Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight.
Mistake #1 No Cardio
We all know that cardio plays an important role in losing weight, since it burns additional calories and turns our body into a fat burning machine. Yet most people don’t perform a single cardio session! Instead of sitting on you’re a$$ all day watching reality TV shows, get up and move around. Don’t worry if you don’t own a treadmill; you can get a great cardio workout in your living room by implementing some very basic exercises such as, jump squats, pushups, jumping jacks, leg raises and so on. You could even buy a jump rope if you want and jump rope in your living room. You could literally turn your living room into a virtual gym! If the weather’s nice, let’s not forget about running outdoors either. All you really need to get an effective cardio session in is 20 minutes of your time, yourself, and motivation!
Mistake #2 Too Strict
I see this all the time. People will go on ridiculously strict diets, stay on them for a while, start seeing results, and then slip back to square one! “But Drew, how does following a strict diet result in weight loss failure?” Because of the munchies! That’s right, when you follow extremely strict diets for very long periods of time, I don’t care how much willpower you say you have, you’re going to eventually binge. And when you do, it’s back to square one baby! Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get the point. And keep in mind, when I talk about binging, I’m not talking about having a cheat meal, that’s a totally different story. Binging is eating anything and everything unhealthy you can find in your house (or wherever you are). Trust me, I’ve been there. When I binge, it’s often a trip to steak & shake for the fattiest, greasiest, quadruple cheeseburger with fries, cheese sauce and a double chocolate shake. You get the picture. This is why I recommend eating a balanced diet. Sure you have to eat your whole grains and lean protein, but you can throw in some cheesecake every now and then! And don’t forget about my favorite, a double hot fudge sundae. As long as we eat includes these splurges in our diet in a moderate and n a balanced manner, we should still be able to lose weight. Keep in mind; losing weight does not occur because of a certain food we eat, but because of a reduction in calories. That’s it! So just reduce the quantity of the food you’re eating and you will see the same results as if you were eating an extremely healthy diet.
Mistake #3 Not Enough Fat
Seriously, what is with the whole ‘low fat diet’ fad? We should know by now that fat is not the enemy, and in fact, it is absolutely crucial to include in our diets if we want to lose weight. Ever since the 1970’s and all the studies done on fat and heart disease, everyone has had what I call ‘fat phobia’. Of course, the government and mainstream media don’t help, since they just continue to perpetuate the myth that fat will kill you! Fat will not kill you. In fact, numerous studies will result in a longer lifespan! Now you might be wondering, why will a low fat diet lead to no fat loss? Well, technically we could eat a low fat diet and still lose weight, since all we really need to lose weight is a caloric deficit. Nevertheless, keeping our macronutrient breakdown at about 20% fat will result in healthy weight loss without the hunger cravings. In addition, fat boosts our mood as well! Avoid these 3 common weight loss mistakes and you will be well on your way to achieving the body composition and physique you desire. Featured photo credit: Fit exercising woman lifting weights via Shutterstock
