Common Weight Loss Mistakes

The internet is a great thing, but it can be dangerous because it gives us such an overload of information. This is especially true with the field of nutrition and methods of weight loss, with all the fad diets out there or "fat burning pills" it can make everything confusing. As a nutritionist, it can be frustrating to see some misinformation out there. Here are some common mistakes and components that are often overlooked when it comes to weight loss.

1. You're choosing QUANTITY over QUALITY with food:

I put this as number one because this may be the most important. Nutrition contributes more to weight loss and overall health than exercise does. That's not to say exercise doesn't matter it definitely plays a role in weight loss. Most people look at the calories of foods when it comes to weight loss, which is completely missing the bigger picture. 200 calories of an avocado is not the same as 200 calories of a chocolate bar. There is so much more going on in your body from a biochemical perspective than just calories. Calories matter to an extent, but the quality of your food matters more. The 200 calories of avocado will provide your body with nutrients that it needs to function properly, whereas the 200 calories of a chocolate bar will just provide you with a spike in blood sugar and inflammation. Inflammation from low quality foods can negatively affect the brain and hormones, which control your calorie/fat burn.

2. Not enough protein:

I talk about protein quite a lot and the reason for it is this macronutrient helps with just about everything in the body. In general, people already seem to under eat protein as it is. For weight loss it can help because it makes you feel full and helps with building muscle. Most people wanting to lose weight and get healthy will go for something like a salad. While there is nothing wrong with that, a better option would be to eliminate the bad stuff from your diet, include more protein and more filling veggies. A good number to aim for in terms of grams for protein is 1g per pound of body weight per day. For example, I weight 165lb so I should be consuming 165g of protein per day. This may seem like a high number, so I usually suggest aiming for at least 80% of your body weight in grams of protein. For me that would be 165x0.8, so 132g of protein per day.

3. You're not strength training:

One of my last blog posts was about this topic (Focus on Strength and not Cardio for Better Weight Loss Results). The key to weight loss is boosting your metabolism. This is exactly what strength training does. Building muscle helps your body burn fat. Focusing too much on something like cardio won't give you that desired physique. Strength training is important for giving you a more sculpted look.

4. You may be working out too hard:

Sometimes less is more. This is true for people with a very busy and stressful lifestyle. An example is someone who works very long days and goes to a bootcamp/HIIT class or something similar that is very demanding on the body. It's important to remember that exercise (especially high intensity and long duration) is also a stress on the body, and when your combining that with an overall stressful lifestyle, it makes it very hard to burn fat. There is a time and a place for very hard and demanding workouts. Instead, if you had a long week or a bad night of sleep it would be better to go less intense with your workouts or even focus on something more restorative like yoga. Focusing on more restorative workouts during a stressful time will help restore your hormones. When your hormones are working properly, it is much easier to burn fat.

5. You're not getting enough steps in during the day:

This is often underrated because something as simple as walking doesn't feel like you're doing much. Our bodies are made to move, especially walk. If you're not tracking steps, this is definitely something I would recommend tracking. 10,000 steps per day is the typical goal, but this may be tough for some people. A good start would be 7-8,000 steps per day on the weekdays, and 12,000 steps on the weekends to make up for the steps lost on weekdays.

6. You're not prioritizing your sleep or making other good lifestyle choices:

A workout typically takes an hour of your day. There's 16 more hours in the waking day for most people. In addition to the hour workout, are you making choices throughout those 16 hours that favor weight loss? Staying away processed foods throughout the day, alcohol, working on stress reduction, and making sure you get good sleep are all good lifestyle choices that can help you with weight loss.

Weight loss is driven by 3 main pillars: exercise/movement, proper nutrition, and lifestyle. If all 3 of these are in check, then you will have a sustainable and healthy weight loss. It doesn't have to be perfect, with eating quality foods you just have to make sure you're eating properly at least 80% of the time. With exercise its not the end of the world if you miss a workout, just as long as you make up for it the next day and not let it get to you. Consistency and discipline are everything.