8 Weight Loss mistakes

8 Weight Loss mistakes

(From Women’s Health Magazine)

1-Wimpy Breakfast

Your body is coming out of a “fast” from sleeping and repairing, so it needs a protein filled breakfast to jumpstart that metabolism.  A protein (approx. 25-35G) filled breakfast will help you feel full.

Example, Greek yogurt, oatmeal, and mixed nuts

                Egg whites and steel cut oats

2-Cardio ONLY

This could not be more false.  Spending time in the weight room, will amp up the calories you burn throughout the day.  How often do we see the same people year after year on the cardio equipment and their bodies stay “exactly” the same.  Cardio has its place, but strength training is “King” in terms of fat loss.  Strength Training will give you the most benefit long term.  The more lean muscle tissue you have on your body…the more calories you burn throughout the day.  Cardio gives you the “quick” burn, but strength training is what needs to be sustained for a lifetime of fat loss.

3-Using too light of weights

Using heavier weights for fewer reps can burn more than lighter weights at more reps. How many reps you ask…..8-15 rep range, so if you fail using a 20lb dumbbell at rep 12-13, then stay at 20lb, and do 12-13 reps.  Your reps or sets should be just out of reach. 

4- Not eating before Exercise

Recent studies show that woman who eat a high protein meal before exercise, boosted their calorie burn.  This helps you fuel up before your workout for energy, and will maximize your time at the gym.  Eating before working out also will help protect your lean muscle tissue. Eat 30-60 min before workout and follow up with a good protein shake afterward.

5. You only workout on your own

Having a workout buddy can help with energy, allow for a SPOT, can help with form, and can help push you to work harder.  But, more than anything a buddy is great accountability.

6. You stress yourself out on the scale

Our society uses the scale as the “the marker” to track fat loss.  This should not be the case.  The scale could go up and fluctuate up to 10 pounds in a week.  The increase in weight is usually water, high sodium levels in body, or possibly lack of fiber in diet.  When we stress about the scale, we in turn then put mental stress on our body, which leads to an increase in our cortisol levels.  When this happens our bodies retain fat, and sometimes even gain additional fat.

7.  You down DIET SODA

Even though they are “diet” and calorie free, studies have shown that the body has a similar insulin response to artificial sweeteners, to that of a full sugar cola. When insulin goes up, it signals the body to eat. So having several diet cokes throughout the day will mess with insulin levels and therefore hinder our fat loss.  Stick to only one a day, or replace with water.  Jazz your water up with lemon or herbs.

8. You skip dessert and not the breadbasket

The bread basket is harder to kick, as most of us will have 3 breadsticks or 33 chips, which are like 3-4 servings, and that’s all before dinner.  Then we get asked to see the dessert tray and most of us pass because we are too full.  The truth is most of us will eat a lot less dessert then we would all the pre dinner carbs.  Also, most of us will split a dessert, so our portions will be smaller.  So if you must have one or the other…opt for the dessert to share with a friend, and skip all the chips.  Those are what are keeping us FAT!