1. You Don’t Get Enough Sleep
You push hard in the gym and eat healthy, but still aren’t seeing results. The reason? You aren’t getting enough sleep. When you lack sleep your body produces more ghrelin (pr. GREL-in) (the hormone that makes you want to eat more) and less leptin (the hormone that tells you when you’re full).
2. You’re Eating ‘Low-Fat’ Food
Low-Fat doesn’t necessarily mean Low-Calorie. To make up for the missing fat, companies add other ingredients to enhance the flavor & texture. These ingredients are usually things like sugar, which can contribute to weight gain. Keep in mind this isn’t always the case for products such as low-fat milk, greek yogurt and cheese. Read the ingredient labels on low-fat foods if you are going to be consuming them.
3. You’re Eating Unhealthy Food In Disguise
For example, if you eat store-bought muesli or granola for breakfast everyday, you may be overloading on calories in the form of dried fruit and sugar. It’s important to read food labels. Ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients listed in the greatest amounts first, followed by decending order by those in smaller amounts. What we think sometimes is healthy, is actually far from it. This applies to fruit yogurts, trail mixes, fruit juices and dips.
4. Portion Sizes Are Off
Most of the time it isn’t so much what you eat, but rather how much you eat. Portion sizes especially in restaurants, are out of control! If you are eating out, split your meal, or take half to go. If at home, eat off of smaller plates and don’t be scared to retire from “the clean plate club.”
Quick Serving Size Guide:
Milk & yogurt = 1 cup / cottage cheese = 1/2 cup
Piece of fruit = 1 medium / cut up fruit = 1 cup
Cooked veggies = 1 cup / leafy greens = 2 cups
Oatmeal (dry), rice, noodles = 1/2 cup
Whole wheat bread = 1 slice
Chicken, beef, pork, fish = 3 ounces
Nut butter = 1 tbsp / mixed nuts = 1/4 cup
5. Social Pressures
Maintaining our willpower and sticking to a healthy diet is easy when we are alone, but not so much when we are out with friends. Social outings here and there can make a huge impact on your weight. Why is it people who eat like crap receive zero social pressure but people trying to eat clean receive so much?? The more often you give in to peer pressure, the harder it is for you to maintain consistent results. Now, I’m all for cheat meals, but remember there has to be balance. Next time you’re out, stay strong and keep your eyes on the prize. You will probably get funny looks and slightly made fun of for turning down pizza, fried food, beers etc. However, as you start to transform, all the “why don’t you eat this with us?” comments will start to switch to “wow, did you lose weight…. you look great.”
6. You’re Drinking Calories
This is a huge factor when it comes to losing weight and no one ever wants to address it. Listen, if you drink a beer, wine, fancy coffee or soda daily, it can easily add up to an extra 150-200+ calories per day. The same goes with ‘healthy’ pre-made juices. Yes, they might contain fruit and veggies but a lot of the time they are full of sugar. How many drinks do you drink per week?? Now, do the math. Remember there are 3,500 calories in a pound.
8. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water
Somehow water is one of the most neglected parts of our diet. Some of us go an entire day at times without one glass!! Every part of your body is dependent on and comprised of water. Your brain is made up of 75% water, your blood 82% and your lungs nearly 90%. It is so important to drink at the least half of your body weight in ounces per day. Why? because the more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. Water also helps regulate body temperature, keeps you regular, flushes toxins and waste, helps with performance so you can push faster and longer, makes you feel full and helps your skin look less dry and wrinkled. Not to mention after 3 days without water, you’ll die. So in other words water is pretty darn essential.
