When it comes to losing weight sometimes people can go in the wrong direction, rather because they have no knowledge of how to do it or because they are just so desperate to lose weight that they go for the quick fixes.
However, there are a few rules to follow in order to lose weight the right way and forever. At first, when I started my weight loss journey I was doing the typical mistakes that most of you are doing today, the worst is that when I didn't saw the results that I wanted to see I started to be more hard on myself believing that I was not doing enough.
Sometimes I did lose weight but then I was gaining it all back or even more than what I had at first. Now after so many books, magazines, videos, and many more studies, I will share with you the basic weight loss mistakes that I learned and that I see a lot of you ladies are making too and how to fix them.
QUICK FIXES
Quick fixes are just that, a quick fix, they are not meant to be a forever change and they are mostly not healthy. These quick fixes are great for a last-minute special occasion but they can be very harmful to your body and your health on top of not being a sustainable solution for the long term.
Going slow is the best way to go, that way you are training yourself to have more dedication and to have more discipline, making it easy to stay with this lifestyle forever. Have fun, enjoy the process, journal as much as you can, and take photos, that way even though you are going slow, you can see that you are in fact making progress and stay motivated with this new journey.
NOT ENOUGH WATER
It is simple, the more water you drink the more weight you lose. Our bodies are about 80% water, so if you want your organs, cells, and body to work right you must keep your body hydrated. I know it is hard at first to remember to drink your water, and if that is your case, just like it was in mine, set alarms. I put an alarm and even downloaded a water ringtone to go on every two hours.
Put a bottle of water right next to your bed, so that way you can remember to hydrate as soon as you wake up. I also purchased some big water bottles ( 16 oz.) and I filled all four of them and put them outside my kitchen so that way I can remember to drink them and know how much water I have left to drink. You can also find a big jug on amazon (here is one for you) to make it easier and fun.
Be easy on this one, if you are not used to drinking lots of water, then try going little by little. Start by adding at least two more cups than what you originally had and then keep going up from day as the days pass on. Again, go slow, enjoy the progress and celebrate every step achieved.
DIET FOODS
Diet foods are sometimes worst than regular food. When the factories take the fat away from a meal they are also taking away the flavor, so for them to be able to compensate for that loss they have to add more sugars and artificial flavors on it. Oo in other words, low fat does not equal low sugar, These foods usually has a lot of artificial flavors, sugars, colors, chemicals, and a lot more of non-healthy ingredients.
Opt for fresh homemade meals and treats. Shop fresh and do it at home, it is not just more healthier but a lot cheaper too. If buying diet foods, please read the labels. If you can't spell it then don't buy it. Also look for how many ingredients there are, if it too many then leave it. Another thing to look for are unhealthy ingredients, that way if you see if it has sugars or how much it has, you can level that product on the shelve. You can check out my Arbonne website here to shoo the healthy and super clean nutrition products I live by.
LOW CALORIES MEALS
For your body to be able to work right, you need to consume the same amount of calories that you burn every day. People tend to go really low on calories when wanting to lose weight but this can actually make them gain some fat on their bodies because the body recognizes that it is not receiving enough calories so it stores what it has for any future use. Also, I have to mention that low calories can mean low nutrients and your body will not be healthy.
It is very important that we just don't go for low calories meals, but we go for nutrient dense ones. With this I have to say, that calories does not also means healthy. A meal can have calories but zero nutrients, so again, it is very important to look for nutrients. This is why people who eat salads don't lose weight. They have so little calories and so little nutrients that their bodies starve, store fat, and then start to feel tired, fatigue, dizzy and sick.
If making a salad go for lots of fruits and veggies, add the rainbow in there. When making a plate you must add a portion of protein, a portion of carbs and a portion of fats. If you need help on how much you need of each to meet your needs and goals you can purchase my personalized "Nutrition Guide".
SKIPPING MEALS
Skipping breakfast and snacks can actually make you gain weight instead of losing it. Like I mentioned before if your body doesn’t get what it needs to function properly it will store calories for future use. Not having the nutrients your body needs to work will make you feel tired, have fatigue, sadness, or even depression plus you can get sick. Breakfast and snacks are essential and they must be taken for you to be able to lose weight.
Things like protein does not stay in your body for a long time, which means that once you ate it, you have to consume more later on. This is why having three meals a day is important. When it comes to the snacks they are important because they help you stay full for longer, and help to avoid overeating at the time of your meal. So try to implementing your three meals and your snacks, but remember, baby steps.
EXCESS OF CARDIO
Lord help me when I see people only focusing on cardio, cardio burns fat but at the same time, it might be burning way too much calories and muscle mass. Muscle mass is what gives you stregnt, and gives you that lean look that we always love to see. Also, muscles helps to burn fat, even long after you finish your workout and while you sleep.
Opt for a mix of cardio and weight lifting on your weekly workout schedule. You can also do both in the same day, but make sure to always do weight lifting first and then do cardio, this is very important to maintaining your muscles.
EATING OUT
Eating fast foods can be a terrible idea when you are trying to lose weight even when it comes to ordering a salad. Salads do not have all the nutrients you need on every meal plus most of the fast foods salads are actually higher on calories than even a hamburger with a combo thanks to their insanely calories high dressings. Cook at home, take your lunches to work, and make a prep day to make the rest of the week easy on you.
