That’s the age-old question isn’t it? I have some clients who are doing all the right things. On paper, it looks like there should be no problem. If they are following my online program and the goal is weight loss, I want them to be successful. I want folks to meet their goals. If weight loss is a goal, I want to help figure out the best way to do that in a healthy, efficient way.
I also like to figure things out. One of my friends calls me McGyver because I tend to finnigle a way to fix things or figure out a way to fix something. It’s a little the same here. I will be your best detective to help you find a way to meet your goal!
As far as weight loss, I know from experience that it is not just about diet and nutrition and the exercise. If you want to lose weight and feel as if you are beating your head against a brick wall, I encourage you to think about these three things.
1. You are Exercising Like a Crazy Person
Exercise is good. That we know. However, too much of anything is a bad thing. Same goes for exercise! If you are trying to lose weight and are working out like crazy, doing hard, intense workouts five to six days a week then I’m afraid you are setting yourself up for an unhealthy result. If you are mixing these grueling workouts without allowing your body the time to rest and recover WITH restricting your calories then there are some health issues that may come up. If you are taking in too few calories and being that crazy exercise person your body may reduce the thyroid and sex hormone production and increase the stress hormone cortisol. The exercise puts stress on your body which is a good thing. That is what changes the body. However, if you do not allow your body the proper amount of time to recover from the stress of the exercise then your cortisol levels will rise. Your body will think it’s in a constant state of stress and will react in that way. Your body will hold on to the weight and store fat when the cortisol levels are high and thyroid and testosterone levels are low. If all this continues you may find other hormones unbalanced and even adrenal fatigue may set in.
If you aren’t resting and recovering properly from your workouts you will just feel tired all day. If you are dragging and lagging all day you’ll wind up expending less energy during the rest of the day doing your normal activities, which will result in less calorie burn. You can experience burn out which makes it hard to stick to any workout and nutrition plan. This ends up causing folks to throw in the towel and completely give up.
Set up a healthy exercise and workout schedule. Fit in your strength workouts, a couple of HIIT workouts to really challenge you, and some days that are not killing your body. Quality over quantity and exercise smarter and not longer! If you want some specific tips on this let me know! I’d love to help.
2. You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep
So, make sleep a priority. Get to bed an hour earlier. Turn off that darn phone. If you have a snorer in the room, the snorer may have to have a night elsewhere! I hate to say this because I love my pup in the bed with me, but, if your pet is keeping you up, you really need to rethink those sleeping arrangements . . . .
3. You Aren’t Eating Enough
Protein. You do have to eat protein and enough of it. Most ladies out there have had it drilled into their heads that they have to cut, cut, cut calories and exercise even more. Please stop this. In order to see weight loss, you have to eat good, lean protein such as grass fed beef, chicken, pork, bacon, fish and seafood like salmon, trout, shrimp, lobster, eggs, beans, and vegetables.
Eating an appropriate amount of protein boosts metabolism by 80 to 100 calories a day. Eating enough protein also helps us forget about food because we feel satiated. In fact, eating enough protein also helps reduce any late-night snacking by half and often helps you eat 441 fewer calores per day!
If you are trying to lose weight then you are already likely lifting weights because we all know by now that building lean muscle helps you lose weight. In order to build those lean muscles you know what you need to do. Feed yourself some protein.
In my Better & Beyond Program we focus on filling our plates with lean proteins, healthy fats and low carb vegetables such as:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Spinach
- Kale
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Swiss Chard
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Celery
On our low carb days we focus on the protein, healthy fats and keeping our carbs from 20-50 net carbs per day. And it works!
So, if you are trying to lose weight make sure you are eating adequate protein with your meals,
Keep these three tips in mind if you are feeling stalled with your weight loss goals. Oftentimes it is small changes that can make the difference in your results.
Enjoy Your Day!
If you are looking for a new start to your own healthy lifestyle, some accountability and a way to balance it all, our second round of Better & Beyond will begin in the Spring.
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