The Most Common Mistake to Weight Loss

The single MOST common mistake I see people make when they want to lose weight is going straight to calorie restriction. What some may not realize, is calorie restriction can compromise your mental and physical health.

It is a myth that losing weight has to be HARD and involve discipline, deprivation, restriction, and be a painful process. None of those things are true. Can you lose weight quickly by doing a teep calorie deficit? Possibly. It won’t happen as quickly the second time you try it and it will be at the expense of your hormones, metabolism, and digestion.

Many calorie counting apps advise starting your calories between 1200-1400 calories for fat loss. That is way too low and can lead to metabolic adaptation. It will also make you feel worse eating that way over time.

But only focusing on calories ignores the fact that our digestion, hormone production, daily movement, stress tolerance, muscle building, and brain function require energy. If you’re not feeling 100% despite eating healthy foods, this could be a missing piece to consider. Looking at your macronutrients are a much more efficient way to achieving sustainable weight loss.

This is why if you’re struggling with low energy, sleep issues, irregular periods, constipation, bloating, brain fog, blood sugar swings, cravings, you might need to reconsider how much you’re actually eating. Combine eating enough calories with understanding how to fuel your metabolism and support hormone balance, and you'll be able to have sustainable, long term results.

How to NOT find your calorie needs:

• Use the recommendations from My Fitness Pal by inputting your age, weight, and how many lbs you want to lose

• Use your Apple watch to decide how many calories you “can” eat based on how much your burn

• Cut calories to an arbitrary recommendation like 1200 or 1500

Instead Try THIS:

• Find YOUR calorie sweet spot - the amount that makes you feel good and doesn’t compromise your energy

• Learn to listen to your biofeedback (hunger, energy, mood, sleep, digestion, cycle) so you can decide when to adjust; this is empowering when you know you're hitting that sweet spot and still reaching your goals

Taking a recommendation from a calculator that knows nothing about your metabolic rate, muscle mass, long term goals, hormone status, stress load, sleep, appetite, etc. is NOT a customized approach.

If you want a customized approach - one that supports your goals and gives you the accountability to stick to them - then book a free strategy call here.

We'll discuss your goals, challenges, and what you've tried so far. From there, we can figure out what the missing piece is that is keeping you from reaching your goals and come up with a plan for nutrition strategy, workouts, and accountability.

In Health,

Sharifa

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