#163 5 Common Weight Loss Mistakes
Losing weight is HARD. Don’t make it harder for yourself by making these common weight loss mistakes!
1. Failing To Prepare
Being unprepared with your meals is one of the main reasons that people fail and slip up with their diet. Plan ahead! I write down all of my meals for the coming weeks and then do one big grocery shop to last me the entire week. I then spend a bit of time on the weekend preparing my meals. It is a better of effort, but it means you will be cooking less during the week and because the healthy food is already there and prepared ready to go, you are less likely to get takeaway. Plus it will save you money on dining out! Make sure you prepare all of your lunches and snacks too.
2. Skipping Meals
It may seem like a good idea at the time, but is actually hindering your weight loss. It messes with your body’s ability to control appetite, meaning that you will likely overeat at your next meal. It is better for appetite if you eat regularly so don’t skip any meal or snack, especially if you are hungry. Don’t starve yourself, because that will only cause your body to hold on to more fat.
3. Eating Too Much Or Too Little Protein
Most females do not eat enough protein. You should be aiming to eat around 1g of protein per 1 pound of body weight. You can eat slightly more than this is you are super active, and slightly less if you are sedentary.
But make sure your protein is coming from sources such as lean meat (beef, chicken, etc), eggs, raw nuts, tofu, some dairy, lentils, green vegetables, whey protein, etc. Keep the protein bars (which can be filled with sugar and preservatives) to a minimum.
4. Compensating For Eating With Exercise
You can’t out train a bad diet (unless you’re an athlete who trains a LOT). Exercising really well does not mean you can eat whatever you want. I hate it when people say that I can eat whatever because I exercise. NOT TRUE! Eating poorly will lead to weight gain or just cause you to look skinny fat.
Lots of people also use naughty foods as a reward for a hard workout session, and this also promotes an unhealthy relationship with food. You should reward your body with healthy and nutritious foods to keep it functioning at it’s best.
5. Overeating “Healthy” Foods
There are lots of healthy juice / smoothie places around now, which also serve healthy treats. This is great, and I love them. But just be aware that some of these smoothies / juices have at least 3-4 serves of fruit in one smoothie (which is a LOT of carbs) and use “healthy” liquids such as coconut water, almond milk, etc but the added sugar kind. A lot of smoothie bowl places now are also topping them with extra fruit and granola high in sugar. One healthy smoothie or smoothie bowl can have as many as 2000 calories in it! And the healthy goodies are also very high in calories, so just be mindful.
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Rachael is an Australian born certified personal trainer and nutritionist who holds a Bachelor degree in Science.
After struggling for years to find an exercise and diet program that is tailored to women striving for lean and toned body with no bulk she designed her Lean Legs Program. This program is tailored to each body type and focused on helping women get toned but feminine bodies, without getting bulky.
Her mission is to empower women and help them stay in shape in a healthy and balanced way.