subject: Trying To Lose Weight? Make Sure You Avoid These Three Mistakes [print this page] Trying To Lose Weight? Make Sure You Avoid These Three Mistakes
If you are trying to lose weight, but you are having little or no results, it is more than likely that you are making a few mistakes which will be seriously damaging your progress.
In this article I'm going to be discussing three big mistakes that people make when trying to lose weight, are you making any of these?...
1.Dropping your calorie intake too low!
It is common knowledge that to lose weight you need to reduce your calorie intake, so surely the more you reduce your calorie intake the faster you will lose weight right? Unfortunately this isn't the case. Your body can't tell the difference between a calorie deficit and being starved. If you drop your calorie intake too low your body will react as if it is being starved. Your bodies primary function is to survive, if it feels like it is being starved then it will adjust it's function as much as it can to keep all the survival function safe. With your starvation response triggered, your body will do some or all of the following:-
Slow down your metabolism this means that it will become extremely hard to lose weight, your body will be using as little calories too prolong survival.
Look with the body for energy sources As your body sees that it isn't getting enough energy from food, it will look within the body for sources. The first place it will look is at what it considers unnecessary for it's survival, and unfortunately muscle is not considered essential so this will be one of the first things broken down to use as a fuel source.
Hold on to Fat for dear life! Your body sees fat as a good survival tool. Fat is an excellent insulator, helping to keep your body warm. Once the starvation response is triggered your body will do everything it can to hold onto fat.
Those are the problems caused by too low a calorie deficit in your diet, so what can we do instead to achieve fat loss? The answer is to have only a slight calorie deficit in your diet, roughly 15-20% below your maintenance level (maintenance level being the amount of calories you require each day just to maintain your current weight), your body can cope with this. This slight calorie deficit in your diet should then be combined with a good exercise program to burn off more calories.
2.Skipping Meals!
Skipping meals is a big no no when it comes to fat loss. A lot of people have the miss conception that if they miss a meal or two, that they will lose more fat. You should actually be doing the opposite and trying to eat more regularly.
Let me explain When you eat you actually begin to burn up calories straight away when your body starts to digest the food, this process takes hours and will continue to burn calories (energy). By skipping meals you are reducing the amount of calories that your body will be using up. Also having long period between your meals will cause your body to slow down its metabolism, as it realises that there isn't a steady energy supply being given so it will conserve as much energy as possible.
What you should actually be doing is eating smaller meals more regularly. Having four, five or better yet six small meals a day, rather than three, two or even one meal a day is far better. With more meals being eaten, more digestion is occurring, raising your metabolism throughout the day. Go for five or six small meals a day, every three hours this will greatly improve your fat loss results.
3.Completely cutting fat out of your diet!
When you decide that you want to change your diet and try and lose some fat, the first thing that a lot of people do is to try and get rid of as much of the fat from there diets as possible. Although getting rid of as much of the bad fats in your diet as possible is a good idea, you also need to ensure that you are getting enough of the good fats.
Good fats and bad fats you say?! That's right there are good and bad fats, bad fats that should be avoided are the saturated fats and even worse the hydrogenated fats. These are found in red meats, butters and margarines, processed meals and many more.
The good fats are the Essential Fatty Acids or EFA's for short. These are the fats that the body cannot produce itself, and therefore must be got from your diet. These EFA's are Omega 3 and Omega 6, both of which have many health benefits. It is Omega 3 however which is the one that we need to pay extra attention to as the majority of us are actually borderline deficient in Omega 3 which has many health benefits. On top of that it is required for energy production, aids in muscle preservation, increases your metabolism, and help to burn body fat.
Good sources of omega 3 include fatty fish, nuts, olive oil and flaxseed oil, so try to include a small amount of these in your diet.
There are three big mistakes that people make when trying to lose weight. Now you know what they are you can completely avoid them and start seeing some great results with your weight loss!
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