Trying to shed the pounds can be frustrating and disheartening – especially if you’re not seeing the results you want.

However, according to top dietitian Susie Burrell, there might be another surprising explanation as to why you’re hitting a wall with your weight loss.

It could be as simple as eating at the wrong time of the day or the fact you’re trying to lose weight too quickly.

And simply by acknowledging those mistakes and making simple lifestyle changes can actually help you reach your weight loss goals.

Here, Susie outlines the five reasons why you’re not losing weight and what to do about them…

1. You are eating extras

During the past ten weeks in coronavirus lockdown, many people will have found themselves taking extra trips to the snack jar without realising.

However, Susie says that these extra snacks and treats can actually significantly up your calorie intake in a day.

Writing in her blog Shape Me, Susie says: “Mindless eating, or the calories we consume without even realising it can account for as much as 20-30 per cent of our total daily calories, which in turn can be the difference between weight loss and not.

“Extras tend to slip in each day via large portion sizes; extra serves of sauces and dressings; mindless munching via biscuits, lollies and individual chocolates we are offered throughout the day and the little ‘treats’ we give ourselves and then justify.”

Mindless eating can account for as much as 20-30 per cent of our total daily calories

Susie Burrell

Susie recommends keeping a food diary to give you a true indication of exactly how much you are eating each day.

She adds: “As frustrating as this can be, simply writing down or recording every single type and amount of food and drink that you consume over a 24 hour period can give great insight into why, or why not your diet may be working.

“In some cases we are not eating enough, but in most cases the reason we are not getting the weight loss we expect is because we are eating more than we realise.”

2. You are eating more because you train

You must have sweated off hundreds of calories during that Joe Wicks P.E class, so it’s totally okay to indulge in a bowl of ice cream once you’ve finished, right? Not so fast.

Susie says people tend to reward themselves with rich foods and large portions after exercising, and they often actually end up eating back all of (if not more than) the calories they just burned – hindering weight loss.

“Not only can exercise increase your appetite, but psychologically it gives many of us permission to eat more, or foods we would usually not eat because we have ‘been good’ and have already burnt off the extra calories,” Susie says.

“This logic falls apart simply because it is so easy to eat a whole lot of calories and we often do not burn as many as we think.

“For example, a 30-40 minute gym workout may burn 300-400 calories, while a single piece of cake or fast food meal will contain at least 600 if not more calories.

“If you are exercising with the goal of weight loss, you do not need to eat more and rewarding yourself with food for exercising will simply undo all of your hard work.”

3. You are eating at the wrong times

When it comes to dieting, timing is everything – according to Susie.

She says: “Perhaps the most significant factor that will predict whether we are losing weight or not, busy lives which see us eating dinner at 8 or 9pm are not conducive to weight loss.

“The human body is programmed to burn more calories during the first half or the day, and this is also the time of day we tend to be most active.

“As such, the greater the proportion of calories we consume during the first half of the day, the better.

“For this reason if you regularly work late or go to the gym after work, you will be much better to eat your largest meal at lunchtime and choose light options such as soup, white fish and salad once it gets to 7 or 8pm or later at night.”

4. You are going too hard too soon

When people first kickstart their weight loss journey, they can often go all out – in the hopes that the weight will drop off quickly.

However, Susie says weight loss never happens over night – and these types of diets are often ineffective.

“For the majority of us, who are looking to lose 5-10kg, weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, which means you need to pace yourself,” Susie says.

Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint

Susie Burrell

“Following a very strict regime in which you consume minimal calories for days at a time may give you initial weight loss results, but this approach rarely works long term as we ‘go off’ our diets, binge eat everything in sight and regain all if not more weight than we had initially lost.

“For this reason, whenever you commit to a new lifestyle plan, factoring in a couple of meals off each week, and ensuring you actually like the foods you are eating each day, and not feeling hungry is the key to long term success.”

5. You are buying the wrong foods

With lockdown still rumbling on, you may find yourself stocking up on extra snacks and treats at the supermarket to give you that much-needed energy boost.

And with restaurants shut until at least July, you might find yourself using apps like Deliveroo and UberEATS a bit more than you normally would.

However, Susie points out that it’s these choices that could actually be sabotaging your weight loss goals.

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Susie says: “It may be the choices you make at the café, the foods you put in your trolley at the supermarket or what you order on UberEATS but if your regular food choices do not compliment your weight loss goals you are unlikely to achieve them.

“Human beings will eat the foods they buy and have easy access too, which means if you are buying treats for guests; or ordering pizza for another family member, you will eat it.

“If you are really committed to losing weight all of your food decisions add up and as such we need to make the food choices we have control of, good ones most of the time.”