Losing weight is an uphill battle that requires patience, determination, and the right tools. Are you wondering what the heck you’re doing wrong on your weight loss journey? Here are some things you might be doing that are hindering you from reaching your goal.
Mistake 1: Getting Rid of Certain Food Groups
If your diet prevents you from eating a particular food group, it’s time to move on from that diet. Avoid removing any complete food groups from your diet, such as protein, carbohydrates, or fat. Vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants are all found in these foods, making them a must-have in your diet. Instead, focus on portion control.
Mistake 2: Drinking Your Calories
Sugary fruit juices, soda, calorie-dense smoothies, and meal replacement drinks may be to blame for your lack of weight loss. Just because you aren’t chewing food doesn’t mean the calories don’t count. A can of coke, for example, has 150 calories and 39 grams of sugar, and when combined with a couple of slices of pizza, you can easily consume over 750 calories in just one meal.
Water is always the best option for staying hydrated, and it can also help you control your appetite and recognise your hunger cues.
Mistake 3: Not Meal Prepping
Making your meals ahead of time by planning and preparing them will provide you with a significant weight-loss advantage. Think about it; less stress, more time with family, and delicious meals every day of the week. That’s meal prep!
Prepping your meals ahead of time ensures that what you eat every day is delicious, nutritional fare and something that supports a healthy lifestyle every day.
Spend 1-2 hours in the kitchen a few times a week prepping your food, and you’ll have delicious, nutrient-dense food ready for every weekday meal. Giving in to cravings or throwing together a quick meal because you don’t have time to cook are both ways to derail a weight loss plan.
Meal prep is also a cost-effective way to lose weight and enjoy your food at the same time. Make the recipes and store the meals in airtight containers in the fridge. Then, when hunger hits, you will be prepared!
Mistake 4: Not Practicing Mindful Eating
You may believe you’re watching what you eat, but research shows that bites and tastes here and there can add up to a few hundred calories that aren’t accounted for, causing you to gain weight quickly.
Eating while distracted can also lead to mindless eating. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, when women who normally watch their portions ate lunch in different situations, they ate 15% more than when they ate alone and without distractions. Avoid eating when your mind’s elsewhere and eliminate unnecessary distractions (turn off the TV, set aside the book, etc.).
Mistake 5: Believing Exercise is a Cure-All
Isn’t it as simple as calorie in, calorie out (CICO) to lose weight? Not at all. You can’t eat a cheeseburger and fries every night just because you run on the treadmill for an hour every day.
The CICO diet only works if you consume fewer calories than you burn, but most people don’t know how many calories they’re consuming, especially when eating unhealthy foods. The chances of you eating unhealthily and outside of your calorie count is much higher than you exercising enough to lose all the calories every day. While exercise is a tremendous help, it must be paired with a healthy diet to work.
Consume high-quality calories from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats instead. This way, you won’t have to commit to long hours at the gym, and even a short workout will help you lose weight, instead of working to burn the calories you consumed that day.
Mistake 6: Not Lifting Weights
Performing resistance training can greatly promote weight loss. Lifting weights has been shown in studies to be one of the most effective ways to gain muscle and increase metabolic rate. It also enhances strength and physical function, and it may aid in the reduction of belly fat.
Mistake 7: Not Sleeping Enough
In order to lose weight, you must get enough sleep. Sleeping for less than 6 to 8 hours per day can sabotage your weight loss efforts. People who don’t get enough sleep have a slower metabolism than those who get enough sleep each night.
Medical Weight-Loss Program in Fort Worth, TX
To bring your weight loss goals to fruition the healthy and sustainable way, enlist the help of our team here at Z-Spa at Texas Medical Institute. Through our Medical Weight-Loss Management Program, we have helped thousands of men and women in Fort Worth and beyond lose weight and keep it off for good.
If you would like to find out more about our weight-loss program or the other services we offer, call us at (817) 615-8633. To schedule a consultation with our weight-loss physician, fill out this appointment request form.
