One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight. But we are already in the final stretch of February and it may still you have not removed the extra kilos of Christmas.
That could be happening? There are several possible reasons why you are doing your diet wrong. In an article collected by The Sunthe nutritionist Sarah Bockhart give some keys.
You are eating little protein
When we start a new diet, we think about eating less. “This can be a good starting point if you’re cutting back on portion sizes, but a common mistake people make is eliminate certain food groups“, dice Bockhart.
“Many people also start new exercise routines when they are trying to lose weight, but they fail to change their nutrition to support their increased activity,” he continues.
“Protein is key to supporting our muscles when we exercise and it also fills us up, which means it supports our energy levels for a long time, keeping us from wanting to consume more. Foods high in unprocessed protein include things like chicken breast, chicken, turkey, steak, eggs, nuts, cheese, cottage cheese and tofu“, says the nutritionist.
“Instead of cutting back on these foods, increases the amount of protein you’re eating and this should keep you from feeling hungry while helping your body lose weight and gain muscle.”
diet traps
“Achieving a calorie deficit (consuming fewer calories than you use in a day) is key to losing weight, but the way we do it may affect whether we are able to sustain it“, dice Bockhart.
“Eating nutritious food, and plenty of it, is key to filling us up, as it keeps our bodies happy. If you’re counting calories but struggling to lose weight, chances are choose to get your calories from low-quality foods little or no nutrition,” he continues.
“Take-out food and processed foods (chips, cereal bars or diet bars, processed meats) can fit into your calorie countbut they won’t make your body happy,” says Bockhart.
“When we consume a balance of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats Along with a wide variety of these foods, we improve our gut bacteria and general health and mental well-being,” he insists.
“Research has shown that achieving a caloric deficit by eating highly nutrient-dense foods rather than achieving a caloric deficit by eating ultra-processed foods, not only helps us achieve more effective weight loss, but it also helps us not to recover it in the long term. Don’t know where to start? Stick to a meal plan or try cooking from scratch more often,” says the nutritionist.
Your exercise is “all or nothing”
“Increasing your weekly exercise is a great way to help you lose weight and improve your health. Exercise not only improves your chances of achieving a calorie deficit, that you burn more calories during 24 hours, it also increases your feel-good hormones, lowers your stress levels, and makes you more likely to be motivated to make healthier food choices,” says Bockhart.
“That said, a big mistake you could be making is that you’re in an ‘all or nothing’ pattern with your exercise. If your new exercise regimen consists of working out for an hour or more, and going as hard and fast as you can for those 60 minutes, and then you do nothing for the next two days, then your long workouts are likely they’re doing you more harm than good,” he says.
“Long and difficult workouts can leave us extremely hungry and more likely to eat later in the day.. They also leave our bodies extremely tired. and with the need to rest, which means that we move a lot less during the days that follow,” he continues.
“While you can burn a large number of calories in one long, intense session, if you continue with two days without exercise afterward, you’re much less likely to experience the positive benefits and encouraging weight loss from a more regular movement,” says the nutritionist.
“Opt for trainings shorter, more oftenand try to include more general movements in your day, such as walking or simply not sitting for long periods of time,” he says.
you’re not getting enough sleep
“Not resting enough it could be holding back your weight loss. If we don’t get enough sleep, that wreaks havoc on our health and can make it very difficult for us to lose weight,” says Sarah Bockhart.
“Fatigue has a very negative impact on the decisions we make, doing things like increasing our urge to snack, increasing our cravings for high-calorie foods, reducing our motivation to exercise, increase our stress levels (which can reduce our ability to burn fat) or affect our mood (making us less likely to make healthy choices),” she says.
“Do you want to lose weight? Prioritize your sleep. Try to get at least seven hours a night, but aim for eight if you can,” says Bockhart.
you are losing muscle
“This is probably one of the reasons you haven’t considered, but losing muscle mass can prevent us from losing weight. When we have healthy muscles, our body uses more energy throughout the day to keep those muscles well-fed and cared for, which uses more calories,” Bockhart explains.
“If we don’t work to preserve our muscle mass, we can lose 3-8% of our muscle per decade we age. That may not sound like a lot, but lose strength and mass in our muscles can prevent us from reaching our calorie deficit goals,” says the nutritionist.
“Prevent this decline in muscle mass by integrating strength training into your exercise regimen. Regular strength training (using weights while exercising) helps keep muscles strong and researchers found that regular resistance exercisers lose more body fat than non-resistance exercisers,” he concludes.
You don’t know why you’re dieting
“Are you trying to lose weight…why? If you can’t answer that question right away, you probably that’s why you’re not doing it”Bockhart muses.
“We are often bombarded with messages that convince us that we need to lose weight, ‘new year weight loss’, ‘summer weight loss’, ‘go down a dress size’. We see these messages so often that we are convinced that we need to lose weight, even though we don’t know whyexposes the expert.
“Take a second and ask yourself why and write it down. Is it to improve their health? Improve your confidence? Make it easier for you to play with your kids? Whatever it is, remember it and use it to motivate you. If you don’t have a reason, then maybe you should reconsider whether you really need to embark on this weight loss journey,” he concludes.