You train hard with both weights and cardio, but for some reason you’re still not lean. If you find yourself wondering how it’s possible to seemingly do everything right and still not see a ripped physique in the mirror then you must read on!

Below are five reasons you aren’t ripped that can easily hamper your efforts to burn body fat and blur your abdominal definition. Address each one and you might finally make being ripped a reality!

 

1. Cutting Your Cals Too Quickly

A common problem many dieters make is dropping calories and carbs too drastically right out of the gate. A drastic cut in your carbs can lead to a big drop in body weight, but that drop will be short-lived. The problem with dieting is that your body is constantly fighting to prevent too much fat loss; after all, fat is a great energy reserve if times get tough and food is no longer plentiful. While that may have been a problem for our ancestors, it’s not a real issue for most of us today.

So no matter how low you drop carbs and calories, your body will eventually adjust to your new caloric intake. If you’ve dropped most or all of your carbs, your body will adjust to that low-carb intake and you won’t have room to cut further.

The real key to dieting is to eat as much as you can while still losing body fat. Then, when you reach a plateau, you make a small cut in carbs and calories so that when you plateau again, as you inevitably will, you can make another drop and can continue losing body fat.