Seven nutrition mistakes

You’ve been working hard, going to the gym and cutting out all those high sugar…

You’ve been working hard, going to the gym and cutting out all those high sugar and high fat foods you used to enjoy. At first, you saw a decent progress. But now, it may seem like things have slowed. How come your body has stopped responding? It’s like something is now wrong..

For many people, the issue is often one or two small nutrition errors that are leading to this lack of progress. The great news is that as soon as you can fix these problems, you can get back on track to seeing incredible results once again. Let’s take a closer look at the top seven nutrition mistakes that you could be making that may be affecting your results.

MISTAKE 1: NOT TRACKING SERVING SIZES AND CALORIES

It’s true, it can be a bit of a drag. Counting calories takes time, energy, and is something that most people just don’t want to do. But if reaching your goal weight is important to you, you need some sort of system in place to monitor how much food you are taking in.

If it’s not counting calories, it should be some other technique that helps you regulate your serving sizes. Remember: you can still gain weight eating healthy foods. Too many people believe that as long as they make smart food choices, they will automatically lose weight. This isn’t correct. Excess calories will always lead to fat gain, so this must be remembered at all times.

MISTAKE 2: NOT KNOWING YOUR PROTEIN NEEDS

The second mistake is failing to achieve your protein needs. Some people avoid protein because they believe eating too much will cause them to look “bulky” or “heavier”. This is not the case.

It’s not protein that makes someone look bulky but rather a very high calorie diet, years of strength training, and often certain hormones that lead to muscle mass generation. For most people, this will never be a concern. Getting enough protein into your diet is a must as it will help you combat hunger, stabilize blood sugar levels, and help you burn fat while building lean muscle.

MISTAKE 3: Focusing on calories exclusively

Energy intake matters, but so does the source of that energy. If you’re putting empty calories into your body, you’re robbing yourself of the key micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that your body needs to feel good, keep optimal energy, and burn fat effectively.

Furthermore, if your diet is rich in processed foods, you’re going to be facing ongoing hunger, not to mention your blood sugar will be skyrocketing and crashing on a regular basis. This only increases your chances of gaining fat. When you put quality foods into your body, you’ll get quality results out of your routine.

Focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, and lean beef, complex unprocessed carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, and oats, fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

MISTAKE 4: Nibbling

Mindless nibbling is devastating to any diet plan. You might think you’re only taking in a few calories while you do this but it can add up quickly. In fact, you could easily consume 250-500 calories without really even realizing it, completely eliminating the deficit that you had created for fat loss to take place. The result is that you see no progress at all.

MISTAKE 5: Going to extremes

Remember, extremes rarely ever produce results that last. Not only do they lead to lose nothing more than water weight or muscle mass tissue but they may also put your health in jeopardy.

A balanced nutrition approach is what you need to get to your end goal. This means getting nutrition from carbohydrates, dietary fats, as well as protein on a daily basis. Your body needs all of these to function optimally.

MISTAKE 6: Sticking to the same diet

Another mistake some people make is dieting for months and months. They stick to the same low calorie diet plan that isn’t really producing results in hopes that something will change. Rarely does anything change.

If you’ve been on a low calorie plan for longer than 3 months and aren’t seeing weight loss progress any longer, there is a good chance that your body has slowed its metabolic rate down to accommodate to your decreased food intake. This means fat loss is moving along a lot slower and results are hard to come by.

Don’t decrease your calorie intake further like you might be tempted to do. That will just increase the problem. Instead, you want to kick-start your metabolic engine by taking a few days or even a week off your diet and eating more calories again.

MISTAKE 7: “Snack” Syndrome

Watch out that you don’t succumb to ‘snack’ syndrome. You should watch out for companies claiming they offer the most healthy snacks out there, they may be low on calories but most of them don’t provide to your body any valuable nutrition.

The same goes for snacks like cereal bars, granola bars, puddings, among others. Instead, if you need nourishment on the go, it is way better to prepare your own snacks at home, make sure to include plenty of fruits , healthy grains and seeds.