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Losing weight is dependent on a number of factors ranging from the amount of food you’re eating to the quality of the calories you’re putting into your body. Not only is it important to maintain a calorie deficit in order to achieve weight loss, but it’s also vital to ensure that the foods you’re choosing to include in your diet provide value to your body and can offer the nutrients needed to give you energy and enhance your metabolism.
That being said, there are several mistakes that you could make in an effort to lose weight more quickly which may actually impede your progress and make it more difficult to achieve the results you want. We checked in with the experts to determine the sneaky mistakes you could be making in your eating habits that are halting your progress, and this is what they had to say.
Skipping Meals
Seeing as a calorie deficit is one of the most integral parts of losing weight, it’s a common misconception that skipping a meal or severely restricting your eating will help to speed up your weight loss results. However, this is not actually the case and restricting your eating can have a detrimental effect on your metabolism and hunger cues in the long run. “When you put your body into an extreme calorie deficit it will go into survival mode due to how it doesn’t know when its next filling meal will be and it will hang on to all of your fat reserves in case it needs them for energy production,” warns Jamie Hickey NASM, FMS certified trainer, registered dietician. “It would be best if you never went into a calorie deficit that is more than 300 calories under your normal baseline.”
Skimping On Protein
Protein is one of the essential macronutrients needed to fuel your body, and eating enough of it is vital for healthy weight loss as it feeds your muscles and can help promote a faster metabolism. “[Women] tend to eat less meat, are vegetarians and vegans without using good plant-source protein in their diet. Without enough protein, the body cannot build muscle and storing fat becomes more prevalent, especially for women over 40,” says Pamela Barton, R.H.N., NNCP. On average, women should be consuming around 46 grams of protein through sources such as lean meat, eggs, beans and legumes, and tofu. Try to incorporate at least one protein source into each meal to meet these goals without tracking your food too closely.
Avoiding Carbs
Carbs are another macronutrient which is an important building block of any healthy diet. However, carbs often get a bad rap for causing weight gain, and diets such as keto largely eliminate carbs in hopes of faster results. While this may cut down on calories, it’s ultimately going to impede on your weight loss in the long run. “Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. Cutting carbs out of the diet (or any food group entirely) is not recommended because of the important nutrients found in carbohydrate foods such as grains, fruits and vegetables.” says Melissa Joy Dobbins MS, RDN, CDCES.
“The truth is that when it comes to whole grains and enriched grains, both provide important nutrients that we are often lacking in our diets and each provides unique nutrients – for example, whole grains are rich in dietary fiber, while enriched grains provide B-vitamins including folate and folic acid, which is especially critical for pregnant women.” Certain carbs such as white bread and pasta may be less nutritious and should be consumed in moderation, but on the whole, carbohydrates are actually a valuable addition to your diet as a source of fiber and other nutrients.
“Cheat Days”
A balanced diet for weight loss is one which you can follow each day without feeling like you’re restricting yourself. That’s why the concept of ‘cheat days’ can quickly spiral out of control if you give yourself the permission to binge on certain days of the week as it can create an unhealthy association with food. If you feel the need to cheat it likely means that your diet isn’t balanced and you should find a way to incorporate your favorite foods without being restrictive. “Consuming pizza, alcohol, desserts, and pastries on the weekend can lead to regaining any weight loss during the week. I encourage clients to continue including small cheat meals, in moderate quantities, even throughout the week. They still need to be in a calorie deficit to support body weight loss if that is their primary goal,” suggests Mary Wirtz, MS, RDN, CSSD.
Dehydration
Hydration is key even when you aren’t working to lose weight, but not drinking enough water could be the cause of some of your roadblocks. “Drinking water helps you feel full, keeps your metabolism going, aids digestion, and also detoxifies the body. It also fills up your stomach so you're less likely to overeat when you get hungry, which is important for consistent weight loss long-term,” explains Roxie M. Calloway, MS RD. On average you should be drinking around 2.7 liters of water each day, and try to have a large glass to accompany each meal in order to limit overeating.
