Have you been trying to lose weight but it just hasn’t happened yet? It may not totally be your fault. Here’s why.
Social media “gurus” and well-meaning friends often give bad advice, sometimes flat-out lying to you.
Conflicting reports in fitness magazines leave you confused and frustrated, and you don’t know what to believe.
At Active Life Fitness, we’ve helped hundreds of women and men just like you, lose weight and keep it off. Our success formula is built on simplicity and sensibility. Trying to go on a strict “diet” or exercising yourself into the ground doesn’t work.
Here’s why you may be struggling to lose weight and how to fix it:
1) You’re not eating enough protein, especially for breakfast.
When you are cutting calories to lose body fat, it is vital to actually increase your protein intake.
Otherwise, you could lose muscle mass in addition to fat, which slows your metabolism, having you burn fewer calories throughout your day.
Plus we’ve all been taught, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and that oatmeal or cereal is a good choice.
The truth is, breakfast cereals, hot or cold, don’t contain much protein and the energy derived from these sources is short-lived, with the breakdown to sugar happening quickly. Excess sugar can get stored as fat, plus you’ll probably be hungry soon thereafter.
Try this: Skip the carbs for breakfast and try eggs with veggies or berries on the side. If you insist on having your oatmeal, cut the portion in half and add a couple of eggs or another good protein source. You’ll be satisfied longer and your muscles will thank you.
2) You only do cardio for exercise.
When you go into a big box gym or health club, the first thing you see is rows and rows of treadmills, elliptical trainers, and recumbent bikes. Furthermore, when most people exercise for weight loss, the first thing they think of is burning calories with cardio.
The truth is, cardio exercise will indeed burn calories, so it does play a role in weight loss. However, a cardio-only approach often leads to muscle loss, slowing your metabolism, and actually causing weight gain.
Try this: Reduce your time spent doing cardio and add a thoughtfully planned and properly executed resistance training program. This will help you to maintain or even gain muscle while you are cutting calories. You will save your metabolism from the inevitable decline that most dieters usually experience.
3) You go it alone. You have no support and you don’t ask for help.
Your family wants to eat pasta, pizza, chips, and cookies, so you give in and eat the same. Maybe you go out with friends and they all order appetizers and dessert so you succumb to the peer pressure and overeat.
The truth is: It’s rare that someone loses weight successfully without help and support. Life is a “team sport” and it’s no different for weight loss.
Try this: Make everyone who is close to you in your life aware of the importance of your goals. If they truly care, they won’t pressure you and might even join you with healthy eating. In fact, forward this email to anyone you need support from!
These changes take some effort and we know change isn’t easy. So start by implementing just one of these strategies this week, then next week another, and so on. We guarantee if you stick to these principles, you will be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals.
If you need any help, please drop me a line.
