A Calorie Deficit
Never Miss An Episode! Subscribe to the Dish On Ditching Diets Podcast on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify or Amazon Music
Related Episodes For No Weight Loss In A Calorie Deficit
- Why Am I Not Losing Weight?
- Little Known Secret About Exercise and Weight Loss
- Eating Less But Gaining Weight
- Food Journaling and Weight Loss
- Why Am I Not Losing Weight When I Exercise and Diet
- Can Eating Clean Cause Weight Loss
Why You're Not Losing Weight In A Calorie Deficit Podcast Transcript
Today we’re discussing why you’re not losing weight in a calorie deficit. You feel like you’re doing everything right, but nothing is happening. I hear this from women frequently that reach out to me that their calorie deficit isn’t working, and they are very frustrated.
So, let’s discuss today the reasons why you may not be seeing fat loss despite being in a calorie deficit. There are a lot of nuances to this topic, and it is not always a math equation with calories in and calories out and it is not always as simple as taking an online calculation and assuming that will be a deficit for your body. So, let’s dig into this topic to help you figure out what might be going on.
First, I want to remind you that the only way the human body loses body fat is through an energy deficit. There are many women who are in denial about this that I speak to. If you think an energy deficit is not how the human body loses body fat, then you don’t believe in scientific things like gravitational pull.
If someone lost weight, it is because they were in an energy deficit. If you started fasting and lost weight, it was not fasting that caused the weight loss. It was because fasting helped you get into an energy deficit.
If you cut carbs and lost weight, it was not the carbs that caused the weight loss. It was the reduction of calories that created an energy deficit. If you drank two shakes a day and lost weight, it was not the shakes that caused your weight loss. It was the reduction of calories that created an energy deficit from only drinking shakes.
No matter how you ate, no matter what diet you followed, the only way the human body loses body fat is through an energy deficit. Too many women are in denial about energy deficit, but this has been proven in research for decades. Carbs don’t make you fat. Sugar doesn’t make you fat. That has always been debunked over and over. It’s consuming more energy than your body needs that leads to excess weight.
Now many things impact how effectively your body is burning energy. Many midlife women are just not burning much energy. One reason is sitting. Your steps are too low, so your body doesn’t need much energy when your steps are less than 5,000 a day.
Another major reason for midlife women is lack of muscle mass. Lack of muscle means you are burning way fewer calories. And if you are a midlife woman who has put on body fat, these are two big reasons why you have put on body fat in midlife.
Now let’s discuss why you may not be losing weight in a calorie deficit. The first reason is one I see it repeatedly with clients, and the reason is you are in denial about your calorie intake. The strangest thing I have seen are women acting confused why they are not losing weight when they really are not executing the plan.
Let’s say their calorie deficit target is 1500 calories as an example but their average calories over the last 3 months are 1650. The reason they are not losing weight is because their consumed calories are at 1650 not 1500. Very simple.
They’re not executing the plan. They’re still over your calories. That’s why they are not losing weight. Or maybe they are executing the plan but their steps are still too low.
I have seen quite a few clients in my 11 years of being a nutritionist who are confused why they are not losing weight and are in complete denial that they are still eating over their calorie target. It is quite a fascinating psychological phenomenon I have observed. I will have to repeat to some clients over and over, you’re not executing to the plan. You are not doing what you need to do. That is why you are not seeing results. It’s you. You are in denial that you are not executing the plan the way you need to be.
And listen, I get it. It is hard being in a deficit so I’m not beating anyone up here. But you are going to have to make some short-term sacrifices to reach any goal whether it is weight loss or something else. My observation is that some women are giving like a C or D effort and expecting results.
When you are in a deficit, you do need to be more alert to what you are doing, and you need to treat it like an actual goal. That means being honest with yourself. If you are not hitting your calorie numbers, you can’t act confused why you are not seeing results. You must be honest with yourself about what you are doing and what you are not doing.
With all my clients, we track all their data in a share file so we can see what they are doing and even then, I have some clients who see the data but are still confused why they are not seeing results despite them eating above their calorie deficit. It is really an odd thing I have seen multiple times.
It’s like there’s a mental disconnect. You are consuming 1650 calories. Just because your target is 1500, doesn’t mean you’re going to lose weight. A target means nothing if the reality is that you’re eating above your target. So, the first reason you may not be losing weight in a calorie deficit you are in fact eating above your target calories.
The second reason your calorie deficit is not working is because your calorie number is not in fact in a calorie deficit for your body. A lot of people go to an online calorie calculator or use the recommended calories in an app.
That number may not be a calorie deficit for your body. Because your body may be burning fewer calories than that recommendation. You may have a medical condition like PCOS, insulin resistance or hypothyroidism and with those conditions, individuals are generally burning less energy than the online recommendations, but you don’t know until you mess around.
A calorie deficit still applies in those conditions. The only way you are physically alive, and breathing is because your body is utilizing energy to keep your organs functioning. So, even with those conditions’ energy balance applies.
Do you know what the best solution for those conditions are, building muscle, bringing your steps up to 10,000 a day and a calorie deficit. The same boring basic stuff still applies but you may be burning very little energy, and those conditions are making it a bit harder. Not impossible. Just a bit harder.
But the more consistent you become with doing those habits over and over for years and years, you will improve how your metabolism functions and how much energy your body utilizes.
So, a number you get online or from an app may not be a deficit for you, but it is a starting point for you to collect data and then adjust your number. I mean there is trial and error in this process. That is normal. Collect your data, review the data and adjust over time.
The third reason your calorie deficit is not working is because your steps are too low. Steps are part of a calorie deficit. Let’s say you are nailing your nutrition, but nothing is happening. Check your steps. Steps must come up in a deficit. Steps are just your daily movement. Going to the gym and exercising for 30 minutes then sitting on your butt all day is not moving.
Exercise and movement as two things. Exercise is only 5% of your total daily energy expenditure vs. your movement accounts for 20% of your total daily energy expenditure. So, if you are in a calorie deficit your steps need to come up from where you are at now. This is something a lot of women miss.
The fourth reason your calorie deficit is not working is because you are only going by the scale and not taking measurements. Guys, fat loss is not weight loss. Anyone can go to the bathroom and lose scale weight. That is not losing body fat. As a woman, your body fat % goal is to be somewhere between 20-25% body fat and that may take a few years for you to work on.
That is what you need to focus on, not the scale. A high body fat percentage means more inflammation, more risk for chronic disease, more risk for pre-diabetes, more risk for cardiovascular disease. You can lose weight on the scale and still be skinny fat with a high body fat percentage. I have clients who work with me who are skinny fat.
What you must accept as a midlife woman is that scale does not work the same way as when you were younger. When you were younger, you had more muscle. So, you would start a diet and start losing scale weight.
Now as a midlife woman you begin strength training, eating adequate protein, work on your steps and a calorie deficit and the scale might stay the same for a long time. But if your measurements are going down, you are in fact losing body fat.
You are under muscled and that is why the scale is not going down initially. It may be many months, in fact, before the scale begins to go down for you. That is normal and I have seen multiple client cases where this has happened.
My weight loss client who thought she had a broken metabolism, Robin who was on this podcast in episode 118, she lost 4 pant sizes, and her scale weight stayed the same number for 18 months. Then she finally dropped 20 pounds on the scale. After 18 months, but she lost 4 pants sizes. Imagine if we had not been taking measurements and only looked at the scale for progress.
This recently happened with another client of mine. This client has gone from a size 14 to a size 10 and her scale weight has remained the same number. And this client told me, Megan in the past I would have given up already because I would have been so ticked off thinking the scale isn’t moving so why should I bother continuing. She said she realizes she was looking at the wrong data.
My menopausal weight loss client Karrie who was on this podcast in episode 126, same thing happened to her. Her first deficit she lost a bunch of inches, but the scale stayed the same number. It wasn’t until her second deficit that the scale number finally changed.
The bottom line is the scale just doesn’t work the same way anymore because so many women are under muscled. As women get older, they begin losing muscle mass and their body composition begins to shift.
Women also tend to consume more calories and alcohol as they get older due to sleep deprivation, stress, emotions so now they have a higher body fat percentage and a lower muscle mass.
That means when you start working on these habits, you’re going to gain muscle and muscle weighs something. So maybe you think your calorie deficit isn’t working because you’re not taking measurements.
The fifth reason your calorie deficit is not working is you are inaccurately tracking calories. Guys, there has been a lot of research done on this and it shows that people under report their calories up to 50%. That’s a lot.
So, if your calorie deficit is legitimately not working then audit your tracking. Are you using a food scale and weighing foods in grams or ounces to track them in an app? If you are using measuring cups or measuring spoons, your calories are not accurate.
Are you counting the extra bites, licks and tastes you put in your mouth? If you’re taking care of little ones, really pay attention to the BLT’s. It’s easy to make a peanut butter sandwich for a child and lick the knife without realizing it. Taking a few chips off your child’s plate as you’re walking by or finishing their two bites of their meal for them as you’re cleaning the dishes.
Are you counting the oil you cook with? This is a big one so many individuals miss. I had a video I posted on social media recently about the number of calories in olive oil and people were arguing with me in the comments that the oil didn’t count because it gets absorbed by the pan not the food.
Um yeah, that’s not true. The food absorbs the oil. You are consuming those calories. People were also arguing with me that the olive oil calories don’t count because they’re healthy calories. This is why I believe some people are overweight because they do think because a food is healthy, it’s calorie free but it’s not.
Are you eating out too much? Are you going off plan too much for vacation and travel? All those things mean your calories can be off. Can you travel and eat in a caloric deficit? Absolutely. I lost 80 pounds while being a consultant on the road. The difference is you must be super aware of what you are eating, and you must plan.
But are you tracking calories accurately? It’s easy to make silly mistakes with tracking. Sometimes you’re copying in pasting a meal or ingredients from the previous day in your app and you forget to adjust the portion size. These are the silly things people do and then they think their calories are accurate, but they aren’t. So, audit your tracking if you are not seeing results.
The sixth reason your calorie deficit is not working is because you’re not consuming balanced meals with enough protein and fiber daily, so you are hungry and likely going over your calories.
You can calorie count all you want, but if hunger is a problem and you are not hitting your protein and fiber you may find yourself blowing your calorie numbers. You may also be blowing your calories because your calorie target is way too low. The goal is always to eat as much as you can and still lose body fat.
Most women want to lose weight as fast as possible and that’s where they trash their metabolism by dropping calories too low and staying too low for too long. Eat as much as you can and still lose weight to protect hormones and your metabolism. Slow progress is the best kind of progress so stop being impatient.
The seventh reason your calorie deficit is not working is you are eating back your exercise calories. You should ignore any calories you burn with exercise. It is nearly impossible to accurately know how many calories you are expending through exercise and devices are not accurate either.
Devices are known to be up to 40% inaccurate with their calorie burn numbers. That means you may be overestimating your calories burned potentially keeping you at maintenance.
The eighth reason why you are in a calorie deficit and not losing weight is your all or nothing mindset and poor relationship with food. Let’s say you’re “good” with your nutrition and exercise during the week but then Friday, Saturday, Sunday and you blow your plan.
That means you are off plan 43% of the time if you are doing that. And that is not actually a calorie deficit problem.
That is a relationship with food problem because likely you are not including certain foods during the week. Then the weekend comes, and you overeat them. You’re either all on plan or you are all off plan.
If you have this situation where you struggle with right or wrong foods, or you have an all or nothing mindset around your nutrition and fitness habits then you should not be tracking calories or trying to be in a calorie deficit right now.
Fix your relationship with food and work on all nothing behavior patterns first. You need a solid foundation to your house because you can get to the weight loss part. Inner work before outer work. I spoke about this in my last podcast episode 139.
I guarantee you will find yourself calorie tracking to no results if you have a poor relationship with food, restrict too much and have an all or nothing mindset. I see both things with most of my clients and we have to do a lot of coaching on them before we can get them to the calorie or weight loss part.
A lot of people think they will have a better relationship with food after they lose weight or they will work on their all or nothing mindset and behavior patterns after they lose weight, but that is backwards. You must work on that before you lose weight.
Calorie counting, trying to be in a deficit will set you up with disordered eating patterns from dieting and exasperating those issues for you. Moving on!
The nineth reason your calorie deficit is not working is lack of muscle. Think of it as priming your house before painting your house. Fat loss will go a lot easier if you prime your house because if you are under muscled, fat loss will be painfully slow. You need a lot more muscle than you realize. I think some women think they have muscle, but respectfully they don’t have enough.
That’s where I discuss with my clients especially ones who have less than 20 pounds to lose to focus more on building strength and getting stronger versus getting fat loss because building strength and doing hypertrophy strength training as if they were trying to become a body builder (is how I like to put it) for a year or more because it will really help the metabolism burn more energy and burn energy more efficiently so a deficit isn’t so painfully slow and giving you minimal results.
And I understand that is a hard thing to accept but losing body fat is much easier when you have a lot more muscle and remember you lose some muscle when you lose body fat, so this is another reason why it’s not smart to be dieting a lot or in a reduced calorie state a lot.
The tenth, and final, reason your calorie deficit is not working for you, and this applies to only a small number of people is metabolic adaptation. This means when you consistently eat fewer calories, your body can slow down your metabolism as a survival mechanism, burning fewer calories at rest and during activity.
This is why we don’t drop calories too low; we don’t stay in deficits forever, and we don’t do deficits and diet a lot. This is why taking diet breaks and hanging out in real maintenance is important.
Your body has a survival mechanism to slow down your metabolism when calories are being restricted. Your body cares about keeping you alive, not making you thin. I have seen several clients in metabolic adaptation who have worked with me.
Quite a few from the Optavia diet and these 800 calorie diet programs. These are crash diets putting people on very few calories and wrecking their metabolisms and often people stay on them for quite some time so then their metabolism adapts making it very easy for them to regain weight because your body has created a new maintenance at some crazy low-calorie number.
This is why dieting all the time is not smart neither is crash dieting. For the clients I have worked with in this area, they had to spend a year or more repairing their metabolisms and rebuilding muscle because they lost significant muscle mass. That meant weight loss had to be put on hold which for those clients was a mental hurdle we had to do a lot of coaching around.
But metabolic adaptation is not very common. For the majority of you listening, if you are not seeing results in a calorie deficit it is likely one of the other nine reasons I mentioned today.
As I mentioned at the beginning of today’s podcast, there are a lot of nuances around calorie deficits. It is not as straight forward as getting a number off an online calculator and just doing it for most people.
There’s always more context and details that must be considered. And the big thing I would say is… be honest with yourself. Look objectively at all your data. Get into problem solving mode because if your measurements are not going down and it’s been two or three months of you doing everything right, look at your data. Because the bottom line is if you are not losing body fat, you are not in a calorie deficit for your body. Your job is to figure out why using these tips.
Hope that helps, I’ll talk to you soon!
Once you reach your goal weight will you need to track calories for the rest of your life?
No you do not track for the rest of your life, but you track in maintenance for a period of time to learn appropriate portion sizes to maintain. And remember, tracking is not appropriate for everyone so it always depends on the individual.