Fat Loss Mistakes You Can Easily Fix
One of the most common questions I get from people trying to lose weight but failing to do so is “what am I doing wrong?” And there could many reasons, but in most cases, it’s a simple fix. The hard part is just identifying the mistakes in the first place.
But in my experience, there are three VERY common errors that I often see. So if you’re trying to lose weight this year, let’s identify these first so I can get you on the right start.
Number one is staying consistent with your diet throughout the week only to basically ctrl-z all of that progress on the weekends. Now I’ve made it clear that one binge meal is likely not going to result in you gaining fat or even undoing your progress. But one thing you should know is that for actual results in weight loss, you need consistency. If you are consistently sticking to your caloric goal on the weekdays but also consistently undoing all that work on the weekends, it’s likely that you aren’t going to see much progress. So how do you stick to this process?
Well, it’s quite simple. Allow yourself some flexibility. If the reason you’re consuming more on the weekend is due to binging, then likely you are being too restrictive with your foods or cutting your calories too drastically.
Think of your calories as a week-to-week budget that YOU are in control of spending. You can eat a little less during the weekday to compensate eating a little more during the weekend. Or you can use the same deficit all throughout the week. Or you can eat a lot less on one day if you know you’re planning being more social the day before or the day after. Ultimately, what’s most important is that you are consistent with your calorie intake. Even though weight loss comes down to calories, there is flexibility in how you manage them.
Number 2 is not accounting for hidden calories and usually those are the ones you see in your snacks, cooking oils, sauces or just liquid calories in general. When we’re trying to lose weight, I think most of us know that one large, greasy burger with a side of extra-large fries probably isn’t going to help because of how many calories it has. So intuitively, we know to choose a healthier option, like a salad with some grilled chicken or something that’s lower in calories but higher in nutrients.
But honestly that’s not the mistake most people are making. It’s the excessive use of high calorie, low volume ingredients like oils and sauces. In this case, big things do come in small packages. Take a look at this serving size of sauce. One serving of this, admittedly delicious sauce, is 140 calories. For comparison, here’s 140 calories worth of spinach. Take a look at this volume difference. Now of course, I’m not saying that you have to get rid of oils, sauces or anything you enjoy. I’m just saying you might not be aware of how much you are consuming simply based on size or volume of a food.
And number 3 is exercise compensation. And I think this was MY biggest mistake. There’s a tendency to think that exercise, whether it’s cardio or resistance training, burns a ton of calories. But exercise itself doesn’t really burn as many calories as you might think and certainly not enough to offset a cheat meal or a cheat day. Most of the calories we burn during the day is from our BMR, basically the energy needed to keep us alive.
I know the sensation of working out hard may lead you to believe that you burned a lot of calories, but it’s very easy to eat back your calories from a 30 minute workout session in 3 minutes. Basically, out training a poor diet is futile effort.
In the end, fat loss ultimately comes down to maintaining a calorie deficit over time, and most people will be far better off using exercise as a complementary calorie burning tool, with the majority of focus being placed on controlling your calorie intake. Or just treat them as two different things. Exercise and stay active for the sake of being healthier and stronger. And control your calorie intake for the sake of trying to lose a bit of weight. And you’ll end up reaping benefits from both sides.