1. Setting Unrealistic Goals
Setting your weight loss goals is an effective way to motivate yourself and measure your performance. By being clear about what you want to achieve at the end of your weight loss journey, you can implement effective routines that help you achieve your goals. However, most people set improbable goals that are difficult to achieve. This leads to frustrations, and you may abandon your weight loss quest. Be sure to start with small actionable goals for your first week, then progress as time goes by. For instance, you could start by aiming to lose at least one or two-pound every week.
2. Sticking to the Same Workout Routine
Exercising plays a crucial role in losing body weight. However, engaging in the same workout routine repeatedly conditions the body to stay comfortable. This means that your body will not work hard to build muscles or burn those extra calories.
Alternate your workouts and dedicate time to strength and cardio training, muscle training, and weightlifting. You could consider incorporating intervals into your training routine to burn more calories within the shortest time possible. According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, indulging in a short burst of an intense workout could help you burn up to 36% more fat and calories.
Do not forget to dedicate more time to weightlifting. This helps you get rid of extra fat and increase your muscle mass. Since muscles are metabolically active, you can lose excess fat and calories even when not exercising. Check out steelsupplements.com for healthy supplements to keep you energized throughout your exercise sessions.
3. Skipping Meals
Some people opt to lose weight by skipping some of the day’s meals. Most argue that the fewer meals you consume in a day, the lower your calorie-intake. However, skipping meals makes you miss out on essential nutrient intake and slows down your body’s metabolism. You may end up snacking more or overeating during an actual meal, leading to weight gain. Instead of skipping meals to reduce calorie intake, you should consume four to five controlled meals packed with essential nutrients during the day,
4. Eating Too Few Calories
Reducing your calorie intake is a crucial step to losing weight, so you should work on burning more calories than you consume. However, this does not mean that you should avoid calories altogether. Having meager calories in your diet slows down metabolism and leads to muscle loss, which in turn causes bone loss, diabetes, and heart diseases. A low-calorie intake also makes you more hungry, increasing your chances of overeating, leading to weight gain.
5. Overeating Healthy Meals
Eating healthy food is one way to keep fit and lose extra fat, and you may assume a bigger portion will not hurt. However, healthy foods such as nuts, hummus, avocados, brown rice, and quinoa, to mention a few, still contain calories. This means the larger the serving, the more calories you are likely to consume, which leads to weight gain. You should always determine the calories in a single serving of healthy foods and stick to it to avoid excess weight.
6. Not Planning Your Meals.
Do you often find yourself ordering already prepared meals? While takeouts help you save meal preparation time, they may not be effective when losing weight. Meals from restaurants may contain lots of fats and calories, leading to adding extra weight. Consider planning your meals to control the ingredients you use and the portion size. Cooking your food at home will also allow the preparation of a balanced diet, facilitating weight loss and saving you the cost of ordering takeouts.
7. Not Drinking Enough Water
Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated can significantly speed up your weight loss quest. Over two-thirds of a healthy body consists of water. It also helps determine your overall weight and body mass. Failing to drink enough water makes your body stay dehydrated, which could lead to increased appetite and excessive calorie intake. Water deprivation also affects how fast the body gets rid of fat, slows down metabolism, and reduces energy levels. It is challenging to stay active with reduced energy levels as your body is continually tired, resulting in weight gain.
8. Failing to Eat Enough Fibers
Reducing sugar intake is crucial to your weight loss journey, but this does not mean you should cut out fruits and vegetables with too much sugar. Such fruits also contain high levels of fiber which is significant to losing weight. Fiber forms a gel that absorbs water and reduces your appetite. The fiber gel moves slowly through the digestive tract, making you feel full for longer.
Fiber also regulates your blood sugar levels and slows down fat absorption, leading to weight loss. Including fiber in your meals increases your chances of losing weight even without a restrictive diet plan. Some sources of soluble and insoluble fiber include nuts, peeled fruits, leafy vegetables, fruit skins, oatmeal, brown rice, and beans, to mention a few.
9. Failing to Get Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep leads to increased production of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, while reducing leptin, the fullness hormone, so you end up feeling more hungry, and as a result, you eat more, increasing your body weight. Sleep deprivation also triggers the increased secretion of cortisol hormone, which facilitates fat storage, and you end up craving high-fat and carbs foods.
To achieve your weight loss goals, be sure to have at least seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every day. If you often experience trouble sleeping, consider creating a bedtime routine and sticking to it.
Endnote
Losing weight does not have to be challenging and complicated. Familiarize yourself with these common mistakes and avoid them to help you achieve your weight loss goals quickly.