5 Mistakes We Make when Trying to Lose Weight
Many people come to my practice with one huge (probably the wrong word there) request: lose that weight!!
Before I get into the 5 common mistakes, let me just get the following out. Humour me.
Whether it’s a few pounds people want to lose, or many a pound, the feelings and frustrations behind the request commonly have the same underlying theme -- I’m not happy with myself right now.
And that breaks my heart, because I know exactly what it’s like to feel that way. I’ve felt that way as a child, when my extra weight was a common kick-off point with bullies; I’ve felt that way as a teenager, when my underweight was a sign that I felt out of control, and I’ve felt that way as an adult, when coming to terms with myself was accompanied by fluctuations in my waistline, on both sides of the spectrum.
I wasn’t happy with myself, and my weight was a symptom of that. I didn’t truly get control of it until I accepted and loved myself, exactly as I was. And then balance came.
Look inward before thinking outward.
Being more content with yourself is the first step to any weight loss journey. Accepting yourself as is, regardless of the scale, and loving yourself is the first major step.
Breathe in, smile inward, and NOW don’t make the following 5 mistakes ;)
The 5 Common Mistakes We Make
1) We Skip Breakfast when we know we have blood sugar issues.
Many of us think that skipping breakfast is a) easy because we’re all in a rush in the morning, so it’s one less thing to do and b) an easy way to cut a meal out of the day.But it can mess up our blood sugar, especially if you're predisposed to blood sugar issues, impeding any weight loss goals. Breakfast is essential to jumpstart your body for the day.
What to do: Have breakfast at most 30 minutes after waking (after your lemon-water that you had when you woke up). Make sure breakfast includes protein, good fats, and some veggies (and only high fibre fruits like berries if you want fruit). A perfect example would be 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp. coconut oil, 1 cup raspberries and 1 cup spinach with ice and non-dairy milk. Or, a bulletproof coffee with MCT oil, grassfed butter and collagen protein powder.
2) We Eat Too Little Fat.
A very old trend that is embedded in many minds is that a low fat diet is the way to go for weight loss. It couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s an old trend that needs to kick the can. Good fat will not make you fat, and will actually help shed the pounds. You actually need proper fatty acids in your diet to boost your metabolism and shed old weight. Remember, I’m not talking about pizza and fried foods, etc., but good fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish. These fats will help provide energy, absorb and process the nutrients we consume and properly structure our cell membranes, one of our basic units of life.
What to do: Ensure each meal has some good fats (ex. handful of nuts or 1-2 tsp. of olive, avocado or flaxseed oil). Also, consider supplementing with an omega 3 fish oil, especially if you haven’t before.
3) We Eat Too Few Calories.
This is one is big. The typical dieter will forgo calories, and go hungry for the majority of their day. This is a SURE FIRE way to screw up your metabolism, yo-yo diet yourself, and make you a miserable human being. Think of it like this, if you’re body thinks it’s starving, the last thing it wants to do is give up any weight. It wants to conserve anything it’s got because who knows when a decent meal will come again.
What to do: Don’t count calories. Eat at regular intervals, and make sure your plate is mostly veggies, a palm-size of protein and a spoonful or two of fat. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t eat it. Bam.
4) We don’t address the stress-factor.
This one can be loosely tied to the point above. When the body is stressed, it doesn’t want to lose any ammunition it has (stored fat). Cortisol, the stress hormone, will ensure that the body holds on to as much fat as it can, particularly around the middle (the “tire” many women want to lose). You NEED to address your stressors and learn how to handle them in order to lose weight.
What to do: deep breathe as often as you can, meditate, see a therapist (always recommended for anyone in my opinion), and take some adrenal support supplements like a B-complex, magnesium and herbs like ashwagandha or rhodiola. Contact me here to learn which ones are right for you.
5) We eat too close to bedtime.
Sleep is for detoxifying and recharging your system, not digestion. If you eat too close to your zzz’s, your body’s energy will go to digesting and not recharging, and actually impair your sleep. Ever wake up with a “food hangover” when you’ve eaten too much before bed? One reason for that is your body didn’t have a proper sleep. Decreased sleep (including decreased sleep quality) increases your hunger hormones and decreases your “full” hormones. So basically, you eat more and you’re never full. Blah.
What to do: Stop eating 3 hours before bed.
Final THOUGHTS
A weight loss journey is both personal and admirable. But please, do it the healthy way. By avoiding these common mistakes, you will ensure safe, effective and lasting weight loss. Anything that causes you to drop a ton of weight really fast does not work in the long run, and can just cause metabolic havoc on your system.
But remember, before you start, or if you’re already on that journey, take a moment. Be content with yourself. Love yourself. Exactly as you are. The rest will come.
And like always, if I can be of help on that journey of yours, let me know.