Things That Might Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

 As a trainer people always tell me how they are eating and they don't know why they aren't losing weight.  Once I dig a little deeper by asking more questions they quickly realize when they are answering my questions what their problem might be.  Many people don't realize how much they are really eating.  Once you take the time to log your food in a calorie counting app for a few days you'll quickly realize you might be eating too much.  You probably didn't even realize those few chips you had the other day were 200 calories!  Or the few handfuls of almonds you had were 500 calories!  Not to say almonds aren't healthy but they are high in calories.  Things that could be sabotaging  your health and fitness goals are: 

• Eating portions that are too large.
• Eating processed foods instead of fresh foods.
• Not being prepared - grabbing things at last minute because you haven't gone to the store or meal prepped. 
• Not eating enough fiber.
• Not drinking enough water.
• Snacking instead of eating meals - snack calories can add up and sometimes they are not filling so you still will feel hungry.  
• Evening snacking is a killer for many people and their diet.

 Here are a few things you can do that might improve your overall health and help you drop a few pounds along the way:

• Become more aware of portion size!  We've lost the concept of portion size and when you really see what one serving of brown rice is and measure it out accurately  you'll realize you probably were eating a lot more than one serving.  
• Meal prep will help you stay on track.  Meal prep and portion out each meal.  This will prevent eating more than one serving size at each meal.  If your meals are all prepared and portioned out in individual containers you don't have to even think about it.  
• Use one of the calorie counting apps to track your food and make sure you are looking at how much sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, fat, protein and sodium you are eating.  
• Drink more water!  I ask people do you drink enough water?  Most times they answer yes but then a few more questions reveals the truth.  Most people fall short of drinking 1/2 gallon a day let alone a gallon.  
• Fiber is almost always forgotten about and people don't even pay attention to how much they eat.  Choose vegetables that are darker in color because they will usually have more fiber.  Beans are also loaded with fiber. Fiber will not only keep your system regular it will keep you satisfied longer. 
• If you are limited in time then do your grocery shopping online or through an app and have it delivered to your home.  This is not that much more expensive and it is so easy and convenient.  
• Hire one of the many companies available to prepare meals for you. This is great for very busy people.  These meals are a bit more expensive but if you're time is limited then it is a great way to get pre-portioned healthy meals. 
• If you do snack then have your snacks portioned out in individual servings.  This will prevent over snacking. 
  
• It's late, you're watching TV and you want a snack.   This is about 99.9% of the population so you're not alone.  When I feel this way I do one of two things.  I like pistachios in the shell because they taste good, are salty and seem to help satisfy that evening urge to eat.  I put a few in a dish and I get some sparkling water and thats my snack.  De-shelling them takes more time you eat less and feel like you've had a nice snack.  They are also healthy and have been shown to help sleep.  The other thing to do it just go to bed!

Train Hard.  Have Fun.  Recovery Well.

Coach Cyndee