Why Am I Not Losing Weight Even Though I Exercise and Eat Less?
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 14
- 5 min read
Written by Nelum Dharmapriya, Doctor & Health Coach
Dr Nelum Dharmapriya is a Brisbane-based GP with a special interest in metabolic health, menopause, and lifestyle medicine. She combines 30 years of clinical experience with a personal passion for helping women thrive in midlife and beyond.
Have you ever felt like your body is working against you? You eat less. You push yourself to exercise. You follow the rules. And yet, your weight stays the same or creeps up. For many women over 40, this is not just frustrating, it’s disheartening.
I’ve lived this experience too. As a GP, I once believed that the secret to weight loss was simple: fewer calories in, more calories out. But in my late 30s, things changed. I was training hard for the London Marathon, running five times a week, eating “clean,” and doing everything right. But the scale didn’t move. I felt tired, foggy, and increasingly out of touch with my own body.
That personal struggle led me to question everything I thought I knew about metabolism and weight loss, and to dig deep into the science of why eating less and exercising more often fails, especially in midlife.
The metabolic engine you never think about: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Weight loss is more than just burning calories through exercise. Most of the calories you burn every day have nothing to do with how much you move.
That’s thanks to your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the amount of energy your body uses to keep you alive while at rest.
Your BMR fuels vital functions like:
Breathing and circulation
Digesting and absorbing food
Repairing cells, tissues, muscles, and bones
Regulating temperature
Hormone production
Brain activity and emotional regulation
Detoxification (via the liver and kidneys)
This baseline energy use accounts for 60–75% of your daily calorie burn.
Your body runs 24/7, even when you’re sitting still. And here's the crucial part: when you eat less, your body doesn’t just use stored fat; it also slows down your BMR to save energy. It goes into conservation mode.
The adaptive response: Why your body resists weight loss
Your body is designed for survival, not for six-pack abs.
When you restrict calories too much or for too long, your body interprets it as a threat, like a famine. In response, it reduces the amount of energy it burns. This phenomenon is called adaptive thermogenesis.
You might notice:
Fatigue and low energy
Feeling cold more often
Brain fog or poor concentration
Slower digestion
Increased hunger and cravings
And it gets worse. The hormone ghrelin, produced in your stomach, increases dramatically when you eat less. Ghrelin tells your brain: “I’m hungry–eat now!” It works on the part of your brain that controls appetite and reward. That’s why, after a few days of dieting, it’s hard to stop thinking about food.
I didn’t realise this until I began to understand what was happening in my own body. It wasn’t a lack of willpower; it was biology.
Why long-term dieting often backfires
Let’s look at one of the most dramatic examples: the Biggest Loser study.
Researchers followed contestants from the show, who had undergone rapid weight loss through extreme dieting and exercise, for six years. Nearly all regained most of the weight.
But the most alarming finding? Their resting metabolic rate (RMR) remained, on average, 500 calories lower per day than expected, even years later. That’s the equivalent of a full meal burned less every single day.
Their bodies were working against them. And they didn’t do anything wrong. This is the long-term effect of calorie restriction and rapid weight loss: your metabolism becomes more efficient, but in the wrong direction.
My marathon training: When more exercise didn’t mean less weight
In my own life, the turning point came during marathon training. I was logging hours of running every week, eating “clean,” and staying committed.
And yet the weight didn’t budge.
Why?
After long runs, I felt ravenous. I justified eating more because I thought I’d earned it, and I had. But I didn’t realise that my calorie intake had increased, and that I was also moving less throughout the rest of the day. This is called calorie compensation: your body subconsciously adjusts your hunger and movement to protect energy balance.
So, while I was burning calories through exercise, I was also:
Eating more due to increased hunger
Resting more without noticing
Experiencing hormonal shifts that promoted fat storage
My body was protecting me, not betraying me. Once I understood this, I completely changed how I looked at exercise and weight.
Why exercise alone isn’t the answer
Let’s be clear: exercise is essential for overall health. It improves cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, brain function, mental health, and bone strength. But it’s not the magic solution for weight loss that many of us were led to believe.
Why?
Hunger increases after exercise. You may eat back the calories you burned, or more.
Non-exercise activity drops. After a hard workout, you may move less the rest of the day.
Your body adapts. Over time, it gets more efficient, burning fewer calories for the same activity.
This doesn’t mean you should stop moving. It means your mindset about movement should shift, from punishment or calorie-burning, to nourishment, strength, and vitality.
What works: A gentle, long-term approach
Here’s what I now practice, and what I teach the women I work with:
1. Focus on food quality, not just quantity
Shift from calorie counting to nourishment. Eat whole, nutrient-dense foods: vegetables, good-quality protein (animal-based, if tolerated), healthy fats, and low-carb fruits like berries. These foods support your metabolism, stabilise blood sugar, and reduce cravings.
2. Incorporate strength training
Muscle is your metabolic ally. It burns more calories than fat, even at rest. Lifting weights or doing resistance-based workouts a few times a week can preserve or build muscle, helping you lose fat more sustainably.
3. Support your hormones with sleep and stress management
Sleep deprivation and chronic stress elevate cortisol, which can promote fat storage, especially around the belly. Prioritise 7–9 hours of quality sleep, practice relaxation daily, and build margin into your life.
4. Listen to your body’s hunger cues
Stop fearing hunger, it’s a signal, not a failure. Mindful eating teaches you to recognise physical vs. emotional hunger, stop when satisfied, and rebuild trust with your body.
5. Be consistent, not perfect
Fad diets, 30-day resets, and extreme plans are rarely sustainable. Focus instead on small daily wins, walks, protein-rich meals, lifting weights, prioritising sleep. This is what builds lasting results.
Final thoughts: Your body isn’t broken – it’s brilliant
If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of restriction, frustration, and confusion, please hear this:
Your body is not fighting you; it’s protecting you.
Once you understand how your metabolism and hormones respond to stress, under-eating, and over-exercising, everything starts to make sense. You can stop blaming yourself. You can stop punishing your body. And you can start supporting it, with science, lifestyle, and mindset working together.
This is the path I now walk every day, and it’s what I help other women do through Whole Food Revolution, the coaching platform I co-lead with mindset coach Ronit Baras. Together, we guide women 40+ to break free from the diet trap, reset their metabolism, and rebuild confidence from the inside out.
If you're ready to feel strong, clear, and confident again, I’d love to support you.
Book a complimentary Discovery Call with me and let’s talk about what’s holding you back, and how to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Read more from Nelum Dharmapriya
Nelum Dharmapriya, Doctor & Health Coach
Dr Nelum Dharmapriya is a Brisbane-based GP with 30 years’ experience in women’s health, and metabolic wellbeing. Founder of Whole Food Revolution, she empowers women 40+ to reclaim energy and confidence through the 3 pillars of science, lifestyle, and mindset.
