Don’t sabotage yourself by making these weight loss blunders. Read on to find out more about mistakes I often see clients make, and how to avoid them.
Skipping breakfast to save calories.
Research has shown that people who skip breakfast tend to eat more later in the day, cancelling out whatever calories they saved at breakfast. Also, going long periods of time without eating can affect how your body handles the food you eat. Those who eat more later in the day tend to store more body fat and have less muscle.
Not eating enough protein.
Eating protein throughout the day will help you maintain muscle as you lose weight. Your goal should be fat loss, not just weight loss. Protein also makes you feel full longer. Simple protein foods to include are meat, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, nuts, or beans.
Eliminating entire categories of food (like carbohydrates).
Too many people believe they can’t eat carbohydrates. The problem with this mindset is if you eliminate carbs then you don’t have enough energy to train optimally. Exercising at a higher level will allow you to burn the necessary calories for fat loss. The harder you train, the more carbohydrates you actually need. High quality carbohydrate foods are fruits, whole grain breads, high-fiber cereals, & sweet potatoes.
Not paying attention to liquid calories.
As you are trying to lose fat, your hydration should mostly come from water. Sports drinks are only intended to be consumed around workouts. They should not be consumed all day long. Juice is also very high in calories. By avoiding these outside of exercise, you save yourself unnecessary calories. In addition to these, alcoholic beverages add up quickly and can prevent your progress toward your fat loss goal. Besides the extra calories, alcohol hurts weight loss in other manners. It stimulates appetite and you mostly likely won’t choose healthy food when you are drinking. Lastly, alcohol has a negative impact on your sleep and hydration, which in turn will make it more difficult for you to lose weight.
Trying to lose weight In-Season.
If you wait until the season starts to try to lose weight, you may be jeopardizing your performance. By eating fewer calories than you burn, you may have less energy than necessary for workouts. Therefore, it is best to plan ahead and make the necessary changes in the offseason.
© Randy Bird, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS and Randy Bird Sports Nutrition, 2010.
Randy Bird Sports Nutrition 