This is a guest post by Erin.
I eat very little, yet I can’t seem to lose this weight! This is a common concern for many people. It can be so frustrating to feel like you eat less and less all the time, but the weight won’t come off or is continuing to build. There is no need to give up on your weight loss efforts, but here are some important weight loss destroyers to consider that may be keeping you from your goals.
- You eat less than three times per day. Eating less often does not help you win the weight-loss battle! Eating often is the key! Think of your body like a furnace; you have to feed it something in order to burn. Your metabolism starts to slow if you do not eat at least every three to five hours. Many people are afraid to eat more often if they are having difficulty losing weight; however, I promise that you are only making it harder on yourself if you eat infrequently. It is common that people who skip meals eat extremely large meals when they do finally sit down to satisfy their hunger. This large meal may consist of several thousand calories and will make up for all of the meals you skipped earlier.
- You eat several meals per week at restaurants. Even if you make an effort to order healthy items, there are often hundreds to thousands of calories hiding in your food. In general people walk out of a restaurant usually consuming many more calories and fat than they planned or were aware of. Keep in mind that even a well-meaning salad can contain over 1000 calories.
- You graze all day on vending machine fare, but don’t count it in your total calories because it was just “a bite here and a bite there”. Little bits of high calorie foods eaten throughout the day can really add up and be a major diet buster. Choose your nibbles wisely. Allow yourself some; however, you’re better off to put a small serving on a plate and enjoy it rather than graze all day. Make an effort to plan for healthy snacks throughout the day.
- You eat well all week, but overdo it on the weekends. Think about this idea. If you reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories per day, five days per week, you are cutting out a total of 2500 calories. That is great and it almost equals a pound of fat (3500 calories = 1 pound of fat). However, what if you eat an extra 1500 calories on Saturday and 1500 calories on Sunday. Ouch! You have now negated your entire weeks worth of work, plus 500 more calories. Keep this up for a year and you’ll gain almost 7.5 pounds.
- You don’t exercise. Exercise is so important for an endless number of reasons. Even though exercise alone is unlikely to help you lose weight, it’s an important component to weight control. It is possible to lose weight without exercise; however, it is more difficult, and even more difficult to maintain your weight loss.
- You sip on soda, fruit juice, or sweet tea. These drinks contain so much sugar and so many calories that you can easily be sabotaging your weight loss efforts by pouring these in your glass.
If the title of this article is true for you, I would like to challenge you to think about these points and decide if they are derailing your weight loss efforts!
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