You want to lose weight but don't want to sacrifice performance, energy, mood and brain function to achieve it that low-calorie, nutrient-deprivation diets cause. Am I right?
These diets are often the go-to for my clients looking to lose weight quickly, but these diets can have the opposite effect. They can lead to decreased performance, energy, mood and brain function — negatively affecting your hormones and metabolism.
So when it comes to weight loss, avoid these 10 common weight loss mistakes:
1. Sacrifice sleep for workouts
Sleep is crucial for weight loss and overall health, but many high-performing career women may sacrifice sleep in favour of work obligations or to cram a workout into their day. To avoid this mistake, prioritize sleep hygiene and make sure to get enough rest each night.
2. Needing more steps in the day
Sedentary behaviour, such as sitting for long periods or not getting enough physical activity, can lead to a slower metabolism & decreased muscle mass. Getting daily walks to do wonders for improving insulin sensitivity.
3. Overdoing exercise
Too much exercise can be counter-productive when trying to lose weight and can lead to dramatically negative impacts to your health.
4. Focusing solely on the scale
Focusing solely on the number on the scale can be discouraging and may not accurately reflect progress. Instead, focus on non-scale victories, such as improved energy levels, better sleep, looser fitting clothes, and increased strength and endurance.
5. Giving up too soon
Weight loss is a journey that requires time, effort, and patience. Avoid giving up too soon by staying committed to your goals and focusing on progress, not perfection.
6. Subconscious reprogramming
This can be key to weight loss success because it addresses the underlying beliefs and thought patterns that may be holding an individual back from achieving their goals. Many people may have negative beliefs and thoughts about weight loss, such as "I'll never be able to lose weight" or "I always give up on my diet." These negative beliefs can create self-sabotaging behaviours, such as overeating, emotional eating, or a lack of motivation to exercise.
Subconscious reprogramming involves identifying and changing these negative beliefs and thought patterns, replacing them with positive affirmations and empowering beliefs. By doing so, individuals can develop a more positive relationship with food, exercise, and their bodies and can overcome self-sabotaging behaviours that may be impeding weight loss success.
Additionally, subconscious reprogramming can also help individuals to manage stress and anxiety, which can also play a role in weight gain and difficulty losing weight. By developing positive coping mechanisms and managing stress effectively, individuals can reduce cortisol levels, which can contribute to weight gain and make it more difficult to lose weight.
7. Not scheduling in time to do NOTHING
Not regulating stress can cause weight gain due to the release of cortisol, a hormone that is produced in response to stress. Cortisol is often referred to as the "stress hormone" because it is released in response to physical and emotional stressors.
When cortisol levels are elevated for prolonged periods of time, it can lead to an increase in appetite and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods. This is because cortisol stimulates the release of glucose into the bloodstream, which can cause a drop in blood sugar levels and increase cravings for energy-dense foods.
Additionally, cortisol can also slow down metabolism, making it harder to burn off calories and lose weight.
Furthermore, chronic stress can lead to a lack of sleep, which can also contribute to weight gain. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the body's natural hormonal balance, increasing levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, and decreasing levels of leptin, a hormone that signals fullness. This can lead to an increase in appetite and overeating.
8. Eating every 3 hours or constant snaking throughout the day
This can interfere with hunger and fullness cues, making it difficult to identify true hunger and respond to it appropriately.
Frequent snacking, especially on carbohydrate-heavy foods, can cause insulin levels to spike and contribute to weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Time-consuming: Eating every three hours can be time-consuming, as individuals may need to prepare or pack snacks throughout the day, which can be challenging for busy schedules.
9. Endocrine-disrupting products
These products can lead to weight gain because they can interfere with the body's hormonal balance, which can impact metabolism, appetite regulation, and fat storage. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic hormones in the body or block the effects of hormones, leading to hormonal imbalances.
These chemicals can interfere with the production and activity of hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and thyroid hormones, which are all involved in metabolism and weight regulation. For example, exposure to endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol-A (BPA) has been shown to increase insulin resistance, which can contribute to weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.
Furthermore, endocrine disruptors can impact the activity of leptin and ghrelin, two hormones involved in appetite regulation. Exposure to endocrine disruptors has been linked to increased appetite and food cravings, which can contribute to overeating and weight gain.
Endocrine-disrupting products can also interfere with the development of adipose tissue, or fat cells, in the body. Exposure to endocrine disruptors during critical periods of development, such as prenatal or early childhood development, can impact the number and size of fat cells in the body, which can lead to an increased risk of obesity and metabolic disorders later in life.
10. Poor elimination pathways
When we don't eliminate regularly, this can lead to weight loss struggles because they can impact the body's ability to detoxify and eliminate waste products, which can interfere with metabolism, hormone regulation, and nutrient absorption.
The body relies on several elimination pathways to remove waste products, toxins, and excess hormones from the body, including the liver, kidneys, colon, and lymphatic system. When these pathways are not functioning properly, waste products can build up in the body, leading to inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and impaired nutrient absorption.
Inflammation can lead to insulin resistance, which can contribute to weight gain and difficulty losing weight. Hormonal imbalances can interfere with metabolism, appetite regulation, and fat storage, leading to weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. Impaired nutrient absorption can impact the body's ability to use nutrients efficiently, leading to fatigue, cravings, and overeating.
Poor elimination pathways can also contribute to a toxic burden on the body, which can make it more difficult to lose weight. Toxins can interfere with the body's metabolic processes, leading to a slower metabolism, decreased energy levels, and difficulty losing weight.
If you avoid these ten mistakes, you'll be able to safely and healthily lose weight while maintaining your high-performing career.
Need help getting started? Book a complimentary breakthrough session with me today.
Comments