Not hitting your weight loss goals? These 2 culprits might be the reason.
Okay, so you are doing the right things — exercising a couple of times a week and trying to eat healthier — but it doesn’t seem to be working. You are still not seeing the results you want. It's both frustrating and discouraging.
So what are you doing wrong?
There could be many things that are hindering your progress. But here are two common culprits along with some ideas on how you can fix them and stop sabotaging your weight loss. But before we jump to that, let’s cover the most basic weight loss rule.
We know that in order to lose weight you have to have a calorie deficit. You have to eat less calories than you expend. Granted, there are a few factors that may influence this process a bit (genetics, medical condition, stress levels) but the bottom line remains the same: if you eat more than what you use, your body will store the surplus as fat.
Keeping this simple information in mind, there are a couple of actions we can take that are easy yet effective. Forget about what diet to follow, macronutrient ratios or what supplements to take. Instead consider these two pitfalls that challenge weight loss goals, and address them first.
PITFALL #1: YOU ARE EATING WAY MORE THAN YOU THINK.
The reality is that most people eat more than they should and often have no idea they are doing so. Why?
There is a lack of awareness. Our portions are out of whack. We don’t really know so we estimate.
We also tend to forget about things we ate. Do you remember what you had for breakfast? Did you add ketchup to your eggs? What about the peanut butter you added to your toast? What about those delicious toppings on your salad, the cheese, croutons, bacon bits?
The ‘Halo Effect’ of food. Just because a food is labelled as ‘healthy’ it doesn’t mean it is low calorie. Yet because of the halo effect on food people tend to overdo protein shakes, granola, flavored yogurts, gluten-free anything, nuts and nuts butters, oils of any kind. Sure olive oil is good for you but it doesn’t mean you have to go crazy with it. 1 tbsp of olive oil is about 120 calories. Think about that. Portion control is as important regardless of what you are eating.
What can you do?
Track your calories and be as accurate as possible. Use a journal or an app to track your food. It can be difficult at first to remember to track your meals, or find the actual food you were eating. But do this for a short period of time until it becomes second nature, and you’ll find you often eat the same things so entering your meals will become easier.
Do not keep snacks around you — especially if you are working or watching tv. That leads to mindless eating. Say you keep a cup of almonds with you by your desk and you munch on them throughout the day, do you know how much you are eating? Take a guess. If you finish your cup of almonds then add 600 calories to your day.
Read the nutrition labels, starting from the top. Are you eating just one portion? It's amazing how often we look at the calorie count on a label without looking at the serving size. 120 calories for those potato chips seems like nothing until you realize they consider 10 chips a serving size. Again, awareness is key.
PITFALL #2: YOU ARE LIVING A SEDENTARY LIFE.
Sure, you might work out a couple of times per week for 30 minutes. But what really matters is what you do the rest of the day. While exercise offers incredible benefits for body and mind, you might be giving it more credit on weight loss than it is due. For example, an intense 30 minute workout might burn roughly between 200-300 calories. To put that in perspective, that is the equivalent of ½ cup of ice cream OR 5 crackers with cheese OR 9 oz of wine. So, that ‘pint on the patio’ you earned? Not helping.
Research shows that the most effective way to increase your energy expenditure is by moving more while doing everyday activities. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (aka NEAT) is the terminology for all of your ‘non purposeful movement’ while you are awake and not eating. Because NEAT activity is performed during the largest chunk of your day, it makes sense that you can make a greater impact in calorie expenditure in that 8-10 hr window than you can in a 30-minute occasional workout.
So here are some neat ideas to move more:
Get up from your chair every hour. Can’t remember to get up, here’s a pro tip: drink lots of water and nature will remind you to get up and move.
Dance it out. Play some music while you are cooking and bust a move.
Do you have stairs? Pick up the clutter from around your house in a laundry basket and then walk up and down the stairs while putting stuff in their place
Working from home? Put in your ear buds and take that next conference call while walking around the block. You’ll get twice the value from that time block.
It’s relatively easy to add movement into our day; it just takes a bit of creativity and out of the box thinking. And don’t forget, diet and movement go hand in hand when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.