Every person has different needs, therefore trying to reduce weight in a healthy, long-term, sustainable method can occasionally be a painful task. Meaning that, despite what we might hope, there is no one "magical" method of achieving our objectives. Instead, to successfully lose weight, we frequently need to learn more about who we are and what our bodies require while also making subtle but significant changes to our daily routine.
And occasionally, even after making these adjustments, we may still encounter obstacles in our path to accomplishing our objectives. People may not get the results they want for a variety of reasons, and plateauing is a normal, healthy part of the process. However, there are times when undetected covert eating habits may be the reason you aren't seeing the results you want. We discussed typical eating habits that can be keeping you from losing weight with some dietitians to understand more.
1: You eat healthy stuff in excess.
While it's important to eat nutrient-dense foods that you enjoy, some of our dietitians advise weighing out your portions to avoid consuming excessive amounts of calories.
The Sports Nutrition Playbook author Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, argues that while foods like nuts, nut butter, hummus, and avocado are all nutrient-dense, excellent foods for you, they also include good fat and have a higher calorie count than other carbohydrates or protein. "Many people who want to lose weight believe that while certain meals are healthy for them, how much of them they eat doesn't matter. This is untrue. When trying to reduce weight, portion size is crucial, thus the secret to success is counting your nuts and measuring your hummus and peanut butter."
2: Your protein intake is insufficient.
For your general health, especially if you want to lose weight or maintain your current weight loss, it's important to consume enough protein throughout the day.
According to Courtney D'Angelo, MS, RD, author at Go Wellness, "Protein is vital for weight loss since it helps shed fat and build lean muscle, but sadly, many people are eating meals that lack enough protein."
People frequently make the mistake of not eating enough protein because they either think it would make them too "bulky," which is untrue, or they are unsure of how to get enough protein at each meal.
D'Angelo suggests purchasing chicken breasts, turkey burgers, chicken sausages, fish, or a pig tenderloin as sources of protein. After consuming your protein source, you'll probably be less tempted to eat unhealthy snacks or side dishes that are high in calories, sugar, processed grains, and other harmful ingredients.
3: You use too much oil when you cook.
Your attempts to lose weight may be subtly impacted by the sort of oil you use and how much of it you consume.
Oil is one of those elements, according to registered dietitian Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, of Balance One Supplements, "that causes a food's calorie density to rise dramatically and quickly."
By measuring out how much oil you want to use—which can make a difference if you do this consistently—or even buying an oil spray can to use in place of pouring oil from a bottle, you can lower your intake of oil and, consequently, your intake of calories.
Another approach is to cook without using any oil. "For instance, using butter or extra virgin olive oil to start the sautéing process of vegetables is commonplace. However, water sautéing is equally effective without packing on the calories to a food that is otherwise high in nutrients "argues Best.
4: You indulge yourselves excessively.
"Everyone occasionally needs a piece of cake or some chips and queso, but many people indulge excessively and end up consuming enough calories to make up for the calorie deficit they had during the week. When this occurs, a person may not put on weight, but they also probably won't lose any either "affirms Goodson.
Goodson notes that the purpose of this is not to cease splurging, but rather to determine if there are any occasions where you might be able to cut back a little.
Eating part of what you want, but not everything you've ever wanted is the key to indulging, according to her. Think of it as the 80/20 Rule: 80% of the time, concentrate on following the plan and eating whole grains, lean protein, dairy, healthy fats, fruit, and lots of veggies, and 20% of the time allow for indulging in higher-calorie foods that perhaps shouldn't fit into your regular eating plan.
5: You're using unhealthy condiments.
"We occasionally add our favorite condiments to our meals to improve the flavor, but doing so frequently might be a serious mistake that prevents you from losing weight," claims D'Angelo.
"If you add syrup to your pancakes in the morning, for instance, it can taste delicious at the time, but that extra sugar will set the tone for the rest of the day and make your body need more sugar. The addition of barbeque sauce or ketchup to a lunch or dinner meal, a "low-fat" salad dressing, mayonnaise to a sandwich, or teriyaki sauce to chicken are additional examples "D'Angelo notes.