The Biggest Fat Loss Mistakes
There are so many things that you can do to help you lose weight - from eating a balanced and healthy diet to exercising regularly. Here are a few of the most prominent mistakes people make trying to lose weight.
Don't make it harder on yourself. Make it easier to lose weight. Here's how.
Mistake #1: Not being consistent
Cons inconsistency is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight. If you follow a diet or exercise program but start eating or exercising whatever you want and quitting halfway through, you will not be successful.
You need to be consistent with your plan for it to work. One way to get consistent is to surround yourself with others trying to accomplish the same thing. Get an accountability partner or workout buddy.
Mistake #2: Not tracking results
One huge mistake people make with fat loss is not tracking their results. Not only does this make it difficult to see any progress, but it can also lead to frustration and disappointment if the weight loss does not continue as planned.
You can avoid making these mistakes by keeping track of your weight, body composition, and fitness goals.
Try apps, journal, digital notepad, whatever. Find a way you can track progress, how you feel, what you eat, then use that data to review regularly. What gets measured gets improved.
Mistake #3: Not having a plan
Many people start their fat loss journey with the idea that they'll lose weight "naturally" as they go about their day-to-day lives. But this isn't always the best approach. A proper weight loss plan will help you healthily lose weight and keep the fat off for good.
Without a blueprint, knowing where to start and achieve your goals is impossible. A proper diet and exercise routine must be explicitly tailored to your individual needs, which means you must consider your age, sex, activity level, and more.
Without a plan, it's also challenging to stick to your goals. If you're not sure what you should be eating or how many calories you should be consuming each day, it's easy to fall off track. And if you're not working out regularly, it's virtually impossible to see any progress.
If you're serious about losing weight and keeping the fat off for good, invest in a weight loss plan from a professional trainer or nutritionist. They'll be able to provide you with specific instructions and help you reach your goals faster than ever before
Mistake #4 Giving up too soon
Giving up on your fat loss goals is one of the most common mistakes people make. It can be hard to stick to a diet and exercise regimen when you feel like you're not making any progress but don't give up on your fat loss goals yet. You may be making other mistakes that are sabotaging your efforts.
This is especially true if you're struggling with weight loss because you may be eating more than is necessary or not getting enough exercise. If you have trouble sticking to a diet, it's essential to address those issues before trying to lose more weight.
You may also lack motivation because you don't see immediate results. Try setting smaller goals that you can achieve over time and focus on regaining the weight you lost rather than trying to lose it all again. It can take a while for fat loss to happen, so don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight.
Finally, here are a few more fat loss principles to remember...
You can't out-train a bad diet.
You can't out-train a bad diet. Don't even try.
Nutrition is the single most important factor for weight loss. So get the junk food, processed food, and high-carb, high-sugar foods out of your diet. Don't buy them. Don't keep them in the house. Stop eating out.
Moving to a whole food way of eating has the largest affect on how your body looks and functions, and it will trump any other type of exercise you do when it comes to affecting your body composition.
Muscles have everything to do with fat loss and weight loss.
Muscles are a major player in fat loss and weight loss. Muscle burns energy, and more muscle mean your body will burn more calories even when resting. If you have more muscle, your body will require a higher level of calories to sustain it, which means you will burn more fat just by existing.
This effect is known as metabolic adaptation, and it's one of the reasons why many fad diets and quick weight loss programs are doomed to fail. People often lose weight early on because their bodies burn muscle and fat, which doesn't last. They'll plateau and often gain the weight back because they don't have a long-term strategy for building up their metabolism and keeping it high.
Cardio isn't magic for weight or fat loss.
Cardio isn't magic for weight or fat loss. Excessive cardio will burn muscle and lead to weight loss, but that's not good.
People often believe that the only way to lose fat is to burn more calories than they take in, and that's true. Excessive cardio, however, will cause your body to burn fewer calories, not more.
Instead of burning fat, you'll be burning muscle and other tissues that require more energy to sustain than fat does. This is a common problem for people attempting to lose weight quickly. They often think that more cardio is better, but it's not.
Conclusion
The biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight is focusing on the wrong things. They try to cut out all carbs and eat only protein, for example, or they deprive themselves of entire food groups to "clean up their diet." Each of these will bring you to a plateau in your results.
The key to sustained longterm weight loss is building a lifestyle that has a lean body as a byproduct of life.
So think long term and build those habits forever. Then fat loss will come naturally and it'll see easy.