Is anything more frustrating then working hard, eating right, and not reaping rewards? Below are 5 common mistakes that might be holding you up and tips on how to resolve them ASAP.
Healthy food calories count, too! Sure, calories are not nutritionally equal but a calorie really is a calorie. You can in fact gain weight eating all unprocessed, organic, nutritious foods. The reason you shed weight with the nutritionally dense food is that those foods are more filling, keep you full longer, and cause less blood sugar peaks and dips lowering overall caloric intake and abating hunger.
Tip: Weigh and log your food for a few days to gauge if you are overdoing your portions without being aware.
People grossly overestimate how much they burn during training/cardio sessions. Heart rate monitors will give an estimate of calories burned and that is just what that is- an estimate. More factors are at work in this equation including metabolic health or lack thereof. If you aren’t losing weight and think you are burning 1000 calories training and that you are in a caloric deficit with your nutrition something isn’t adding up.
Tip: Do not consume the calories burned after training. Keep your nutrition steady and see what the results of your program have on your physique for a few weeks and adjust from there if you aren’t seeing results after a few weeks.
NEAT is the term used for calories burned that are non exercise related during the day. This would be chores, walks, cleaning, shopping, unloading groceries- the list goes on. Desk jobs, computer time, and a new series on Netflix can really lower your NEAT.
Tip: Get an activity tracker and get the facts. When I wore my FitBit and iWatch I was only at 2500 steps per day working at my desk job. When I wasn’t at work, I was at 6000. That is a big difference and no wonder some of the things that worked for me in the past weren’t working as well. It wasn’t age, it wasn’t genetics- I had decreased NEAT.
At a restaurant, you can easily consume a 2000 calorie meal. If you only made a deficit of 1500 calories that week, you just undid it in “one meal”.
Tip: If you feel like you are spinning your wheels, track your “one bad meal”. I’m all about refeeds, but not about uncontrolled overindulgences. I have personally undone a week of hard work with an uncontrolled meal on the weekend- or an uncontrolled weekend- and I have seen many of my clients do the same. Throw a couple margaritas on top of that meal and you may even end the week in a surplus- talk about frustrating.
These things can sneak up on you in a big way. With my favorite coffee creamer, I use two servings when I have one cup of coffee. When you have multiple cups of coffee throughout the day there are hundreds of unaccounted for calories sabotaging your fat loss efforts.
Tip: Remember every little bit adds up and take those small items into consideration if you notice your progress stalls.
Once I nipped these mistakes in the bud, I noticed a huge difference in my results week to week. Lessening frustration during fat loss lowers stress and ultimately allows for even more fat loss. Talk about a win/win.
If you want assistance finding a program that fits your lifestyle eating habits, your schedule, and that works best with your body I would be honored to help! Email me at [email protected]