5 Things you probably aren’t doing to lose weight

Dropping bodyfat/weight is the major fitness related goal most people have when they become more active. However, most also tend to immediately create really bad and unnecessary habits when they try and end up saying “I’ve done everything possible in order to lose weight or lose that last amount of body fat and no matter what I do it seems impossible!”. But are you truly approaching weight loss the correct way and are you truly doing everything in your power to lose it? Most likely not. So let’s look at 5 ways you can keep losing weight and guarantee that you are on the right track for your goals.

1.Keeping Track of Macros – Initially most people who lose weight do so by being more active and dropping calories. Works great the first few weeks. However as we all by now know, the body reaches a point in which you neither can drop more calories from food or become more active. Doing hours and hours of cardio and eating less and less every week is a recipe for disaster. So, as you start your weight loss goals you MUST, I repeat this, YOU MUST know how many calories you are taking in. Either download an app like Fitness Pal or MyNetDairy and start tracking your macros or start writing down on a paper what you are eating and calculating your calories. This way you will know what you are currently eating and where to drop from. This will also ensure you don’t start dropping calories dramatically and hit a plateau in your goals as soon as you start seeing changes. 90% of people don’t even know how much they are eating. BIG BIG mistake. Know how much you are eating and it will dramatically help you. Now if you are lazy that’s on your expense. This is the #1 mistake I see people world wide doing.

2.Not eating enough protein – “But I eat so much protein already” – Is typically what I hear from most people when I ask them how much protein they are consuming daily. Do you really know how much protein you are consuming? Let’s go back to point # 1 of this blog. Do you really know your protein consumption? Why is protein important during your weight loss goals? If you are not eat least consuming .8-1lg / lbs you are at a chance of losing muscle during your weight loss. You want to lose bodyfat not lose muscle. Muscle is metabolically working for you, not against you and the more lean muscle you carry the more calories your body will naturally burn. Know your macros!

3.Not Exercising with enough intensity – Cardio is usually associated with weight loss. However weight lifting and strength training should be the words more associated with weight loss. Let’s now go back to point #2 of this blog. Muscle burns more calories and produces a better body composition. Doing cardio can actually increase cortisol and make you retain, if not gain weight in high durations. So add strength and conditioning to your cardio regimen. I do not recommend body split programs but full upper and lower body splits so you can burn the most amounts of calories. Perform compound (more than one muscle at at time) exercise that will involve more of your body to move. Don’t spend hours at the gym doing biceps curls and triceps extensions, instead train with intensity and do squats, deadlifts and pressing movements. (Always consult with your doctor before any type of physical activity.) Additionally, just because you are sweating doesn’t mean you are working hard. It could just be the heat and humidity that’s making you sweat. Truly push hard, so hard you are going to leave the gym feeling like you did your absolute best. Put down that phone and focus on the intensity of your training. On too many occasions people will email me and say "I'm giving it all" and I reply " do you really?! you think you couldn't do an extra set or 10 more minutes on cardio?" If you truly and honestly can reply yes then keep it up and repat again tomorrow. No one said it would be easy.

4.Keeping detailed track of your improvements – Too many people fixate at looking on the scale rather than looking at themselves in the mirror and making a honest opinion about themselves. Weight doesn’t always relate to progression. In fact you might remain the same weight for a while but your body could be changing without you noticing right in front of you. Are you keeping track of your full progression? Meaning. Are you writing down your how you are performing in the gym? How you are feeling on a daily basis? How much you are eating? (going back to point # 1). How your strength levels are in the gym? These are all relative components most people don’t analyze because they are so fixed with the number on the scale and if it doesn’t drop then they get stressed and potentially quit weeks or months of progress. Just because you can’t actually see the progress on the scale doesn’t mean you aren’t progressing. If you aren’t keeping notes of how you are doing over the long run don’t expect to be changing as quickly as you were in the beginning of your goals.

5. Changing your lifestyle and habits – Way too many people I talk too on a global basis who want to change and drop weight don’t understand that to make the changes in your body you must first make the changes in your habits and lifestyle. It’s not just a thing you do one day and then the next you get to mediocrely do. You must change your decisions and ways of thinking. Many people drop 10lbs the first month and then only 2lbs the second month. This encourages negative feedbacks that they must be doing something wrong and then create negative feedbacks inside their mind. You must start thinking positively in all occasions and start saying to yourself “that’s great, I lost another 2lbs this months, I’m 2lbs closer to my goals” and not “I must be doing something wrong this month if I only lose 2lbs”. It’s how you see things that will change your outlook on life and your goals. This might be the hardest thing most will have to endure, but I guarantee you it will be the most impactful thing you decide to do for yourself.

"There's no balance in life without fitness" - Alex Carneiro

#weightloss #fatloss #macros