We humans tend to over think the simple things. It is not uncommon to catch yourself focused on elaborate and complicated solutions to problems that could be rectified with very simple changes. Weight loss, for example, should be a very easy objective to achieve. Create a caloric deficit by limiting food portions and adding in essential exercise/body movement…easy, right?
WRONG!
Like most things we humans endeavor in, we overcomplicate things. We hit the Google machine and research. “the best diet for weight loss”, “the best workout for weight loss”, and “the best supplements for weight loss”. Each search brings back hundreds of thousands of results. There’s no wonder that it can be so confusing, and the results you want so hard to achieve. The main problem is that you are focused on the wrong things. You are trying to find New Things to DO instead of fixing the issues that got you to where you currently are. Here are 3 simple mistakes you are currently making that keep you fat!
#1 Not Drinking Enough Water!
Out of all of my clients, past and present, I’d say that over 95% of them did not drink enough water before we started working together. Drinking a glass of water with your meal is simply not enough. A good rule of thumb is that you should be drinking at least 1/2 your bodyweight in water each and every day. If you weight 140 lbs, that means you need no less than 70 ounces of water daily to stay sufficiently hydrated.
Why is this so important? First of all, even a slight level of dehydration can greatly impact your body’s metabolism. When you are dehydrated, it slows the body’s ability to process the food you eat. This makes it harder for your system to extract the nutrients from the food you eat, which can cause fat storage and other problems. This can cause cravings, because your body isn’t getting the fuel it needs to function properly.
Snacking and being hungry all the time are both indicators that you may be dehydrated. Your body needs water, so your brain signals the body to start grazing in hopes that something you eat will have some water in it. Or, that you’ll at least take a drink and wash all those snacks down. The solution is easy…keep water with you at all times and drink it regularly. If you’re thirsty, it’s too late.
#2 Eating Too Quickly
Most of us have a tendency to eat too quickly. We are always in such a rush to get things done, that we wolf our food down so we can move on to the next problem to solve. What starts out as eating quickly while you are very busy, becomes a learned habit over time. The problem is that eating too quickly tends to make us over eat.
Your body needs about 20 minutes to signal the brain that you have had enough to eat. That you are refueled by not FULL. If you consume an entire meal in under 5 minutes, there’s a good chance that you ate too much food. The experts say that it takes about a daily 500 calorie deficit to lose 1 lb of body fat per week. If you are over eating by 100 calories or more per day, you could easily be taking in 500 more calories than you need. Slow down, and chew your food!
#3 Eating Too Much Healthy Fat
I know, I know! We’ve learned that eating fat doesn’t actually make you fat. And it’s true that certain “Healthy Fats” like coconut oil, and avocados are essential to the smooth function of the body. But, too much of a good thing…is still a bad thing. A handful of almonds is a healthy snack. A handful of almonds is also 165 calories. 3 handfuls of almonds and we’re pushing closer to 500 calories. Too much is still too much.
Olive oil, coconut oil, and the like are not very filling. So, it’s easy to eat too many calories when using them. Shoot instead to get most of your healthy fats from whole foods like salmon and avocados. This will help keep the calories from creeping up on you.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, these are only a few tiny things in a much bigger picture of your health and wellness. Sometimes you can’t see the forest from the trees, and sometimes you’re even looking at the wrong trees. Sometimes it just takes another set of eyes to help you through the whole mess.
Let’s jump on a call, and talk about how you can finally lose weight without restrictive dieting or militant exercise programs. Zero Cost. Just CLICK HERE to schedule a time for us to chat.