5 Little-Known Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Weight Loss

There are many common misconceptions when it comes to weight loss. We’re told that eating fat makes us fat, that we need to restrict calories, that weight loss is all about will power or that we’re just not trying hard enough. If you’re committed to losing weight and improving your health, you may be making some of these common mistakes that are stopping you from seeing the results you want!

Constant Snacking

You’ve likely heard that eating small meals more often can help balance your blood sugar and keep your metabolism revved up, but is it true? Snacking activates a pathway called mTOR, which suppresses your body’s method of deep cleaning, a process called autophagy. Also, when we eat and snack constantly, the body senses that we have food readily available, so there is no need to resort to burning through those fat stores (aka the excess weight you’re so desperately trying to lose!). Try to stick to eating your main meals and avoid grazing throughout the day, especially late at night.

Eating High-Carb, Sugary Foods

While it may seem tempting to grab a sugar-filled protein bar mid-afternoon to curb hunger, you may want to think twice if you’re trying to balance your hormones and lose weight. On top of what we just discussed about snacking, if your meals are filled with sugar and refined carbohydrates (think white or whole wheat bread, pasta or corn chips), you’re going to have trouble losing fat. These higher carb foods fill up your glucose (sugar) stores and stop your body from kicking into fat-burning mode, while creating loads of excess inflammation.

Not Eating Enough Fat

If you’re still on the “low-fat” train, this could be another reason you’ve been struggling to lose the weight. Healthy fats help keep us fuller longer and support our hormones, which play a major role in our ability to lose fat, as well as our energy levels and much more. Consuming enough fat helps signal to our brain that we are nourished and satiated.

Eating Too Small of Meals

Once again, this idea of eating small meals more frequently for blood sugar balance doesn’t stack up long-term. A better option is to eat adequately sized, nutrient-dense meals. Eating until you feel satiated is very important, because if we aren’t eating enough, we aren’t able to switch off the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Eating too little during meals and not including enough healthy fat and protein can leave us “hangry”, tired and craving sweets later on – not a recipe for successful weight loss!

Alcohol

Yep, we’re going there! Alcohol is rapidly converted into sugar in the body and will increase blood sugar and insulin levels, inhibiting fat-burning. It will also feed any underlying infections that may be contributing to toxicity and weight gain. It’s best to keep alcohol to a minimum and avoid extra sugary drinks.

Is it Will Power or Hormonal Issues?

If you’re struggling to lose weight and keep it off, it may have a lot less to do with will power and a lot more to do with underlying hormonal imbalances. We provide comprehensive hormone testing that can help you uncover the root cause of stubborn weight and will educate you on how to resolve these issues using personalized nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle changes.

Curious if your hormones are stopping you from reaching your goals? Contact us today to ask about getting your hormone levels checked!

Sources:

The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung, MD, with Jimmie Moore