If You Want To Lose Weight Avoid These 4 Mistakes

     Often when someone decides that they need to lose weight they embark on a 'do it yourself' weight loss plan. Often these self designed regimes do not lead to the weight loss or fitness results hoped for.

Here are 4 mistakes that are made and some tips on how to avoid them:

1. Eating a low calorie diet – Many people mistakenly think they need to starve to lose weight but this can cause problems. If not enough fuel is supplied to the body then there is not enough fuel for the body to function leaving you low on energy.

The metabolism slows down (the body's engine) and stored fat is held until the last possible moment. Precious calorie burning muscle tissue is broken down for energy making future fat loss very difficult.

Adopt a diet plan that you can live with for the rest of your life. If you cannot, you will not be able to keep the weight off once you being eating normally again. Try 5-7 small each day with at least 20 grams of protein and the balance made up of raw and cooked vegetables. If you eat one of these small meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day you will find you will lose body fat, have lots of energy and are not hungry.

2. Doing too much cardio type activity - It is easy to think – if I do more cardio I will burn more calories and lose more weight. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. When you perform long duration activities things happen to your body. First, prolonged cardio activity increases cortisol release (a stress hormone) which will cause your body to hang on to body fat rather than release it to be burnt as fuel. Its presence also means you will be breaking down muscle tissue to be used for fuel which is exactly the opposite of what you really want to happen if you wish to lose body fat.

Swap one or two of your cardio sessions with interval training. These are short burst of high intensity activity alternated with lower intensity movement. An example is 15 seconds of all out sprinting then one minute of walking repeated 8-12 times.

3. Skipping strength training exercise – The only exercise that can tone and build muscle tissue which is the key to having a healthy metabolism (the body's engine) is strength training. If you are serious about losing weight you simply must do this type of training. The modern way is to increase the metabolic rate and burn off body fat rather than the old fashioned and ineffective way of starving it off. Strength training will do this for you in the fastest way possible.

4. Not keeping a food and exercise journal – Research shows that if you record everything you eat and when you exercise you will lose more weight and will be more likely to stick to your plan. It is also a great idea to have someone (friend/family member) review your journal as the idea that someone will be checking it will help you stay accountable. You need to be writing down what you are eating so you can be sure of how much you are eating.

And the last thing, do not give up on your plan too soon. Unfortunately, losing weight takes time. You may lose only one half to one pound a week but think of how long it took you to put on the weight. It will actually take you even longer to get it all off. Give your exercise and eating plan a chance by sticking with it at least 3 months or longer.

If it is still not happening seek the help of a fitness professional who will be able to get you back on track and keep things moving. Just keep on trying till you get it right – it will be well worth it.

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