You're on a fitness journey, gettin' strong, gettin' fit… and you feel like you're doing all the right things!

But the weight just doesn't seem to be coming off. Plz help.

Don't worry — it's totally something you can fix. Once you realize where you're off, you can get on the right track right now. I used to wonder ALL the time what was going on — I was eating healthy (and sometimes barely eating) and I was exercising…and yet I wasn't able to really make changes until I figured out a few key things. Aka I was eating less and spending more time at the gym in the photo on the left than I do now (photo on the right!).

Why Aren't the LBs. Droppin'?!

Not eating enough.?

Sounds crazy, right?! True story. Without enough calories, your bod freaks out thinking you may never feed it again. It goes into "starvation" mode and holds onto the very fat you're trying to burn because it thinks it'll need it to survive.

This is especially true if you're working out! You've gotta make sure you're fueling your body with the right macronutrients. That means you need a balance of healthy fats, proteins, and carbs. Because YES! YOU NEED CARBS IN YOUR DIET! You need all three elements to both lose weight and maintain the weight loss.

Eating too much.??

Whoops. We tend to overestimate what we burn in workouts and underestimate how many calories we're really ingesting. Every little bite or sip counts, so you've gotta count it! That means tracking the cream that goes in your coffee, or the nibble of pizza you stole from your BF.

In order to lose 1 lb. of fat you have to have a 3,500 calorie deficit. I knowwwwww that sounds cray. But what it really works out to is changing your 2,000 calorie diet down to 1,500 per day until you reach your goal.

Sneaky sugar.?

Too much of anything is too much. Sugar usually sneaks in when we're drinking… think coffee, tea, juice… or the more obvious culprits like soda and energy drinks. Even healthy sugars from fruit can add up fast and sabotage your goals. I recommend cutting all added sugars out entirely and keeping sugar consumption from even healthy fruits to 24g or less per day.

Sh*tty sleep.??

When you don't get enough sleep, your stress hormone (cortisol) levels will rise. Cortisol has been linked to struggles to lose weight and weight gain. So get them Zzzs, girl! You'll feel better, wake up refreshed and ready to crush your goals, not to mention make better, healthier decisions because you're not cranky and half asleep.

Plateau-ed.?

If you've been dieting or exercising and losing weight for a bit and suddenly it stops, you've prob hit a plateau. Your body is now used to the new normal and is maintaining instead of continuing to lose. So you gotta mix it up!

Try increasing (yes, increasing) your caloric intake about 100-200 calories per day, adding weights to your workouts, shakin up the type of exercises you're doing, or even just take a break entirely from sweat seshs. Give it a week. See how your body responds and make adjustments. Got some other tips for you in this post.

Don't Sweat it…

That is… don't worry! Hopefully you had a light bulb moment when you read which one of those reasons is trippin' you up… but even if you didn't, there's a really simple solution here. I've already been through this weight loss journey, so I know what works and what doesn't and I literally wrote a book on it.

The Hot Body Meal Plan helps you navigate nutrition on your weight loss (or maintenance) journey. It's all spelled out for you, so you don't have to think… just do! Follow the step by step, meal by meal plans and before you know it, you'll be watching the scale drop!

If you're not familiar with the HBMP, lemme break it down real quick. It's a 4-week guide of every meal and snack you'll consume. Every week it changes a little bit– from calorie intake to fat intake, we keep your body on its toes and switch it up so you don't hit a pesky plateau! If you have more questions that need answering…read up here!

What's Your Story?

As always, Team LSF is here for you! Share your weight loss story, struggles, what's workin' and be honest about what ISN'T! We're here for you, girl! This community is a beautiful, supportive, loving place and we're so lucky to have such an amazing support system. Drop a comment about what you're struggling with and how you plan to change it this summer! You got this?