Written by Jordyn King BS, MS Nutrition Science

General reasons you’re not losing weight even if you exercise

Since the pandemic has been going on for the past ~2 years, Peloton has been the new trendy exercise tool to workout at home.  Peloton can provide a high intense workout that can help burn a lot calories. The reason so many people purchase this cycling machine is that people can lose weight with just one machine with so many options it has to offer from high intense resistance training to boot camps. However, for some people (like me) it might not be the best way to lose weight with just cycling. Cycling has so many benefits from improving your cardiovascular health to helping your mood and physical condition. Cycling should not be the only exercise you should be doing, you should do a variety of exercises. For example, I was cycling 5 days a week and I wasn’t seeing any results. However, now during the weekday, I am able to cycle three days a week and strength train 2 days a week. With just cycling you may have lost a lot of fat but, you haven’t lost the weight that you truly want to lose in some areas, but the key if you want build up muscle. If your goal is to improve your fitness through cycling I would recommend that you first check up with a trained professional but also only cycle on some days and strength train on other days. Additionally, exercise is not the only change that will aid long term weight loss; it’s about being in a calorie deficit and eating the right foods while combining with physical activity. Here are some reasons you may not be seeing weight loss when you’re working so hard on your pelaton.

1. You’re overeating without realizing it

Not paying attention to the weekends after a week long of healthy eating and high intense workouts or maybe eating well but drinking too much alcohol on the evenings means you are never actually in a calorie deficit. Drinking empty calories can contribute to weight gain. As we get older, we tend to lose muscle mass and if we aren't continuing to perform resistance or strength training, our percentage of body fat will increase higher and higher over the years. Keep in mind, as you gain muscle, your metabolism improves which means you are able to consume more calories because you're burning more calories even at rest! This puts you in a calorie deficit which means you are bringing off more calories than the calories you are consuming. Additionally, the more muscles you gain, the easier it is to control your weight. 

2. You’re sedentary the rest of the day

The peloton can offer so many workouts other than cycling including strength training, high intensity cycling, yoga, boot camps, etc. Remember, cycling solely won’t get you to your weight goal. We recommend a movement goal of 10k steps or 1h 40min of activity, this does include peloton but this needs to be every day. For overall increased calorie burn, physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories you burn each day. While you don't have much control over the speed of your basal metabolism, you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. After an intense workout, your body is craves carbs and fat (which is normal) so you overeat which I used to do all the time. However, high intense workouts shouldn’t be consecutive throughout the week.

3. You’re not incorporating strength training

Strength training can promote a lot of helpful benefits which can support you through your long-term weight loss. Strength training can help support several metabolic advantages that can turn and burn fat during and after your workouts when you include strength training. Balancing both exercises of strength training and cycling can boost your metabolism as well. You can also include a healthy calorie controlled diet which will additionally help you gain benefits that may help boost your long-term weight loss. Aerobic workouts such as long runs or any cardio exercises are said to be good for the heart but, strength training can provide many benefits that can go beyond the scope of cycling workouts. In a mental state, strength training can also boost your confidence levels, independence, and sense of achievement. Resistance training include free weights, resistance bands, and dumb bells which can help you not only to lose weight but also tone muscles. Overall, it is best to include strength training and cycling as a balanced workout program for the week. Additionally, it will help you with successful weight management. Balancing both cycling and strength exercises can help to improve mental improvements and overall health. In addition, high intense cycling workouts can make you hungrier causing you to overeat and increase cortisol response, making it harder to lose weight.

In Conclusion…

Being in a calorie deficit is the key to being steady in your weight loss  and having a balance to your weight loss. Eating without being in control especially with the so-called empty calories can contribute to gaining weight. Keep in mind, no matter how many miles you are riding each day or in a week and it can be offset by the amount of calories you’re eating. Exercise can help but it’s not the key to losing weight. Taking in less calories and increasing your physical activity with variety is what it takes to lose the weight.  Make sure you’re truly in a calorie deficit by reaching out to a Registered Dietitian. Also try to vary your workouts by adding in some strength training. Remember, you got this!

To start your sustainable weight loss journey today, check out our calorie-tracking tutorial. The first step of weight loss is being aware of how you eat and our calorie-tracking method can get you there!