3 common things that should be obvious to us in the nutrition realm
We all bring our own life experiences into new journeys we set out on. Sometimes those assumptions block our ability to learn what is needed to succeed and delay us from reaching our goals.
Weight loss is no different.
Over half the United States is considered overweight and almost half is considered obese. Due to a multitude of reasons such as: mass consumer marketing, income disparity, lack of education, environment, metabolism, and daily lifestyle, we are getting less fit and even more unhealthy. Many do not recognize the seriousness until it is too late and their life changes in a dark way.
This article covers 3 common things that should be obvious to us in the nutrition realm, but are not.
1. Thinking less is more
This is probably the biggest mistake most people make starting out on a weight loss journey. Cutting calories well below their total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
You should never be more than 1,000 calories under your TDEE. Our bodies are incredibly smart when it comes to surviving and staying alive. If your body starts to think you are stranded in the desert and have nothing to eat because you decreased your calorie intake drastically, it will slow your metabolic rate down to compensate. This will slow down your body’s process of losing that unwanted weight.
My clients do not know how to calculate their calories when they initially come to me. You first need to figure out what your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is what your body burns in a 24 hour period at rest. You then need to calculate and add to your BMR your daily activity which includes exercising and food thermogenesis.
There are a lot of great calculators out there online. Livestrong.com is a great one I personally like to use as well as MyFitnessPal will help calculate your TDEE after you answer a few questions about your lifestyle.
2. Putting all your self-worth in the scale
Scales measure how much pressure you put on it at that given moment. We do not live in a vacuum and there is no way to replicate the amount of fluids, food, waste, etc… that you had in your body the last time you stepped on a scale.
I typically only allow my clients to weigh themselves every two weeks to get a true indicator of their weight trajectory.
Weight-loss is not linear and will never travel in the same direction forever. You will have occasional spikes, but that is ok and part of the process. Focus more on how your clothes are starting to feel on you. Or how much better you feel in the afternoons when you were exhausted just a few weeks ago. Finally, continue with hitting all those small victories like consuming your daily protein intake and the weight loss will naturally follow.
3. Throwing money at “quick fixes” that never work
These are the under-stain of this industry. People taking advantage of others and feeding off the hopes and emotions of others have a special place in hell waiting for them.
Due to a lack of patience and education, the opportunity for others to be dishonest and take your money by selling you products and gadgets that do not work remains abundant in the nutrition realm.
Just to clarify, there is no quick fix. If there were, I would use it so I could move on to help new clients at a faster rate.
The extra adipose tissue (fat tissue) was accumulated over months and years. Now you will invest a few months and maybe even a couple of years removing it. You will learn so much during this period about your body and how to have a better relationship with food. At this moment, you can only imagine how you will feel at that moment. But that too in itself is a part of the process and journey. It’s part of the dues you will pay. You will make a significant contribution financially to your health, but it will be the last time you have to make a great financial contribution at one time as long as you get in a good program and stick with it.
At 4:13 Health and Fitness, we use trainers, dietitians, and lifestyle coaches for every client so that they get expert knowledge from all sides of the equation. Once 6-12 months have passed by and you are looking and feeling different, you will also notice your thoughts and outlooks on everything in life are much more positive because you look and feel like a million bucks inside and out.
