Are you making these fat loss mistakes?
Losing weight is hard work. It is so easy to pile on the fat but getting rid of them is where the hard work begins. Over 69% of Nigerians have weight loss on their resolution list every new year, but sadly only about 10% achieve that goal by the end of the year.
It’s October and we are getting closer to the end of the year. How close did you come to attaining all the goals you set out this year, especially that of staying fit and losing weight?
If you are still struggling, perhaps you may be making some or all of these fat loss mistakes:
NOT EATING ENOUGH
When you are trying to lose weight, the first idea train you jump on is to eat less. Yes, humans burn fat by consuming fewer calories than they burn in a day but you need to approach this with caution. If you jump into dieting too drastically and cut too many calories from your daily intake, it can affect your overall health in ways you can’t imagine.
At first, you’ll feel tired, lose mental clarity and experience crankiness as your blood sugar falls low between meals. If you continue to cut more calories, your body will think you’re in starvation mode and hold on to fat stores to save you instead of metabolizing them.
The trick is to eat the right healthy meals in the right proportion. Get adequate protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Fad diets and massive calorie-cutting always have a way to affect your body negatively.
THE IN-BETWEEN MEAL SNACKING
We are besieged by a plethora of snacks everywhere we look. Most of these snacks are unhealthy and we sneak them in thinking they don’t count. Make no mistake, every bite of snack counts when it comes to fat loss or gain for that matter. If you are eating enough, chances are that you won’t have room in your stomach for extras.
In fact, research has it that often times thirst masquerades as hunger forcing you to eat more instead of satiating your thirst with water, which is by the way great for your health. So when next you find yourself craving some snack despite having eaten a robust and healthy meal, drink some water. If the craving continues, go for an apple.
NOT EXERCISING
This is probably an old wives’ tale to you but I’m here to say it again. Exercise is great for not just fat loss but a healthier you. There is much fuss at the moment about ‘keto’ diet and its many benefits and while the ketogenic formula works those that truly understand it knows that exercise has its place in ensuring that you firm up your body, improve the health of your heart and ward off many illnesses like breast cancer and heart diseases.
Create time at least three times weekly to do some form of exercise. Make it a mix of cardio, strength and core exercises to target every muscle in your body. If you’re short on time, how about incorporating High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into your schedule? With HIIT, 10-20 minutes might be all you’ll need for a good workout.
RIGHT FOOD, WRONG SAUCE
Perfect diets are ruined most of the time by a poor choice of sauce or dressing. Salad dressings, dips, and sauces are usually filled with calories, and when you’re hungry, you probably won’t gauge the amount you use.
A healthy salad can be ruined by a generous splatter of dressing, likewise the ruin of a perfectly grilled potato by a calorie-dense dip.
To deal with this, look for ‘light’ versions of your favourite dressings/sauces, they do exist. When you do eat out, it is best to avoid sauces altogether but if you must include it, ask for it on the side so that you can take just the right amount you need.
DRINKING NEEDLESS CALORIES
One of the easiest ways to accelerate fat loss is to cut out all sugary drinks from your diet. If you drink them a lot, just cutting them out without any change in your diet can cause you to drop body fat, perhaps even significantly.
Don’t allow your love for soft drinks and sugary juices steal your health or trap you in a body you don’t want.
Another big no-no is drinking sports drinks. They contain as much sugar as soft drinks, and the electrolytes they offer are minimal. The calories you get from these sugary drinks are much better off being consumed in the form of lean proteins, complex carbs, or healthy fats.
