6 Common Weight Loss Mistakes You Might be Making
So you have decided you needed to lose some weight. You made the commitment to eat totally clean. You threw out the chips and chocolate, you have your daily smoothie and chicken salad. You plan to workout every single day. Yet the scale doesn’t seem to be budging! Here are a few common mistakes you might be making when it comes to losing weight.
6 Common Weight Loss Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
You aren’t eating enough.
The common prescription for weight loss is often to just eat less and move your body more. While yes, you do need to be in a slight caloric deficit, it doesn’t have to be anything extreme. A reduction of two - three hundred calories per day is all you need for sustainable weight loss. For most women, I would not recommend going below 1600 calories per day. Under eating can be stressful on the body, lead to disordered eating and nutrient deficiencies.
2. You’re doing too much cardio.
Think you need to log hours on the tread mill to lose that extra weight? Think again! Cardio can actually cause us to lose lean muscle, which we need for a healthy metabolism. Try incorporating more strength training workouts and walks into your exercise routine and don’t forget to take 1-2 rest days per week!
3. You’re doing too many HIIT workouts.
If your workouts are only spin classes, intense boot camp style workouts like F45, Orange Theory or circuit training, you might be over doing. While these workouts are great for kicking up a good sweat, they can actually be causing you to hold onto weight (exactly what we don’t want). Instead, limit HIIT work outs to 2-3 times per week and incorporate more strength training, walking and yoga. Feeling burnt out? You might want to skip the intense workouts all together or try cycle syncing your workouts instead.
4. You have the all or nothing mentality when it comes to healthy eating.
95% diet fail. Most people who embark on diets like keto, fasting or weight watchers tend to only lose that weight for a certain period of time until they go back to their normal earing patterns. Try to let go of the all or nothing mentality and find a way of eating and nourishing that feels easy, enjoyable and sustainable. It not realistic to think that you will never have pizza or ice cream again. Learn how to nourish yourself the majority of the time because that’s what makes you feel your best but understand you can still enjoy fun foods in moderation. Balance is the key to making long lasting, sustainable changes.
5. You are not giving yourself enough rest or down time.
Got that “I’ll sleep when I am dead” mentality? Not giving yourself a break only leads to burnout and increased stress, which we know makes us hold onto weight. Sleep in on the weekends, take a nap or a hot bath. Do things that help calm your nervous system and that help to reset your battery so you can show up as your best. Remember, a rested body is a healthy body.
6. Your are not eating enough protein.
Most women I see are not eating enough protein during the day which often leads to feeling unsatisfied with meals, sugar cravings and mid afternoon energy crashes. Women should be eating at the minimum 80 grams of protein per day, more if you are weight training and looking to put on lean muscle mass. This could be split up into 20-30 grams at your main meals and 10-20 grams at your snacks. Add a quality protein shake into your day to help meet those goals. If you need some protein packed meal ideas, check out my meal plans.
When it comes to weight loss, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to starve yourself or exercise for hours on end. Instead focus on these key things:
Regulating your blood sugar levels by eating protein, fats, fiber and greens at your meals
Exercising smarter, not harder
Prioritizing sleep
Balancing your hormone and healing the gut
And lastly, find a way of eating that is enjoyable and maintainable
If you are looking to come to a balanced weight, join me in my brand new 4 week self guided program Re-Nourish. Inside I will teach you exactly what to eat to manage your weight, balance your hormones and ditch the diets for good. Click here to checkout the full details to the program.
xx
Mia