If you’re having trouble shedding the kilos, it might be one of these common weight loss mistakes that you’re making. In today’s post, we’ll tell you why they are mistakes and how to avoid them.
Your salad is lacking
So many of us turn to salads stacked with greens when we want to lose weight. While we’re all for extra greens in your diet, only eating lettuce is going to leave you feeling hungry. If you choose to eat a salad, make sure you’re thinking carefully about what it includes.
To make a salad into more than a side dish, include a serving of protein and some healthy fats (like nuts or avocado). Not only is this nutritionally a complete meal, but it will also keep you feeling full for longer.
Be careful when adding condiments to your salad like dressing or mayonnaise as store-bought options are usually calorie-dense with artificial flavours and nasty fillers.
Going overboard on protein
Protein is having a moment right now, and most crash diets are telling you to eat more and more of it. There are protein shakes, bars, yoghurts and balls and they are usually full of sugar, fat or artificial ingredients too.
Adding more protein to your diet doesn’t equal weight loss or optimal nutrition. Our actual protein requirement is only 46 grams for women and 64g for men. To put this into perspective, a chicken breast has a whopping 31g of protein, which is over half a woman’s RDI. So, is it time to tone down the shakes?
You’re eating meat every day
Meat and poultry are calorie-dense foods which you don’t need to eat every day, even if you thought you did! In fact, research shows that those who eat the most meat are more like to be obese or overweight. Whereas those with more plant-based eating patterns were shown to have lower body fat percentages and BMIs.
So, if you’re looking to lose weight why not try a flexitarian diet where you sub in some vegetarian meals each week? CHEFGOOD has an everchanging and delicious selection of plant-based meals for you to choose from.
Being too strict on yourself
If you start your weight loss journey by making food the enemy, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Food is good for us! It’s the fuel we need for energy production and the sustenance that helps our bodies to perform at their best. If you’re effectively starving yourself to lose weight, you’re much more likely to fall into a cycle of yo-yo dieting. Research shows that people who yo-yo diet end up putting on more weight each time they fall off the proverbial wagon. Instead, you want to eat a maintainable, sustainable and balanced diet which is nutritionally dense and leaves you feeling satisfied.
Your portions are out of control
You’ve been eating all of the “right” things, like almond butter, protein smoothies and chicken salad, but you’re not losing weight. Sounds familiar? It’s actually super common for people to be eating healthy foods without seeing a shift on the scale, and often this is because they’re simply eating too much of a good thing!
To lose weight, you need to have more energy coming out than coming in, and significant portions can throw this ratio out. Meaning you’ll hold on to the weight. To avoid this, be careful with your portion sizes. An easy trick is to eat off a smaller plate or bowl—you’ll be less likely to load it with too much food.
Not getting enough sleep
Our stress and appetite hormones are significantly affected by our sleep schedule so if we’re not getting enough shut-eye we’re more likely to overeat. Make sure you’re getting plenty of slumber time if you’re stumped as to why the kilos aren’t dropping.
You’ve banned your favourites
While we all know chips, ice cream and chocolate aren’t health foods, they still do have a place in a healthy, maintainable diet. Why is this? Because if you swear off your most loved food, you’re much more likely to crave it, think about, obsess about it, and, eventually, binge on it.
Instead of straight up cutting out a specific food, think about ways you can make a healthier version or plan in when you can have it (and only in a smart quantity!).
Sticking to the same exercise routine
Our bodies can get stuck in a fitness rut if we do the same exercise over and over. Instead, get out of your fitness funk by adding in more or new activities or changing your intensity throughout your exercise session.
You’re not ordering with CHEFGOOD
Turns out the easiest way to lose weight is to order your meals with CHEFGOOD! We take care of the planning, portion control, exceptional taste and delivery of your food. All you need to do is order!
Live Chat