When you’re first starting a weight loss program, you’re going to make some mistakes. Some of these can just slow you down a bit, while others are more serious. They can add pounds. Gaining weight when you’re trying to lose is the ultimate in frustration. Not only does it shred your confidence, but it also destroys your motivation and commitment. One of the biggest misconceptions is that it doesn’t matter how you lose weight, just lose it. That opens the door to fad diets that can block your progress in the long run.
If the goal is weight loss, why does it matter how you did it?
Sure, you want to lose weight but doing it with a starvation diet or fad diet that limits you to one or two foods isn’t the right way. You might lose weight, but you have to return to normal eating at some time. When you do, you often gain that weight back and often a little extra. That puts you even further behind than you were when you started. Instead of starving yourself or eating a radical fad diet, focus on eating healthy foods. Cutting out food with added sugar and highly processed food and eating healthy can continue throughout your life so you never have to diet again.
You’re being tricked into believing some foods are diet foods.
Granola bars, energy bars, low-fat yogurt, and many other foods that people buy, thinking they’ll help with weight loss, can pack on the pounds. Fat-free foods can be particularly deceptive. Fat-free foods can cause weight gain. When companies take out fat, it loses some of its flavor and consistency. To make it palatable, they add sugar. Healthy fat helps balance your hormones, stops cravings, and even burns body fat.
People often don’t realize it takes both a healthy diet and regular exercise to lose weight.
If you’re exercising to lose weight but eating junk, you’ll fail. You can’t out-exercise an unhealthy diet. Eating healthy and not exercising isn’t recommended either. You might lose weight if you don’t exercise, but it will be fat and muscle tissue. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain, so the more you have, the higher your metabolism is. Shedding muscle tissue makes further weight loss and keeping pounds off harder.
- Doing constant cardio can also make weight loss harder. Cardio burns tons of calories, but those calories come from both fat and muscle tissue. Do cardio, but also strength training to build muscles.
- Don’t starve yourself. You can’t do it for long, but that’s not the biggest problem. When you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation mode, which slows your metabolism for survival.
- Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can cause you to overeat. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more ghrelin—the hunger hormone, and less leptin—the satiety hormone.
- Drink more water and monitor what you drink. Staying hydrated is vital. Sipping on water throughout the day can diminish your appetite. Drinking soft drinks and fancy coffee can add calories you may miss. Watch out for diet soft drinks. A new study shows they may add inches to your middle.
For more information, contact us today at Team Worx Fitness
