What to Do if Diet and Exercise Aren't Working

What to Do if Diet and Exercise Aren't Working

Millions of people in the United States are overweight or obese. A large percentage of that cohort has seriously attempted to lose extra weight with a combination of diet and exercise.

But what are you supposed to do if your diet and exercise regimen isn't working or doesn't give you the results you expected?

Take an Honest Accounting

Before anything else, you should take a step back and do an honest accounting of the work you've done so far. Unfortunately, many people make significant mistakes in planning their weight loss strategies, and even more fail to follow through on the strategies they create.

For most people, a combination of improved dietary habits and more exercise is ample to promote weight loss. Reducing your total caloric intake and increasing the number of calories you burn shifts your metabolic balance, ultimately resulting in a deficit that allows you to burn off the fat in your body.

It's not only possible but very likely that if you're struggling to lose weight, it's because something is wrong with the way you're approaching your diet or your exercise. It might be that you aren't counting calories accurately, that you're forgetting about extra foods you've consumed, or that you're accidentally exaggerating the number of calories you burn in your daily exercise routine.

In any case, you should take a moment to sort out what might be going wrong in your current strategy and try to correct it. That said, not every problem associated with weight loss stagnation is attributable to operator error.

Consider Hiring a Consultant or Advisor

A weight loss consultant or advisor can help you track down the root cause of your difficulties and help you formulate a strategy to overcome them.

These consultants and advisors are extremely valuable for several reasons, assisting you with the following:

• Identifying and understanding your unique needs. First, a consultant or advisor can help you identify and understand your unique circumstances—and how to properly account for them.
• Changing your eating regimen. This professional can also help you modify and improve your eating regimen so you can follow a diet that's enjoyable but also suitable for losing weight.
• Improving your exercise regimen. Similarly, these trained professionals can help you discover new exercises or improve your existing exercise regimen.
• Putting together a custom plan. There is no universal plan for weight loss. Working with a professional consultant or advisor can help you construct the perfect plan for your needs.
• Motivating and coaching you to succeed. Also, they can give you the motivation, coaching, and general support you want as you pursue your health goals.
• Introducing you to alternative possibilities. Diet and exercise aren't always enough to help you lose weight. The right consultant or advisor can help you discover alternative possibilities to promote weight loss.

Together, you and your consultant or advisor can put together a strategy that might work for you.

Look at Medication Options

These days, there are a number of weight loss drugs and medications that might be able to facilitate greater weight loss. For example, Ozempic (semaglutide) and Zepbound or Mounjaro (tirzepatide).

Dr. Michael Snyder of FuturHealth shares, "When used in combination with a long-term, sustainable plan that incorporates healthy eating and regular exercise, these drugs and medications give people a better chance of losing the weight they want to lose and keeping it off for good."

Talk to Your Doctor

There could be many reasons why your plan isn't working—in fact, your weight could be a byproduct of an underlying medical condition. If that's the case, even significant changes to your lifestyle in combination with weight loss medications may not be enough to get the results you want. You may want to consider talking to your doctor if you think there might be something else going on.

Improve Your Lifestyle

There are also other ways you can improve your lifestyle to promote weight loss.

• Substances. Using certain substances, like alcohol, may promote weight gain or an inability to lose weight. Consider cleaning up your lifestyle as a way to make weight loss more accessible and successful.
• Stress. Excessive, unchecked volumes of stress can also make it more challenging for you to lose weight or cause you to put on more weight. Consider adopting new coping strategies if you think this may be holding you back.
• Sleep. Perhaps surprisingly, sleep deprivation can interfere with your ability to lose weight. Make sure you get ample sleep every night.

For the vast majority of people, improving their diet and exercise strategies is perfectly sufficient for promoting weight loss. But for some people, these lifestyle changes aren't enough to get the desired results. If that sounds like you, try one or more of the strategies in this article to start moving in the right direction.