I am just a little clean-food obsessed, and I know your food decisions really do make a difference in your physique and health. All it takes is one miscalculation in your execution, and suddenly your plan is ruined. If you've been left wondering where your game plan failed you, don't pack it in just yet! Everyone makes mistakes - even the best in the world - at one time or another.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes that are made when it comes to weight loss and nutrition. I hope that knowing these ahead of time will help you prevent them from happening.
Waiting to long between meals:
"Often,work and my family would keep me so busy that I would end up being an hour or two late in eating my meal. If you wait too long between meals, blood glucose levels drop, and when glucose is in short supply, the body begins to break down muscle for energy."
THE FIX:
"To help me get in the habit of eating every three hours, I set the timer on my watch. Now, no matter what I'm doing, I never forget to eat my meals."
Also, packing a cooler with all your easy go to treats like apples, almonds, Shakeology, bottles of water and shaker cups will keep you out of trouble in a pinch.
Not enough sodium:
"I believed that any amount of sodium (salt) would make me retain excess water, so I cut out all salt containing foods to avoid looking 'puffy.' The truth is, sodium helps regulate the body's fluid balance, and consuming too little has the potential to initiate water retention. When sodium levels dip too low, it can also negatively impact nerve and muscle function, causing muscle cramps and weakness. Back then, I was cramping up all the time!"
"I adjusted my diet to incorporate a moderate amount of sodium. Not only did this help reduce the occurrence of muscle cramps, but it also made dieting more manageable by adding more flavor to my food."
Counting all calories equal:
"My first 'diet' consisted mainly of highly processed foods like crackers, deli meats, frozen entrees and sugar-laden yogurt, cereal and protein bars. At the time, I believed that 'all calories [were] created equal,' and as long as I counted every calorie, I would achieve the look I was after. Even though I maintained a strict daily calorie intake and worked out regularly, I was skinny fat."
"I ditched the processed foods for whole foods. I replaced sugary foods with slower-digesting complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice and fibrous veggies; increased my intake of lean proteins; and incorporated healthy fats in the form of nuts and salmon. Within a few months of switching, I began to see drastic changes in my physique, losing more fat while building lean muscle."
TIP: "When choosing foods for your diet, select items in their most natural form. Typically, most healthy unprocessed foods tend to be located around the perimeter of the grocery store (i.e., fruits and vegetable section, and seafood and meat counter). And as a rule of thumb when buying packaged foods, steer clear of items that have a long list of ingredients, and those with 'low fat,' 'fat-free' and 'sugar-free' claims on their labels."
Allowing yourself to make changes to your diet plan once you reach your goal:
"My first diet was very long and challenging. After I had finally reached my weight-loss goals, I made the mistake of overindulging in non-diet foods - and it showed! The problem was, I no longer had a structured plan, so I ate whatever and whenever I wanted."
"I decided to put together an off-season meal plan that allowed for one or two cheat meals per week, and I stuck to it. I was still able to eat the foods I loved, but in moderation. This not only spurred huge improvements in my physique, it also taught me how to live a healthy, balanced life." This is so important. When you reach your weight loss goals you cannot throw all your hard work out the window. That is why I encourage my customers to choose a fitness program and meal plan that is comfortable for them that they can do forever.
I also sat down the week before my program was over and thought about the meals that I wanted to do once my program was over. I had the meal plans ready to go even before I finished. That way there was no excuses for me not to continue this healthy lifestyle.
Eating Non Diet Foods while Dieting:
When you are following a specific plan it's important to count every little single extra thing that you eat. That includes the bite of cake here and the handful of pretzels there. When it comes to getting an accurate measure of your progress it's important to know that every little thing counts.
Fix: It's all about moderation. So you don't want to feel deprieved but you don't want to go all haywire either. So work that cheat meal into your diet. Plan it out and write it in the plan each week. You have to make the decision between eating cake at your son's birthday party and having dessert at your girls night out. These are all legitimate decisions and it's important that you decide what takes priority to you. Also, say you schedule your cheat meal and then you go and splurge on Monday night and have pizza. Well that doesn't mean you still get your cheat meal at your son's birthday party. Now you made the choice to splurge else where so you have to pass up the cheat that was originally planned. Does that make sense??
Remember it's all about moderation.
Insufficient Carbs:
"I believed that in order to lose weight, I had to drastically cut down on carbs - to the point that I almost didn't have any in my diet. I ended up looking way too lean, because I didn't realize that eating too few carbs forces the body into starvation mode, and muscles begin to burn their own protein for energy."
Fix: So it's really important to make sure that you have sufficient good carbs in your diet. You will know when you don't because you will be hungry, light headed and not getting the results that you would like. So when deciding what carbs to put in your diet my suggestion is to go with whole grain carbs such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal. I stay away from any simple carbs or processed breads.
Extra Bites of Clean Food:
Even when clean eating there is such a thing as having too much clean foods. I sometimes get in the mind set that just because it's clean I can have an extra serving here and there. But there is the ability to have too much of a good thing. This will also cause you to stall out on your weight loss progress.
So forget those extra servings of sweet potato or the extra serving of green beans because yes it will stall out your progress!
Fix: The best way to keep your hunger in check is to make sure you are drinking enough water each day. So you want to aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces each day. Also, chewing on some sugar free flavored gum or sipping on green tea will stave off hunger until your next scheduled meal. It's ok to be a little hungry, that is totally normal!
Skipping Meals:
Skipping meals is easy to do when you are busy and short on time. But it's also the thing that can derail your progress pretty quickly. A lot of times we think it's a bonus if we skip a snack or a meal that we will lose weight quicker but in reality what happens is that your metabolism slows down your energy level plummets you get tired and end up binging because you are hungry.
Fix: Set the timer on your phone. It will remind you when you are due for your next meal or snack. Then there is no excuse to miss that meal! It will keep your metabolism stoked your fire burning and the weight loss on track. It will also keep your hunger in check and you will be amazed at how much you can eat when the food quality is good!
I hope these tips help you stay on track with your health and fitness goals.
If you would like to learn more tips just like this then join my 12 week health and fitness program where I help you to plan your meals, pair your foods, choose a workout program to meet your needs and then hold you accountable to the plan we decide upon! Don't make another excuse because now is your time and I am here to support you!
Renee
Smith
Independent
Diamond BeachBody Coach
