Trying to lose weight? Stop doing these 5 things

Now that our clocks have “sprung” forward, everything is telling us that spring is right around the corner and it’s time to get out of hibernation.  Exercise routines are becoming, well, routine again. This might mean going for a run, spin class, or some form of boot camp.  Or maybe it means switching your morning commute to a walk rather than a crowded subway ride.  As you’ve started to change your daily routine, upped your level of activity significantly, you are probably expecting the winter weight to just roll off. Think again.  Even though you may not think you are doing anything wrong, you might be a victim of one or more of the many pitfalls of weight loss.  Luckily, with a little help, you can recognize the pitfalls, and try to avoid them.

1. Stop eating junk food

Diet is said to be 80% of the battle when trying to lost weight.  You can work out every day, but if you are fueling your body with junk food and unhealthy meals, you will likely have issues keeping weight off.   Stick to all natural, whole foods and avoid processed foods, excess carbs and sugary products.  Cook your own food so that you have better control of what you are putting in your body and aren’t hit with hidden additives.  Our best recommendation is to keep it simple.

2. Stop eating more because you are working out

Portion control is a big part of losing weight.  If you are eating clean, but eating too much it can be hindering you from reaching your weight loss goals.  In order to lose weight, your body needs to burn more calories than you consume.  This means you can’t eat giant portions and expect great results.  You should not feel hungry or feel stuffed from over eating.  Try to find balance throughout the day.

3. Stop skipping weights

Strength training like lifting weights, or resistance exercises like push-ups and squats help tone up your body and promote fat loss. Although it is good to alternate with cardio, too much cardio can take away from losing the weight you set out to.  What you want is to build lean muscle mass which increases the metabolism and allows your body to burn more calories.  Alternate cardio with weight training to build lean muscle. 

4. Stop staying up so late

When you are tired, you are less likely to work out, and more likely to give in to carb loaded food cravings.  Lack of sleep spikes levels of the hormone cortisol, our fight or flight hormone, and tells our body we need to conserve energy.  Conserving energy in our body translates to the body holding onto fat rather than burning it.

5. Stop stressing out

This pitfall is again tied into the stress hormone, cortisol.  Over short periods of time, it is fine for our bodies to endure this “fight” or “flight” response, like during a workout, but over long periods of time it can be very toxic for our body and cause weight gain. Higher levels of cortisol have been associated to increased belly fat.  Being overly stressed out can lead you to make poor foods choices and increase your tendency to binge eat, so it is important to avoid stress as much as possible