Mistakes you’ll never make again when it comes to losing weight. Can you recall any mistakes you’ve made that have held you back from losing weight?
Mistakes that you thought were helping you, but instead it was inhibiting your weight loss goals, right?
Often times, you may see people get so caught up in trending fads, or they take things to the extreme that the weight loss tip has an adverse effect.
In this article, we”ll go through 12 mistakes you’ll never want to make again when it comes to losing weight.
Furthermore, once you have an understanding of these mistakes, you can begin to adhere to a healthier routine that will make obtaining weight loss much easier.
So, let’s dive in.
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12 Mistakes You’ll Never Make Again When It Comes To Losing Weight
1. Consuming too much protein powder.
More often than not, especially a beginner will consume multiple protein shakes a day. Assuming that drinking protein shakes will help to obtain weight loss.
Therefore, not realizing that many protein powders contain fillers (unknown ingredients), high sugar content, high calories, and in some cases can cause digestive issues, bloating, etc. In knowing this, it is essential to choose a clean protein powder if you choose to supplement with one.
I recommend choosing a non-dairy resource, and/or whey isolate for better absorption. Along with ensuring the ingredients are pure as can be. Here are a few to look at:
Although, protein is an important factor in weight loss, as it promotes satiety, helps maintain lean body mass, and can reduce how your body stores extra calories as fat.
That does not mean we should confuse the source of protein we choose to often consume. In other words, focusing on whole food protein sources is a much better option as opposed to multiple protein shakes a day.
Whole food protein sources:
- Fish
- Chicken
- Lean Turkey
- Lean Beef
- Tofu
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Nuts
In some cases, when appropriate, protein powder drinks are a great supplement when you’re on the go, right after a workout, or as quick meal replacement. Just don’t overdo it.
2. Assuming Fat Free is healthy
Unfortunately, foods that are labeled fat free, low fat, or reduced fat do not equate to calorie free.
Often times, these types of foods contain additives such as salt, sugars, and chemical fillers that actually end up making the product less than unhealthy.
The FDA allows companies to label their product as “fat free” if it contains less than 0.5 per serving. However, most people consume more than one small serving of something.
Therefore, you’re now not only consuming fat still, but also the additives along with it. In short, it’s a lose, lose situation.
Above all, focus on more unprocessed foods as much as possible.
3. Misinterpretation of labels
This is the biggest mistake you’ll make when it comes to losing weight.
In addition to fat free, misinterpretation of labels these days is easy to fall for. As marketers know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to promoting their brand, and telling you what you want to hear.
For instance, brands are telling us that thier products are:
- Sugar Free
- Zero Calories
- Low Calories
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Low Carbohydrates
- Low Sugar
- Fat Free
- Reduced Fat
- Low Fat
- High Protein
- Light
- All Natural
- Natural Flavors
It’s no wonder why most people are confused when grocery shopping!
My goodness. This is why, it is important when shopping for food to stick with unprocessed food sources as often as possible.
This is a simple mistake you’ll never make again when it comes to losing weight.
4. Not reading ingredients
This all leads me to this tip. Making sure that you’re reading the actual ingredients on the back, and not just focusing on the labels on the front of the package.
If you can take anything from this, be sure to hang on to this important factor.
At the end of the day, the truth lies in the ingredients. It always has, and it always will.
Moreover, don’t be afraid to research something you cannot pronounce. I google the heck out of ingredients that I have no clue about, and I do it right there in the store.
When in doubt, google it out, lol.
5. Consuming too much caffeine
Too much caffeine can wreak havoc on our system. Often times, when trying to lose weight many people revert to caffeine to fuel their workouts, and/or their energy throughout the day.
To be clear, consuming small amounts of caffeine before a workout has shown to enhance the energy put out during a workout, thus burning more calories, and helping aid in some weight loss.
However, it’s important to factor in the quality, and resource of the caffeine, along with the amount consumed.
For instance, natural resources such as green tea, and coffee are of better choice for caffeine as opposed to red bull, monster, or any other processed source on the market.
Moreover, green tea, and coffee offer a friendly smaller dose of caffeine in most cases.
Overall, it is safe to consume between 200-400mg caffeine per day, and if you indulge in too much caffeine from any source, natural or not, it can cause a plethora of issues with your body such as:
- Hormonal imbalances
- Anxiety
- Acne
- Sleep deprivation
- Nervousness
- Nausea
- Chest Pain
- Heart Problems
6. Unaware that carbs convert to sugar in the body
When we consume food that contains carbohydrates our digestive system breaks down the digestible ones and converts it to glucose that we can then use for energy.
However, when our bodies reach it’s max amount of glucose, it stores the excess in 2 ways.
- Extra glucose get stored in our muscles, liver, and kidneys
- Converts the glucose into fat.
Therefore, it is important to stay self aware of the amount, but also the quality of carbohydrate you’re intaking.
Overall, know that an over consumption of carbs can get stored as fat if not used for energy.
7. Adhering to a No Carb diet
Which brings me to this tip, adhering to a no carbohydrate diet.
This method can cause nutrient deficiency, and is not sustainable long term.
However, let’s not confuse NO CARB to LOW CARB, as low carb does have it’s own benefits when executed properly.
Moreover, it’s the no carbohydrates plan which does not add value to you’re health, and could cause more harm than good.
Lastly, carbohydrates are necessary in moderation to function optimally. I recommend consuming a majority of those carbs earlier in the day to ensure you’re utilizing them for energy.
Depending on your goals a great place to start with carb intake could be:
- Low Carb Day – 100g
- Medium Carb Day – 150-200g
- High Carb Day – 250-300g
8. Indulging in too many Cheat Meals
Rewarding your efforts is nice to do every once in awhile.
However, more often then not people find the need to reward themselves with an abundance of “cheat meals” every week.
What do I mean by “cheat meals”, it’s that unhealthy, calorie filled meal that you over indulge in, because it tends to be a favorite unhealthy meal of yours.
In doing so, you’re setting yourself back from achieving your desired weight loss goal. Making it harder for you to create healthy habits, and causing more distress on your digestive system.
We’re all human, and enjoy unhealthy food every now and again. But, if you know it’s your weakness, and you’re just starting out in your journey..
I advise you set strict boundaries for yourself in the beginning, or at least until you build up the discipline. Therefore, you don’t over indulge.
“It’s not about getting knocked down, that’s inevitable. It’s about how fast you get back up.”
9. Assuming all Fat is equal
Keto diets are making a huge statement these days, and it’s understandable. As a ketogenic nutrition plan can offer great benefits if properly monitored, and executed.
Often times however, people lack truly educating themselves on if they’re the right candidate, along with getting accurate nutritional info.
Most often, people assume all fats are equal, and begin consuming more harmful fat resources than healthy benefiting fats.
For instance, there is a huge difference between fat from a greasy piece of bacon, and avocado.
Overall, if you choose to get on a ketogenic nutrition plan, learn the difference between healthy fats, and unhealthy fat, along with getting all the accurate information you need from a professional.
10. Not counting drinks towards your caloric intake
How often have you counted that starbucks coffee, that glass of wine , or that cup of OJ in your daily caloric intake? Probably, never. Trust me, we’re all guilty of this.
However, if you’re looking to lose weight, it is somehting you should be aware of. At the end of the day, all those calories consumed from the day add up.
Nowadays, there are great calorie tracker apps, and they make it easy to stay on top of those sneaky drink calories.
11. Eating out all the time
On average, restaurant meals contain around 1,200 calories. That’s almost a person daily caloric intake.
Imagine eating out, and adding those calories to your other meals. It’s like eating for two people in one day. Now, do that a few times a week..
Talk about self sabotage.
Eating out is great, but be mindful of how often.
12. Assuming cardio is the best method for losing weight
Unfortunately, doing just cardio or even too much wont give you the long term weight loss benefits you want.
In fact, you’re essentially doing more harm than good by allowing cardio to be your main focus in losing weight.
Although, cardio offers numerous benefits for heart health, increasing lung capacity, and circulation. It is not however, the number method to use for weight loss.
Too much cardio can wreak havoc on our bodies, as your body will begin to break down muscle tissue for fuel. In doing this, you could cause serious damage to your body.
It is highly recommended to pair some sort of strength training with cardio to ensure an overall healthy approach to losing weight.
After all, the more lean tissue you have on your body the higher metabolic rate you will obtain.
Bonus Tip: Not consuming enough water
I know you’ve all heard it before, but it is essential.
Without proper hydration, your body cannot function properly, thus hindering you from losing weight.
Moreover, your body is unable to flush out toxins from your body. Making it harder to naturally detox your system.
Lastly, your cells, digestive system, skin, muscle tissue, organs, and brain, all need hydration to work optimally.
Drink up, buttercup!
That Wraps Up 12 Mistakes You’ll Never Make Again When It Comes To Losing Weight
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