Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Top 5 Nutrition Mistakes You May Be Making


The Top 5 Nutrition Mistakes You May Be Making-


Isn’t losing weight simply a matter of being in the deficit of calories out minus calories in?  It seems so simple and logical.  Unfortunately, weight loss takes a lot of discipline and intention.  According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention approx. 40% of Americans are finding themselves obese with the rate rising.  We can avoid being a part of this statistic by consistently avoiding 5 mistakes.

1-      Giving it all back on the weekend:  Does this sound familiar?  “Monday-Thursday I track my calories and macros religiously, I drink water all day long, I work out consistently and I leave sugar alone.”  The weekend rolls around and the story changes “I go out for pizza wash it down with a few soda’s or beers, I sleep in so I skip my workouts.  I hit a family BBQ and maybe go to a movie snacking on popcorn and candy…and then it’s Monday morning and I am back where I started or even up on the scale.”
I have found that if clients eat clean all week they can usually still lose weight after “one” weekend indulgence…but not much more than that.  Stay consistent.

2-      Exercising for Weight loss: “I ran for 2 miles this morning so I can eat what I want today”.  We all know the benefits of exercise are endless!  My advice to clients is to exercise with the intent of building and strengthening muscles, working on cardio vascular endurance and cuing increased dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.  Nutrition is for weight loss; exercise so that you want to eat the right food.  You really can’t outrun your fork.

3-      Midnight snacking: I estimate that 95% of my clients mention that they usually snack on either Popcorn or Ice-cream before heading to bed or even in the middle of the night.  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study suggests nighttime eaters ate 12 percent more calories than those who ate only throughout the day and International Journal of Obesity study found, nighttime eaters participated in more binge-eating behaviors than those who didn’t eat after dinner.  Most dietitians recommend not eating after 7:00-8:00 at night so that individuals have 2 or more hours to digest food before going to sleep.

4-      Miscalculating calories/macro nutrients:  I am a huge fan of restaurants that are transparent about their nutrition.  I have changed my mind on what to order several times at a restaurant based on this information.  Tracking can be laborious, but helps us get a realistic idea of what we are consuming.  Find an app you like and track your food for a while.  Popular apps include: Myfitnesspal, Food, Fitbit, MyPlate, and even your KOLIfit app.

5-      Eating a “healthy” bar:  Most bars aren’t what they claim to be.  Often bars marketed as “healthy” are full of hidden sugars and unwanted fat. I have found this especially with food marketed to children.  It is important to understand food labels.  When I figure macro nutrient percentages on most protein bars it turns out they are really “fat” bars or “sugar” bars.   I know a protein bar is convenient; but I always recommend eating a protein bar with something like mini carrots, sugar snap peas or cucumbers.


Let KOLIfit help you with your nutrition and fitness goals, we offer an array of options to help you achieve the results you’re looking for.