Eating Healthy Was Making Me Fat

I thought I was doing all the right things… eating healthy, no sugar, only 1400 KCAL a day… checking all the boxes!

So imagine my disappointment when day after day, I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw.

“I must not be working hard enough,” I thought.

So I pushed harder… less sugar, less salt, no bread, etc.

Still, it didn’t work. I hated getting my picture taken, especially in a swimsuit.

I wish I knew then what I knew now, I was making these very common weight loss mistakes.

Give it a swipe…. I bet you might be making one right now.

PROBLEM: Eating “Healthy” but High-Calorie Dense Food

Often women start their weight loss journey by making “healthier “choices: more salads, more whole grains, more organic food, etc.

However “healthy” isn’t always as it seems.

For example- Let’s say you’re at Applebee’s and trying to lose weight- The Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad seems like a healthy choice, right?

Well, it’s a whopping 1297 KCAL.

You could order ½ a rack of ribs, fries, and a roll for fewer calories than that.

You can’t trust “healthy” labels at face value… This is why awareness of what you’re eating is so important!

SOLUTION: TRACK YOUR CALORIES- The simple act of journaling daily food intake has been shown in many studies to improve weight loss results… even in folks who aren’t actively dieting. This is because it creates awareness and accountability around your food choices.

PROBLEM: You’re being overly restrictive- Most people assume that losing weight requires complete abstinence from foods that are sweet, salty, or really anything described as being a “comfort food.” (Hello, cinnamon sugar pita chips)

However, the complete restriction is often very anxiety-inducing as it starts to seep into other areas of your life…

You skip hanging out with friends all because they’re going to a restaurant with “bad” foods. Family gatherings turn into anxiety attacks waiting to happen from all the “dirty” foods available…

SOLUTION: Become a Disciplined Dieter not a Restricted Dieter

While a Restricted Dieter eliminates foods they think are unhealthy or “bad” for them, a Disciplined Dieter understands the truth about the healthiness of different food…

They understand that there’s no such thing as “good” and “bad” foods. Rather, some foods can be MORE or LESS nutritious than others.

For example, just because a cookie is less nutritious than kale doesn’t mean it’s automatically unhealthy.

As long as you’re:

Eating in a Calorie Deficit

Eating Plenty of Protein

Eating Mostly (~80%) Whole Foods

Then the occasional cookie or treat won’t negatively affect your health or weight loss.

PROBLEM: Your daily calories are too low.

Once you understand the importance of calories for gaining and losing weight, a new problem can arise…

If you get impatient, decrease your calories, and/or drastically increase cardio, your body will likely react by downregulating other mindless movements throughout the day (i.e. fidgeting, twitching, tapping, walking, etc.) and increasing your appetite.

Sure, you will lose weight extremely fast at first…

But by week three you’ll experience:

Out-of-control hunger

Mood swings

Extremely low energy, despite caffeine intake

Stalled weight loss

Cue a weekend of “stuff-all-food-in-my-mouth” binge-fest… and start this restrict/ binge cycle all over again.

SOLUTION: Use a moderate calorie deficit and be patient

Before you even start thinking about losing weight, you need to realize that there is NO weight loss quick fixes.

None, nada, zero, zilch.

Stick to a moderate calorie deficit of around 20-25% below maintenance. That’ll be enough to create a sufficient deficit for losing WITHOUT going so low that your body starts seriously downregulating your metabolism.

Still can’t stop overeating? Email me saying,

 “I’m ready to lose it.”

and I’ll get you started towards a personalized approach you’re losing your

first 5 lbs.