10 Fitness Questions You’re Likely to Ask About Fitness

Every year, usually around the point where motivation starts to dip, I get asked very similar questions by people who are starting, restarting, or trying to stay consistent with their fitness.

Most of these questions come up when someone feels like their results have slowed down, plateaued, or do not seem to match the effort they are putting in. That frustration can quickly spiral into overthinking, self-doubt, or jumping from one plan to another.

So to help put your mind at ease, I have answered the most common fitness questions I hear. If you are feeling stuck, sore, tired, or just a bit confused by all the advice online, chances are one of these will resonate.

1. Why am I not losing weight despite barely eating?

This is one of the most common and most misunderstood issues.

“Barely eating” can sometimes look very different from what we think it does. For many people, what feels like very little food can actually be around maintenance calories. In other words, you may be eating just enough to stay the same weight, not lose it.

If you are not certain how many calories you are consuming day to day, it becomes very hard to know whether you are truly in a calorie deficit. Small snacks, drinks, sauces, and portion sizes all add up quicker than most people realise.

Another important point is expectations. A healthy and realistic rate of fat loss is around 1lb per week. That might not sound like much, but over time it adds up. If the scale is already moving at that rate, your plan is working, even if it feels slower than you would like.

2. I’m really sore after workouts but don’t see a difference in the mirror. Why?

Soreness is not a reliable indicator of progress.

A much better sign that things are moving in the right direction is progressive overload. This simply means you are gradually doing more over time. That could be lifting heavier weights, performing more reps, or improving your technique.

Ask yourself:

• Are you stronger than when you started?
• Can you do more reps with the same weight?
• Do movements feel more controlled?

These are all trackable signs of progress.

Chasing soreness often leads people to cram as much volume as possible into a session, thinking more pain equals more results. In reality, excessive soreness requires longer recovery, increases fatigue, and often reduces performance in future sessions.

It is not about avoiding soreness completely. It is about finding the right balance where you can train hard, recover well, and perform consistently week to week.

3. Why do I lose motivation after two or three weeks?

Motivation is temporary. Systems are what keep you going.

Motivation is brilliant for getting started, but it is unreliable long term. If motivation alone was enough, most gyms would be empty after January, and that is clearly not the case.

Instead of relying on motivation, you need simple systems that support your habits. These are small actions that make it easier to stay consistent even when you do not feel like it.

Examples include:

• Laying your gym clothes out the night before
• Going to the gym before you go home from work
• Training on the same days each week

These systems reduce decision-making and keep you in routine, which is far more powerful than trying to feel motivated all the time.

4. Why do I feel hungry all the time?

This depends largely on your goal.

If your goal is weight loss, some hunger is normal. The nature of fat loss means consuming fewer calories than your body needs, so your body looks elsewhere for energy.

That said, food choices matter. If you are working with a limited calorie intake and filling it with calorie-dense foods, hunger will be much harder to manage.

Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables can make a big difference. A full plate of vegetables, when cooked properly, contains far fewer calories than foods like cheese, chocolate, or pastries, while keeping you fuller.

Protein also plays a key role in feeling full for longer. Aim for roughly 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your desired bodyweight to help keep hunger under control.

5. Do I need to work out every day to see results?

No, you do not.

You can make great progress training just twice per week, provided those sessions are structured properly. Especially if you have been inactive for a long time, what you do outside the gym often has a bigger impact at the start.

Things like:

• Increasing daily steps
• Being more active generally
• Avoiding binge eating

These factors, combined with well-planned workouts, can produce excellent results.

A common mistake is setting unrealistic targets such as training six days per week. When motivation drops, this quickly becomes unsustainable. A better question to ask is: how many days can I realistically train every week?

Start there and build gradually.

6. Should I be comparing myself to others in the gym?

In short, no.

Seeing others train hard and make progress can be motivating, but comparison needs to be handled carefully. You rarely see the full picture of someone else’s journey.

For example, if you watched my workouts or saw the weights I lift, you might assume you are behind or not doing enough. What you would not see is that I have been lifting consistently for around 14 years.

Use others as inspiration, not as a benchmark. Your progress should always be measured against where you started, not against someone else.

7. Am I gaining fat or muscle?

Bodyweight is only one piece of the puzzle, and it can often be misleading.

A better way to assess progress includes:

• Body measurements
• How your clothes fit
• How you look in the mirror
• Progress photos

Fat loss and muscle gain do not always show clearly on the scale. Progress is multi-factorial, so relying on weight alone will not tell the full story.

Taking regular measurements and photos gives you far more useful feedback over time.

8. Is it bad if I miss a workout?

Missing the occasional workout will not ruin your progress, as long as you are consistent most of the time.

This is one reason I often programme full-body sessions. If you aim for three sessions per week but only manage two because life gets in the way, at least every muscle group has still been trained.

If missed sessions become frequent, progress will slow. However, in the short term, controlling factors outside the gym such as nutrition and daily activity often has a bigger impact than one missed workout.

9. Why do I slip up with food in the evenings?

Evenings are when most people fully relax. Work is done, the gym might be ticked off, and it is time to switch off with Netflix.

By this point, tiredness and decision fatigue set in. Before you know it, food delivery apps are open.

The key is making decisions earlier in the day. Know what you are eating in the evening, or at the very least, how many calories or macros you have left.

If you do not know, poor decisions are far more likely. It is similar to food shopping while hungry. You end up adding things to the basket that you know are not ideal, but a tired brain wins.

10. Is it bad to dislike cardio?

Not at all. Many people dislike cardio.

Compared to weight training, cardio is straightforward but often requires more effort. Sometimes we do not enjoy things we know are good for us. I despise washing up, but not everything fits in the dishwasher.

A combination of strength training and cardio plays a huge role in long-term health and longevity. The key is finding a form of cardio you dislike the least and committing to it regularly.

Whether it is cycling, walking, rowing, or classes, aim to get a good sweat on each week and keep it consistent.

Final Thoughts

Fitness does not need to be complicated, but it does require patience, consistency, and realistic expectations. Most people do not fail because they are lazy or incapable. They struggle because they are overwhelmed by conflicting advice and unrealistic standards.

If you recognise yourself in these questions, you are not alone. This is exactly why I focus on simple, structured training and long-term habits at Plan-A Performance Coaching.

If you would like support with your training, whether that is in-person in Stourbridge or through online coaching, feel free to get in touch. Sometimes having a clear plan and a bit of guidance makes all the difference.

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