The 4 FAT loss mistakes you might be making

…and what to do instead.

So you're sick of dieting?

You're ready to get healthy & you've started cutting down on your portions & hitting the gym regularly. You're working hard & not seeing results. So what's the deal?

THE TRUTH...

Ever heard the saying, "abs are made in the kitchen"? Well, it's true.

So many clients of mine find fat loss frustrating & challenging, but like you, they just haven't gotten the formula quite right yet. Because the truth is, fat loss doesn't have to be restrictive or filled with boring/bland foods.

There is so much conflicting information out there & it's really hard to know which trendy diet or workout or food rule you should follow.

You're not the only one who feels overwhelmed & jumping from plan to plan only to feel without a resolution. I want to clear up some misinformation about fat loss & help you make a few easy tweaks that will help you get closer to your goals, so keep reading!

Mistake #1: You're using cardio to lose weight

When most people start on a fat loss journey, they do two things: cut calories + hit the gym spending an hour on cardio to "burn calories".

THE TRUTH...

This approach is working against your progress and here's why...

You're hitting the cardio hard through HIIT training & things like F45, which is just cardio with weights. You get home from your session & you eat all the calories you just "burned". To put it simply, with cardio, once your session stops, your calories burned stops. The problem here then becomes you focus on calorie consumption + calories burned. I'll let you in on a secret...

Your body adapts. It becomes more efficient with the amount of calories you're consuming & your metabolism begins to down regulate. At this state, you're also at risk of losing muscle. This is important to note because muscle is your metabolic currency, meaning the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at a rested state, aka boosting your metabolism.

So you're stuck on cardio + counting calories? You now have a slower metabolism meaning you're eating the same amount of calories & doing the same workout routine & your fat loss has stalled.

So you either have to do more cardio + eat less than before to see results, OR change your approach. Looking for long term results without "dieting" + spending all your time in the gym? Keep reading.

So what should you do instead? LIFT WEIGHTS.

Now don't get scared off by the idea of lifting weights. We'll go into more of the why behind this method...

THE TRUTH...

You can hopefully see by now why your past approach might not be getting you the results you've hoped for + set you up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. Not only that, but likely leading to other issues such as hormonal issues, digestive problems, brain fog, low energy, and more. The best thing you can do to set yourself up for success is to develop habits of consistency + stability.

So why strength training? (lifting heavy + giving yourself rest between sets).

1. It won't make you bulky. Like I mentioned above, muscle actually increases your metabolism. Imagine burning more calories at rest? Yup. One of the many benefits of strength training. So instead of focusing on burning calories, focus on lifting weights in order to build muscle.

2. This makes fat loss more effortless + sustainable in the long term. Get this... having more muscle on your body will actually allow you to eat more while continuing to lose fat.

Mistake #2: You're not eating enough

This is going to be hard for some to wrap their head around, but those 1,200 calorie "diets" aren't meant to fuel yet alone sustain your body. To put it into perspective, a 1,200 calories a day intake is what it takes to maintain the weight of a small female who is sedentary all day.

THE TRUTH...

What happens here is like what I had mentioned above, your metabolism begins to down regulate and will start to burn less calories at rest and rid itself of metabolic gold aka that beautiful fat burning muscle. This is why your energy tanks when dieting.

So if this is you, you might be wondering where to start. Well, to start, you're correct that in order to lose weight you have to be in a caloric deficit. So how do we get out of this low calorie + suppressed metabolism state? We don't want to get back to eating normally just yet in risk of gaining back what you just lost due to your metabolism being slower.

Instead, we'll want to slowly increase caloric intake while lifting weights to shuttle those extra calories into building muscle to increase the metabolism.

This might sound scary, but I promise you, you'll find more freedom in eating + life when you realize the power in utilizing your biggest metabolic asset right in front of you.

Mistake #3: You follow cookie cutter programming

Ditch the "lose 10lbs in 7 days" diet that gives you a meal plan of what to eat for the week. Theres a high chance you'll either be eating too little or too much. Cookie cutter programs don't work because there's no one size fits all.

THE TRUTH...

These meal plans don't teach you anything about nutrition or what foods are best for your body so you're left with a plan that likely feels restrictive & without results.

So what should you do instead?

1.Learn what works for your body. The goal for each of my clients is to eventually be able to intuitively eat meaning no measuring, no restricting, & no guessing. The best way to start on that path is to educate yourself on healthy eating and the impacts of certain foods.

2.Start a food journal. This is a very practical step that not only will help you but it will help any practitioner you might work with in the future. This will also give insight to foods that make you feel energized + satiated vs. foods that make you feel fatigued + bloated.

3.Learn how much food you'll need + when. This is important in any fat loss or muscle gain phases especially when it comes to eating enough protein. Macronutrient (protein, fat, and carb) intake varies vastly on the person depending on their training or daily needs. The best way to do this is to work with someone who is certified rather than using an online calorie counter for more accurate results

Mistake #4: You're not getting enough micronutrients

Macronutrients= protein, fats, carbs. Micronutrients= vitamins + minerals. Micronutrients support your digestion, thyroid, & overall health. There tends to be 2 approaches to fat loss... calories in vs calories out & the holistic based approach that says calories don't matter as much, so which is it?

THE TRUTH...

It's a merge of both, and here's how macronutrients come into play in this process.

If your digestive system isn't functioning properly, you're not going to be breaking down your food and your body won't be able to use those nutrients to help you build muscle and keep your metabolism fired up.

If your thyroid is under active, or your hormones aren't balanced, your metabolism is going to be affected. You're also more likely to choose carbohydrate rich foods which may make fat loss more challenging. So what should you do?

Focus on nutrient dense foods that support your metabolism. This means foods high in zinc, copper, selenium, and iodine. Think red meat, eggs, oysters, grass fed dairy, organ meats, and fresh foods.

Foods such as grains, legumes, & beans can be harder to digest, as well as foods that have added binders or emulsifiers. The most important thing is learning what works best with your body. This could include blood work + working one on one to dive deeper into nutritional + lifestyle habits.

Questions? Shoot me an email at hello@micaelapekarek.com to connect!