Common Weight Loss Mistakes

Weight loss is a priority to almost every person I talk to. It is a huge business and one walk through the grocery store can leave anyone exhausted and confused as to what the best "product" is that they should be consuming. Followers of the latest diet trend or "fad" diet are referred to as being in different "camps" and in my opinion, seem more like cults than people who are focused on their health.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose some extra (or many extra) pounds if the desire is coming from a place of healthy intention. With my clients, I prioritize building new habits, not rules and meal plans that are usually not followed for the long term. There is some restriction in building new habits, that's just the way it is. There should not be so many rules, however, that eating is hard or stressful. I want my clients to not need me forever. I want to educate and help people enjoy their relationship with food, so that they can finally let go of fear and anxiety over what they are eating and their bodies.

There are a few mistakes that I see often that are holding people back from accomplishing their weight loss goals. Take a look and see if any of these apply to you. If they do, it may be useful to take a step back and make some intentional changes to the way you are approaching your goals in order to maintain them for the long-term.

1. Not taking the time to find your "why" and coming from a place of negativity and self-doubt.

The most important work with weight loss is the reason you want to lose weight in the first place. This gets overlooked all the time. What are your beliefs around weight and food? What was the attitude around food, weight, and eating in your home growing up? Are you engaging in negative self-talk, and if so, why?

It is important to come from a healthy emotional place before we try to decide what to eat and why.

2. Overeating out of fear of being hungry.

So... you just finished lunch and you are not overly full, just satisfied. Just right. Then you eat a piece of cheese, some nuts, and a cup of cottage cheese for "extra protein" just in case you feel like snacking before dinner. Sound familiar? If it does, this is a weight loss mistake, and it is coming from a place of fear. Fear of not being able to eat when you are hungry.

I am big on educating clients about quality food choices and listening to your body's hunger signals. Constant hunger is more often than not a side effect of metabolic dysfunction and can usually be corrected by food choices. Once proper food choices are learned and practiced, hunger regulates itself within the body, and hunger cues become more subtle and intuitive. I teach my clients that they do not have to eat on a schedule. Calories do not have to be the same every day. Learning where you feel best and how to listen to your body eliminates this fear and eating can finally be enjoyable again. It's okay to eat a snack when you are hungry, I promise.

3. Overeating to hit a macronutrient goal.

Tracking food can be eye-opening and an extremely useful tool in weight management and also with certain therapeutic diets. If used incorrectly, if can also become a source of obsession, restriction, and even overeating.

I have done this one! I remember the first time I tried a ketogenic diet. I used an app with a little pie chart that showed my macronutrient percentages. I did not know that these percentages had flexibility, and I found myself eating more when I wasn't even hungry to "hit the mark". I have since learned otherwise, and a ketogenic style of eating has become a tool I can easily use when I feel like it with almost no planning or tracking at all. There is a learning curve with most things, and this was one that caused me to make mistakes and overcomplicate what I was doing.

If food tracking works for you, that is great! It is important to have at least a baseline knowledge of what you are taking in so that you can make adjustments that work for you. Just be aware, food tracking and macronutrients are not a guide for perfection, and you should never eat more if you are not hungry just to reach a percentage on an application or a calculation on paper. They are guidelines, not rules.

Weight loss is a journey, and every individual has a unique path to follow. If you have further questions, please reach out.

Prioritize your health!