Amy King
You’ve just started a diet, but after a few weeks, you no longer see any results… You have even started going to the gym
You’ve started wondering what it might be that you are doing wrong.
You’ve been limiting yourself from certain foods and want to see some progress.
Now you feel desperate and want to quit.
Before that, you want to make a final check on the internet and find an answer to your “failure.”
Lucky you, we might have it for you.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that you might be making that prevent you from losing weight:
The most common reason for the scale to stay at the same place or even go up might be that you are overeating.
“But I’ve been on a diet the last few weeks; that’s impossible.”
Or…
“I don’t eat that much anyway!”
This is a common trap that newbies fall for.
Even though you started eating “healthier,” it doesn’t mean that you will lose weight.
The primary condition to lose weight is for you to be in a calorie deficit.
What this means is that you have to expend MORE calories than you consume.
Sure, you may have started making healthier food choices, but are you sure you are eating the right amount?
If the answer is no, you might be consuming more calories than you burn, which means you are NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.
💡 Tip 1: Use My Fitness Pal for 3 days and track your food to see what you’re actually consuming calorie wise. Note how many so called “healthy” foods contain sugar in them.
💡 Tip 2: Calculate your actual Calorie and Macronutrient requirements. To obtain a FREE personalised report, where this is calculated for you.
Alcohol is not only famous for its delicate taste and scent. Alcohol actually has hidden calories… Which are quite a lot, and EMPTY!
You’ve read that right. One gram of ethanol has seven calories… now compare that to one gram of protein or carbs, which contains 4 calories.
Which means you are consuming almost double the number of calories per gram, with little nutritional value.
AND, if you do the ‘math, drinking two beers a night, for example equates to around 450 calories extra for the day.
450 calories, out of which ZERO go towards constructive processes like the calories you get from food.
Need we say more?
💡 Tip 3: Replace alcoholic drinks with a lower calorie alternative or look to reduce the number of days a week you have an alcoholic beverage.
Whether you're looking to improve your lifestyle habits, take your athletic performance or overall performance to the next level I'm here to help.
As an experienced fitness, nutrition & performance coach I work with you to optimise all area of your health & well-being.
To see how I can support your journey, why not connect with me over a virtual coffee?
Many of us are subjected to constant stressors from work, modern life and responsibilities… all of which has a price.
There are so many negative impacts of (di)stress that it would be impossible to cover them in this short article so let’s just start with the elevated levels of cortisol released in your body.
When your cortisol levels rise, you might experience difficulties in doing specific tasks such as focusing.
What do you think happens with your body when it’s being put into an enormous amount of stress?
Even if you are training and following a proper diet, your performance will suffer if you have a high amount of stress.
For some it can make losing weight challenging, and you may experience other problems such as headaches, tiredness, lack of concentration, muscle cramps, poor recovery and low libido.
Furthermore, it is no secret that high levels of stress often lead to emotional eating and other destructive self-comfort behaviours which gets you even further from your weight loss goals.
This is why we take a holistic approach to health & fitness at AKE Fitness & Nutrition, which includes developing strategies to replace self-comfort behaviours with self-care activities.
Minding your mind is the biggest enabler for you to take care of your body!
💡 Tip 4: Try creating a self-care menu to replace destructive self-comfort behaviours. You can grab a FREE template here
Not enough physical activity can slow down the process of losing weight.
In fact, it might even stop the whole process.
Even if you are already hitting the gym a couple of times a week, your physical activity might still not be sufficient for your goals.
If you are the type of person that goes by car to the office, then to the gym, and comes back home, then guess what, you lack physical activity!
When was the last time you checked how many steps have you made during the day?
If you are not even close to 8-10k, then you have something to work on!
💡 Tip 5: Ideas to hit more daily steps:
Sometimes, getting obsessed with the scale might have the opposite effect.
It can be a useful activity to use the scales regularly; however, some people feel bad if they see the scale has gone up.
Most of the time, that’s water retention. So, for example, that can happen if you’ve consumed more salt or carbs on the previous day.
However, after seeing that, you may panic, and the chance you start binging on food because “everything is lost” is high.
In some cases, as you put on lean muscle, the scale will go up before it goes down.
💡 Tip 6: Using measurements or the “how clothes fit” test can be a better progress measure.
Give yourself enough time and follow the plan that your coach has created for you.
The benefits you are seeking are created by consistency over time. In the same way that compounding interest works for your money.
Don’t give up that easily, and don’t let a scale scare you from achieving your goals.
Note: if you have been going to the gym for a while and have plateaued – then there are usually different things at play, and this will be covered in a separate up and coming Newsletter!
Amy King is the founder of AKE Fitness & Nutrition. When she’s not serving her clients, she is pursuing her corporate career in mining, bodybuilding and spending time with loved ones. She calls Perth, Western Australia home.
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