Shedding those pounds can be very tough. Sometimes, even when you’re doing everything you possibly can, you get no results. This annoys most of you leading to binge eating in frustration or simply giving up. Now, ever wondered why your efforts don’t pay off ? It’s not always about the quantity but its about the quality. Even with a regular fitness regime and a strict diet, you may sometimes be making a few simple mistakes that mislead you from your results. Here are 10 common mistakes almost all women make for weight loss.
1. Resistance training
Resistance Training is one of the most effective methods to lose weight. Most women scorn at the idea of lifting weights and doing intense workout. Women assume that lifting and weights will automatically make them bulky and manly. This is a fallacy. It is a difficult task even for men to get bulky and all muscular. So, women with much less testosterone cannot get huge with muscles popping all over. Weight training tones your body muscles and increases your body metabolism thus, not only getting rid of those extra pounds but making you stronger as well. A full body workout which includes dead-lifts, squats and snatches will create a condition called excess post oxygen consumption. This means you will be burning calories even hours after you work out.
2. Not eating enough protein
If you’re planning lose weight, getting enough protein is of prime importance. It has been proven that protein helps with weight loss in several ways. Protein helps reduce appetite, increase feelings of fullness, increase your metabolic rate and decrease calorie intake apart from protecting muscle mass. A review also found that higher-protein diets, containing 0.6–0.8 grams of protein per lb (1.2–1.6 g/kg), may benefit appetite control and body composition. Make sure each of your meals have high protein content to optimize your weight loss.
3. Unrealistic expectations
Having unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration and thus giving up altogether. Make sure your goals are modest to increase your chances of successful weight loss. Adjust your expectations to a more realistic goal, such as a 10% loss of weight in an year. This way, there are less chances for you to get discouraged are more chances for your success.
4. Taking fruit juices
Most women cut down on aerated drinks and soft drinks from their diet to lose weight which is definitely beneficial. Although, drinking fruit juice isn’t a smart option. Fruit juices are loaded with sugar and are similar to sugar-sweetened beverages. Most fruits as we know contain natural sugars. For eg, 12 ounces (320 grams) of sugar-less apple juice contains 36 grams of natural sugar. Studies show that even when you drink 100% fruit juices, you end up consuming more calories on the whole thereby disrupting your weight loss regime.
5. Consuming processed foods
One of the worst things to do when you’re trying to lose weight is to eat processed foods. Studies have shown that consumption of processed foods is a major factor of obesity and other health problems. Rather, eating whole or single-ingredient foods is known to help lose weight. In addition, whole foods tend to be self-limiting thereby hard to overconsume unlike processed foods. When possible, try and choose whole, single-ingredient foods which are minimally processed.
Losing weight takes dedication, determination and discipline. It may seem easy but it’s not. There will be times when you feel dejected and lose hope. Do not give up yet. This is a quest to get rid of that excess fat that just doesn’t seem to leave you.
