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Losing weight is hard. Trust me, I get it. While I did eventually hit my weight loss goals, it took decades of trial and error. Which is why I’m trying to so hard to share all that I’ve learned through this blog so that other people can lose weight without it taking decades!
Since I was a teenager (and prior to my weight loss), I would constantly gain and lose the same 20 pounds. It was infuriating! I could never understand why I would lose a tiny bit of weight and then it would simply halt. It felt like no matter what I did the weight would creep back on within a few weeks. And every time it was upsetting and demotivating. As a result, I would get so fed up that I would quit and go back to my old unhealthy habits.
But eventually I learned what it was that I was doing that was stopping me from achieving my health goals. So now I’m sharing my errors with you! Read below to see if you’re making any of these mistakes that slow weight loss.
You’re Not Burning As Many Calories As You Think
I used to be terrible for thinking I was burning more calories than I actually was. I just had no idea how many calories I was burning during an activity. I would exercise or go for a walk and I would overestimate how many calories I had burned. Or I would follow the myth that as long as I got a certain amount of steps in each day then that would be enough to be regularly losing weight. The truth is you need to be doing more than 10000 steps to lose serious weight.
The best way to make sure that you are burning enough calories to hit your weight loss goals is to wear an activity/fitness tracker. I’ve tried a few activity trackers over the years and I’m currently obsessed with the Garmin 245:
An activity tracker will let you know exactly how many calories you’re burning each day. This way you’ll know for certain if you’re being physically active enough to hit your weight loss goals.
You’re Consuming More Calories Than You Realize
Knowing how many calories you’re actually consuming in a day can be really challenging. Most people have no idea how many calories are in a tablespoon of peanut butter, an avocado or condiments, let alone a burger, pasta serving or restaurant salad. As a result, it’s easy to think that you’re eating healthier than you really are.
The best way to avoid eating more calories than you intend is to use a food tracker. I personally recommend using My Fitness Pal for tracking your food intake. I’ve been using it on and off for years. It has helped me learn about calories and food tracking to the point that I’m able to do a lot of the calorie tracking in my head now.
Use a food tracker (or even a simple journal) and begin to learn the calorie values of your favorite foods. When you learn how to track what you are eating, the easier losing weight will become.
You’re Not Drinking Enough Water
So many people undervalue the role that water plays in weight loss. One of the number one reasons that water is beneficial to weight loss is because it is a natural appetite suppressant. Drinking a glass of water before a meal has been shown to reduce the amount of calories a person later eats.
Drinking water instead of a sugary drink will also reduce your calorie intake and help with weight loss. Think water is boring? Try infusing your water with fruit or herbs. Here’s some water inspiration:
You’re Not Eating Enough
You’re probably like, what? Not eating enough? But it’s true. Your body needs a certain amount of calories a day to be consistently losing weight. Otherwise, your body goes into starvation mode which will trigger a weight loss plateau. I talk about different ways to handle a weight loss plateau in this post, and one of those ways is to make sure you are eating enough. Want to make sure you are eating enough? Check out this calorie counter!
You’re Not Following A Plan
Everyone has heard the saying, “fail to plan, plan to fail”. Well, this is especially true when it comes to losing weight. The only times I’ve successfully lost weight was when I was following a fitness and nutrition plan. If you’re just winging it in the gym and in the kitchen then your chances of hitting your weight loss goals are slim. You need to be following some sort of plan if you want to lose weight. These are the plans that I have personally done to lose weight and keep it off:
You’re Not Building Muscle
Building muscle is important because it is what will increase your metabolism. When your muscle mass begins to increase, your metabolism increases as well. And this is great for burning calories and weight loss!
That is why it’s important to add strength training to your fitness routine. You don’t have to be lifting super heavy (although lifting heavy is awesome!) but you do have to be challenging your muscles. The more you strength train, the faster you’ll find yourself losing weight.
You’re Drinking Your Calories
This point is a big one. Too often people are exercising regularly and eating fairly healthy but still aren’t losing the weight they want. If this is happening to you, take a look to see if your beverages could be the culprit.
Juices, sodas, and alcohol will all contribute to unwanted weight gain or a weight loss plateau. While some people may be used to using portion control when it comes to food, very few people measure out their beverages. As a result, it’s easy to consume way more than a serving size with one drink. Often times women think they are consuming an 80 calorie glass of wine when in reality they’ve poured over 160 calories into their glass. The best way to reduce these calories is to replace them with a zero calorie option, and reduce your overall alcohol intake.
What are your biggest challenges when it comes to weight loss? Share with me in the comments!
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