Helping my clients who struggle with weight management or weight loss requires a whole-person approach in my opinion. In many cases, clients can greatly benefit from personal training, fitness classes, nutrition counseling and lifestyle and weight management coaching.
All “dieting” clients will make mistakes (especially in the beginning), and most of the time they don’t even realize it. C’mon we have all been there right? As a certified Personal trainer, Fitness Nutrition Specialist and Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist, I help them get back on track and start seeing the results they want. This is one of the the parts of my job that I truly LOVE! Below are a few of the mistakes that you maybe making that are sabotaging your efforts.
Only Focusing on the Numbers on the Scale
It’s very common for clients to feel like they are not losing weight or fat fast enough, despite faithfully sticking to their nutrition plan. I try to remind them that many factors can affect scale weight, including fluid fluctuations, muscle mass gains and the weight of undigested food. They may be losing body fat even if the number on the scale doesn’t drastically change. Our weight can fluctuate by up to 4 lbs over the course of a day, depending on how much food, sodium and liquid we have consumed. Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures can show that you are actually losing fat. Photos never lie!
Working Out Too Much and Too Often
Excessive exercise is unsustainable in the long term for most people and often leads to unnecessary stress. Trying to force the body to burn more calories by exercising too much is neither effective nor healthy for any client. Lifting weights/resistance training can help boost your metabolic rate, increase muscle mass and promote fat loss, including belly fat. Lifting heavy weights is one of the most effective exercise strategies for gaining muscle and increasing metabolic rate. It also improves overall body composition and boosts belly fat loss. We do lots of it in Small Group and Boot Camp.
Not Eating Enough Protein and Fiber
Getting enough protein and fiber is super important for a client trying to lose weight. Protein has been shown to help with weight loss in several ways. It can reduce appetite, increase feelings of fullness, decrease calorie intake, increase metabolic rate and protect muscle mass during weight loss. A low-fiber diet may be compromising your weight loss efforts too. Fiber helps reduce appetite by forming a gel that holds water. This gel moves slowly through your digestive tract, making you feel fuller longer.
Eating Too Much Fat on a Low-Carb Diet
Although low-carb and ketogenic diets help reduce hunger and caloric intake, adding too much fat may slow down or prevent weight loss. Many low-carb and keto diets allow unlimited amounts of fat, assuming that the resulting appetite suppression will keep calories low enough for weight loss. However, if you are adding large amounts of fat to your food or beverages and are not losing weight, then cut back on the fat a bit ( cutting back 10-15 grams a day to start).
Having Unrealistic Goals
Having weight loss and other health-related goals can help you stay motivated, but having unrealistic expectations can actually work against you. Try to adjust your expectations so that they align with realistic goals. This can help prevent you from getting discouraged and improve your chances for success. For example; losing 1-2 lbs of fat per week is very doable and sustainable but losing 4-5 lbs a week is not usually doable and if that much weight is lost, it usually is also from water weight and heaven forbid, muscle mass loss. :(
Not Tracking What You Eat in Any Way
Eating nutritious foods is a great weight loss strategy, but you may still be eating more calories than you need to lose weight. If you are not tracking what you eat, you can easily be consuming more calories than you realize. If you aren’t tracking, you are likely getting less protein and fiber than you need. Stop guessing, start tracking with an app like My Fitness Pal.
Not Reading the Nutrition Facts Labels
Food labels provide information on ingredients, calories, and nutrients. Make sure you understand how to accurately read the nutrition label. Failing to accurately read label information can quickly lead to the consumption of unwanted calories and unhealthy ingredients. To get the most important information for weight control, you will need to make a habit of looking at the ingredients list and nutrition facts label. Be an educated consumer.
Not Eating Whole Foods
One of the worst things a dieting client can do for weight loss is to eat a lot of highly processed foods. Some researchers believe this could be due to their negative effects on gut health and inflammation. I encourage all my clients (regardless of whether they are trying to lose weight) to choose whole, single-ingredient that are minimally processed. This strategy really works AND is helps decrease bloating too.
What’s Next?
If you need help with your nutrition, “dieting”, weight management, improving the results of your fitness routine, let me know. I can help you learn about optimal nutrition, including proven techniques for increasing energy, optimal health and decreased dependence on medications. This is what I do!
In good health,
Coach Catherine
Adapted from https://www.nestacertified.com/weight-loss-mistakes-your-clients-are-likely-making-and-how-to-help/