8 Reasons You’re Gaining Back the Weight |

By Dana Leigh Smith

Ask anyone who has lost weight and they’ll tell you that shedding the pounds was the easy part—it’s keeping them off that’s the real challenge. Good news: it is possible.

That may be hard to believe if the flab has slowly but surely been finding its way back to your frame. There’s likely more to your expanding waistline than calories in versus calories out, so simply moving more and eating less may not help you slim back down. Instead, you’ll need to pinpoint the precise reasons behind your weight gain so you can reverse the damage. To help you out, we’ve outlined eight of the most common weight-maintenance saboteurs below, along with ways to fight back against each. You may be surprised to learn just how easy it can be to shrink down to your more slender self again!

1You Avoid the Scale - After months of daily weigh-ins, grueling workouts and adhering to a strict diet, you finally hit your goal weight. But now, just two months later, your skinny jeans are starting to feel a tad tight and you’re not sure why. If you’re like the majority of dieters you’re still eating well and exercising, but you stopped stepping on the scale—a major no-no. Although the number on the scale isn’t the only way to judge your continued success, research shows that those who avoid the ritual tend to pack on more weight than those who don’t.

Counter It: There’s no need to be a slave to your scale; checking in once a week should do the trick. Since weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week, researchers say that Wednesday weigh ins are the most accurate.

2 You’re Super Tense - If your crazy-busy life has left you feeling worn down and stressed, that could be the reason you’re starting to look a bit mushy in the middle. Cortisol, the hormone that’s released when we’re under pressure, causes the body to metabolize food more slowly. To make matters worse, the types of food we crave when we’re tense tend to be fat and sugar-laden, say researchers. As a result, this diet-derailing combination can kill your hard-earned weight loss wins.Counter It: To stay cool as a cucumber and keep those pesky pounds at bay, give a few different stress management tactics a try, suggests Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Practicing yoga, meeting up with friends and unplugging from technology for an evening are all things Zanini says are worth a shot. See what works best for you, and set aside time to decompress a few times per week. Thinking about picking up yoga? You should know these 7 Surprising Reasons You Should Be Doing Yoga Now.

3. You Didn’t Renew Your Gym Membership - While eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important aspect of any weight maintenance plan, sticking to an exercise program after you’ve reached your goal may be the key to keeping the pounds off long-term according to University of Alabama researchers. The study team noticed that participants who stopped breaking a sweat after losing weight experienced a dip in their metabolism, while those who continued to workout for forty minutes three times a week continued to fry calories at the same rate.

Counter It: Whatever you enjoy—running, lifting, doing yoga or Crossfitting—just keep your heart pumping. Doing so will help you burn off the occasional beer or slice of pizza and keep that pesky flab from sneaking back onto your stomach.

4. You’re Skimping on Shuteye - You may already know that when you’re exhausted your metabolism slows, but did you realize that losing as little as 30 minutes of sleep can up the odds the scale will stop tipping in your favor? In a recent study, researchers analyzed more than 500 participants’ weekday sleep diaries and found that losing a mere 30 minutes of shut-eye increased their risk of obesity by 17 percent! Even mild sleep deprivation causes ghrelin—the hunger-stimulating hormone–to go into overdrive, while simultaneously reducing levels of leptin–the hormone that suppresses appetite. In turn, this stimulates hunger even when you’re full which can lead to overeating and weight gain.

Counter It: The National Sleep Foundation suggests logging a solid seven or eight hours of shuteye each night. If you want to get back to your more slender self, cut your nightly Netflix session short and make sure to get a solid night’s sleep. Plus, mastering your bedtime routine could help your slim-down efforts. Check out our exclusive guide to 8 Ways to Lose Weight While You Sleep.

5. You Reward Yourself the Wrong Way - If you’ve recently shed a ton of weight, you should absolutely celebrate your success! But if your celebrations involve big portions of your favorite, fat- and sugar-laden treats, odds are good that’s the reason you’ve gained back some of the weight.

Counter It: Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN a New York City-based Registered Dietitian, suggests making a concerted effort to not use food as a reward. “Often times I see my patients reward weight loss by indulging in foods they know aren’t the best for their goals. Instead I suggest using things like manicures and SoulCycle classes as a reward for all their hard work,” she notes. “Using junk food will only contribute to weight gain and lead to unhealthy yo-yo dieting.”

6. You Stopped Paying Attention to Protein - After hitting your goal weight some regimented dietary habits are bound to fall by the wayside. And, if eating adequate amounts of protein is one of them, it may be the reason the weight is starting to sneak back on. While getting enough of the nutrient can keep your muscle from breaking down, not getting enough can slow your metabolic rate.

Counter It: Protein needs differ by individual but, on average, consuming 0.8 to one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day should be sufficient enough to help maintain your weight loss. For a 130-pound (58 kilogram) person, that would equal to between 46 and 58 grams of protein. Good sources of the nutrient include low-fat dairy, beans, chicken, fish, lean cuts of beef, pork, quinoa and other pseudograins. These 25 High-Protein Snacks can also help you fit more of the nutrient into your diet.

7. You Started a New Rx - If you were prescribed a new medication and subsequently noticed a few of those hard-lost pounds creeping back on, your Rx may be to blame. Antidepressants, birth control pills, beta-blockers, anti-seizure and migraine meds, steroids and rheumatoid arthritis treatments can all affect appetite, metabolism and weight. That doesn’t mean you should take yourself off the drug, though.

Counter It: Confirm with your doc that the medication is indeed the culprit, and discuss what other treatments are available. Your doctors might be able to prescribe a different medication that doesn’t carry the same belly-bulging side effects.

8. You’re Committed to Your Fitness Class - If your six-pack has recently melted into a barely-there two-pack, Dr. Sean M. Wells, personal trainer and author of Double-Crossed: A Review of the Most Extreme Exercise Program, suggests changing up your workout routine. If you’ve been doing the same workout for the past two months, your body isn’t being challenged anymore, meaning it’s not burning as many calories as it otherwise could, he explains.

Counter It: If you typically stick to spin classes, consider checking out a boot camp or Zumba class to give your metabolism a kick. Can’t bear to leave your Schwinn? Look for a more intense class or challenge yourself by turning up the resistance (yes, even when the instructor doesn’t tell you to).

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