So many people, make so many weight loss mistakes everyday, and they don’t even know it.
If you clicked on this article, then it means you belong in that group — you either tried to lose weight before, or you’re just starting out. I’m going to teach you how to effectively lose weight. ANYONE could go through a body transformation, if they just knew the mistakes that keep them from achieving it.
Here are the 9 main mistakes, that ruin your weight loss journey.
#1: Focusing only on different diets.
You have heard all about different diets like Keto, Low-carb, or Vegan.
This is all bullshit, you’re not going to lose weight just by changing up the foods you eat. You will quickly give up, because it’s too hard to follow, and you will barely get any results. You should definitely cut out some foods, but implementing a diet is too much.
Don’t bother with this, instead focus on your calories.
#2: Not counting their calories.
Unless you specifically count your every single calorie, you have no idea how much you really eat.
Check every gram of food you eat (including things like butter, oil), and see how much you really eat. You might think you eat enough to lose weight, just to find out a month later your scale hasn’t moved. Do it for at least 3 months, that should give you a general idea for a longer time.
This way, you will be aware of how much you really have to eat.
#3: Relying solely on exercise.
You don’t actually burn that many calories through exercise.
An hour of intense running would be only 500 calories for an average person, that’s like 3 donuts worth of calories. Not only that, but you will be more hungry after intense exercise, so you are more likely to cheat on your diet. Focus mainly on your calorie intake instead.
Exercise should only be treated as a tool, a supplement for weight loss.
#4: Not eating enough protein.
In order to minimize muscle loss, and maximize fat loss instead, you have to eat a lot of protein.
If you don’t, then lots of the weight you end up losing, even if you ate in a calorie deficit lower than 500, will be muscle. You will end up looking weak and scrawny, and you don’t want that. Aim to eat 1.6g — 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. It might seem like a lot, but you will get used to it.
This way, you will actually look good and be healthy after completing your weight loss journey.
#5: Eating too LITTLE.
I’m not gonna talk about eating too much, everyone knows about it, a problem many people don’t know about, is eating too little.
When you eat in a calorie deficit too big, most of the weight you lose will not be fat, but muscle, and you might also get loose skin afterwards. Aim for a 500 calorie deficit instead — for example if your body burns 2500 calories a day, you need to eat 2000 to lose weight properly.
It will be longer, but it will be easier, and more effective.
#6: Thinking all calories are the same.
NOT ALL CALORIES ARE THE SAME.
100g of chicken breast, is NOT the same thing as 100g of cereal.
“Oh, but I still hit my macros so it’s ok if I eat my ice-cream”, NO IT’S NOT.
There have been studies made to show the effect of the foods we eat on our weight loss, and they showed that people who ate mainly protein and fat, would lose much more weight than people who mainly ate simple carbs and junk food, EVEN if they were on the same calorie deficit. Now, I might seem hypocritical, because I said you shouldn’t follow a diet, but what I mean by this is to just cut out the junk food, all the sugars, and replace them with better, healthier foods.
#7: Not drinking enough water.
Hydration is extremely important when it comes to weight loss.
You’re dehydrated right now, and you don’t even know it. In order to maximize the weight loss results, drink lots of water every single day. Aim for at least 3l of water everyday, and DON’T just drink tap water, it’s dirty and unhealthy — either get a filter, or just buy mineral water from your local store.
Drink plenty, and losing weight won’t be so hard anymore.
#8: Eating cheat meals.
Cheat meals, or cheat days are ruining your progress.
Let’s do some math, you eat on 500 calorie deficit for 5 days a week, and then 500 calorie surplus on weekends. 2500–1000 = 1500. If you however sticked to your diet every single day, this number would instead be 3500, that’s almost 2.5 times faster progress. Think about it, why would you reward yourself for following your diet, by DESTROYING your progress afterwards???
Cut out the cheat meals, you have to make some sacrifices.
#9: Expecting quick results.
Lastly, do NOT expect weight loss to be quick and easy.
It takes time, you have been eating incorrectly for so long, so why would you expect to fix this in a short period of time? Weight loss is a slow journey, if you ate on 500 calorie deficit, you should expect to lose 2kg a month, but you might still make some mistakes, which will take your motivation away. You HAVE to be patient.
Remember this though, the time will pass anyway, and you will only be left with the consequences of your actions.
So, to recap, here are the 9 biggest mistakes people make that prevent them from losing weight:
- Focusing only on different diets,
- Not counting their calories,
- Relying solely on exercise,
- Not eating enough protein,
- Eating too LITTLE,
- Thinking all calories are the same,
- Not drinking enough water,
- Eating too many cheat meals,
- Expecting quick results,
Remember, take it slow and easy, weight loss is a long journey, so make it as enjoyable as you can. You got this.
Thank you for reading this article, you can find more Self-Improvement topics on my page.
