Dieting Mistakes

Through my journey of health and fitness over the last 3 years, I have made my fair share of dieting mistakes…Apparently pizza and fettuccine alfredo are NOT  six pack chiseling foods (wish someone would have told me this earlier!) But one thing that has made me successful in my journey to getting results has been my unwillingness to give up. I have a vision of what I want my physique to be and I have a vision of the example I want to be for you…its a mindset.

But along my fail-road, I have discovered what I believe to be the 5 most EPIC dieting mistakes that are sabotaging your results! I am sure Krispy Kreme and Chic-fil-a are at the top of the list, but thats another article for another time. Below are 5 things ALL OF US have experienced in one way or another and if you are not careful…you can fall into any one of these 5 dieting mistakes traps that result in continued frustrations and failures.

So let me give you some ammo to do battle here!

 

5 EPIC Dieting Mistakes That Sabotage Your Results

 

 

#1  “Fat-Free” & “Low-Fat” = Better Results

This has to be one of the biggest dieting shams of all time! This caught on during the 90’s and has stuck ever since. We have this notion that eating fat causes us to GET fat.

This is false!

Fat is simply another macronutrient that our body uses for energy…a vital source! Fat is filling, enhances taste, and is necessary for fat loss. Your body needs fats and the “good fats”  are the ones that have those big words (i.e., monosaturated and polysaturated fats). This would include things like fish, seeds, nuts, natural nut butters, olive oil, and coconut oil. These fats will help to promote your fat loss goals.

 

#2  Eating Too Much “Healthy Food”

This is similar to the fat-free fad. Companies have done such an amazing job marketing their product as “healthy”, that we have just gotten used to the idea. Here are some of the most common “healthy” foods that I would avoid:

• flavored yogurts – loaded with sugar
• granola/granola bars – loaded with sugar
• protein bars – check sugar content
• milk – check sugar content
• store-bought smoothies – more calories than a cheeseburger
• trail mix – loaded with candy coated treats
• lean cuisine/healthy choice frozen meals – low in nutrients, high in sodium
• muffins – lets be honest…its cake
• frozen yogurt – same amount of calories and simple sugars as ice cream

 

#3  Fail to PLAN…Plan on FAILING!

The members of RIPPEDCLUB who I coach one on one with hear me say this over and over again like a broken record…If you fail to plan, then plan on failing.

But what does this involve??? I’m so glad you asked!!! You’re so tuned in today…proud of you!

Think of it this way…You dont plan a trip in your car to a destination that you have never been without first mapping out how you will get there. Then you use GPS to make any corrections during the journey and to make sure you are staying on track. Its exactly the same with your nutrition and workouts. You need to PLAN out your nutrition a day in advance and you need to schedule your workout just like you would with any other event that matters to you…For your nutrition, I recommend using a tool like myfitnesspal to plan and track your daily intake according to your goals, using macronutrients as your targets. Learn more about that HERE! If you can get yourself in the habit of PLANNING for success…its far more likely to happen!

 

#4  Measuring Your Progress

A lot of people DO measure their progress via the bathroom scale. Great! Its always good to see if what you are doing is working, but there are a few pointers I have for a more accurate measurement of progress.

1. Weigh yourself upon waking up before taking in any food or fluids, preferably after you drop the kids off at the pool…TMI LOL??? This will ensure a consistent baseline for measurement. My weight can vary by 5lbs from morning to night depending on water intake, food intake, and bowel movements. Again, TMI? 🙂
2. My primary form of measuring progress is taking body fat measurements. A lot of the time when you start a fitness program, you are gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time so the scale can be deceiving. Taking an accurate body fat measurement is a sure fire way of seeing if you are progressing in the right direction.
3. Take a look in the mirror. Many time the bathroom scale doesnt reflect the changes you are seeing in the mirror. If you can see progress…you are making progress!
4. How are you feeling? Do you have more energy? Are you feeling stronger? Doing more reps? Lasting longer in cardio? These are great indicators of progress. Fat loss is not always the first indicator.

 

#5  Failing FORWARD

I can bet with confidence that 90% of you reading this have given up on your entire nutrition plan or workout regimen because you slipped up at one point or another… You were dead set on not cheating but ended up having 6 pieces of pizza. You couldnt resist that donut at the office in the morning and you figure…”well I screwed up this morning, might as well give up on the rest of the day”, and you end up hitting Burger King for lunch and Chinese takeout for dinner.

The worst thing you can do is give up because you slipped up! So you tanked on your nutrition for one meal, a whole day, or a week…big deal! Its in the past. Does it honestly make sense to continue down a path you KNOW you dont want to go down? Its never to late to start again! I failed P90X 7 times before getting it right! Admit to yourself that you made a mistake and keep your eyes on what’s waiting for you ahead once you’re back on track.

The only true failure is when you give up!

I hope these 5 dieting mistakes provided you some value! Its my goal to make resources that are practical and useful so that ANYONE can succeed with their nutrition and fitness. Do me a favor if you enjoyed this article: click the LIKE & SHARE icons on the left there and share this article. It will no doubt help others if it helped you! I appreciate you helping our mission of ending the trend of obesity.

 

Now its time to BRING IT & inspire others to do the same!

Coach Todd