Everyone who is “round” wishes there were a quick fix to losing weight – a magic system that’s easy to implement with a successful outcome! Unfortunately, there’s no magic to make the number on that scale go down. I think I’ve tried WAY too many weight-loss strategies that either didn’t work or even caused weight gain.
Was I doing it wrong? Weight loss experts say so many things, how do you know what’s true? I’ve been reading a lot about best and worst strategies for losing weight. The mega-industry of weight loss has an abundance of opinion!
Here’s my summary:
WORKING OUT – work out more and eat less. This is a common misconception – thinking if you eat less and work out more you’ll burn more calories. Yes, that’s literally true. But even if your workouts are not intense (like mine) you still have to take care to fuel your body. I found it interesting that this often triggers binge eating. I know when I leave the pool it’s really important that I have a protein snack for the drive home. Otherwise I just want to pick up something not-so-healthy while Safeway walking, and bad-snack my way home.
CALORIE OBSESSION – too much restriction can backfire. While it sounds counterintuitive, eating too few calories can slow your weight-loss efforts because your body actually tries to hold on to more calories (because it thinks it’s being starved). I think I’m doing this part right. Although sometimes it’s hard to stay inside the calorie limits – some days tracking my food makes me hang my head.
SKIPPING MEALS FOR SNACKS STRATEGY – we all know a mix of healthy meals and snacks is the best weight loss formula. But avoiding a full plate in favor of snacks later – not a good idea … and yes, I’m guilty. I do trade out, not often, but I do. The mix of meals and snacks keeps your sense of hunger alive and well. The important thing here? Make sure you’re paying attention to the overall calories and nutrients you’re consuming in a day — all those snacks add up fast. Thanks to my menus and FitBit, I can stay on top of this … doesn’t mean I always behave, however. 🙂
CLEANSE OR DETOX TO GET YOUR DIET GOING – despite all the hype … they may not be safe! I read a pamphlet in my Dr.’s office warned that souping and juicing can be harmful to your body, while often adding a lot of calories, and not helping your body learn better eating habits. I used to do a colon cleanse about every six months. But after reading this pamphlet, I’ve stopped. Don’t really want to worry about organ damage on top of everything else …
ONLY PROTEIN, BAN THE CARBS – many diets are based on leaving out a nutrient group, like fats or carbs, or upping one nutrient, like protein. And that can backfire. My experience has been that I lost weight in the short term, but could not maintain it for the long term. Hopefully I’m getting a balanced diet that has all macronutrients! I use the basic “My Fitness Pal” app, so I don’t track the macros, but the next level of the app has that option – something to think about.
SUMMARY
What I gained from my web-surfing today … ultimately, losing weight is about looking at your overall lifestyle. Weight-loss doesn’t come from trying to target just one aspect or seeking out some magical superfood. Trying to address diet without working on eating behaviors (like woofing down a bag of red vines when I’m feeling stressed) and life behaviors (sleep, exercise) doesn’t make lasting weight loss very likely.
Positives today … I’ve hit more than 3000 steps every day this week so far (yay).
My pool workouts have felt really good and I added several laps of modified breast stroke to my plan (go me).
My pain levels have been lower (woot woot).
I ate Oreos today (bad Sandy).