3 Things You May Be Doing to Lose Weight That Do NOT Work
When I finally committed to losing weight, in typical Nikki fashion, I went on a hunt to learn every possible thing I could on this topic. No rock was left unturned. I’m not talking about a quick weekend search of the interwebs, I mean years of reading research papers, following experts from different disciplines of health and wellness, reading books, magazines, podcasts…you name it.
In my pre-obsession phase, I figured that I knew a little about losing weight and being healthy, I’m a nurse after all. I mean, I knew all the things you learn in school and in our culture like…..
eat less and move more
cut your calories
find a way to stay motivated
do more cardio
eat small frequent meals throughout the day.
There was just one problem with all these ideas…
They’re all wrong!
I’m not a big fan of wasting time doing things that don’t work. And I’m super annoyed when we continue to spread misinformation.
I frequently hear from women about their struggles trying to lose weight. Many are using these same ineffective methods and not getting results. They tell me how it’s affecting many areas of their lives, not just how their clothes fit. It makes me crazy knowing that there are better ways to lose weight and that it’s being way over complicated.
There are better things you can do, there is better information out there, but few are talking about this. So, let’s you and I start to change that right now!
In this post, I’m going to give you 3 things you may be doing to lose weight that do NOT work.
So… ya can stop wasting your time and start doing things that will get you results. Work smarter, not harder. Sound good? Let’s go!
You just need to stay motivated
Have you ever been frustrated by your own lack of motivation? I get asked constantly “How do you stay so motivated?”
I’m going to share a little secret with you…..I don’t!
Say what? Yes, lady, it’s true! You don’t need motivation, you need…something else.
This girl has been nerding out on mindset because it’s THE KEY to weight loss. You’ll hear me say over and over that a great weight loss plan won’t work IF YOU CAN’T STICK WITH IT.
Pause really quick and think about how long you normally stick with a weight loss plan or a diet. Is it a day, a week, 3 weeks? Maybe it’s longer. But if you’re here, you’re probably not getting the results you want. This tells me you probably struggle to stick with a plan long term.
Now that you’ve given some thought to how long you normally stay motivated, keep that time frame in mind while we work through the rest of this. Ok, let’s jump back in!
How are other people staying motivated past this point and finding the success that YOU want?
Maybe they are making a vision board and listening to motivational speakers every day? Maybe they’re just born motivated or don’t need motivation because they don’t love popcorn and ice cream like we do. Ok - that’s just not true, almost everybody loves junk food. Even my friends with six-pack abs. So, we can set aside the notion that some people just aren’t tempted.
Vision board? I tried a variation and decided which Victoria’s Secret bathing suit I wanted to wear, and I cut the picture out and put it on my fridge with the model wearing it.
This was definitely going to keep me out of the fridge when I wanted to snack! How could it not? I want to wear this bathing suit and look like this chick when I do it. Well, it didn’t work. Surprise surprise. When I wanted to eat something bad, my internal dialogue said “Oh give me a break. She gets paid to look like that. Her job is to work out and look pretty. Someone probably plans her meals and prepares her food. I work all day and raise kids. I’ll never pull that off.” And then I ate ALL the things.
I chuckled when I read this one day on Robb Wolf’s website because it’s so true:
The “I want to look good in a bathing suit next summer” mind has to contend with the “I’m hungry and that food looks really good right now” mind—and research shows that the hungry mind usually wins in the end.
How does motivation win in this war of the minds?
It doesn’t….
Lie: You must stay motivated to lose weight.
Truth: Nobody is motivated all the time. You need DISCIPLINE.
Now, this is actually a great thing, even though you may have just cringed at the word discipline. Hear me out, friend.
Motivation is an emotion; discipline is a learned behavior. Which do you think is easier to control? Now, I know, I know, “learned behavior” yuck! That sounds like work. Changing behavior always is.
Well, the truth of the matter is that it is work, and all the important work to losing weight happens between your ears. That is why the women who take the mindset portion of my programs seriously do WAY better than the women who blow it off!!
Takeaway: Start learning discipline so you can stick with your weight loss plan. This is a must! There is so much good content on this subject, but if you don’t want to go on a hunt and figure out what works and what doesn’t grab a copy of my “3 Steps to Sticking with Your Weight Loss Plan” to get you started.
You must count calories to lose weight
EEK, I hate this one! Even though counting/cutting calories seems to be the golden rule of weight loss there are several problems with it. Let’s touch on a few.
Problem # 1 with calorie counting when you count calories, you are not really paying attention to food quality. 1000 calories from cookies are not going to do the same thing as 1000 calories of chicken and broccoli in your body. Like my sassy 17-year-old son would say….prove me wrong!
One is all sugar. Your body can only use this to burn as fuel or store as fat. The other has protein that your body can use for building all kinds of things, including muscle. It also has vitamins and minerals your body needs as well as fat… and yes, my friend you NEED some fat in your diet.
Cookies = empty calories. Your body may lose a little weight but it’s probably losing muscle, so you’ll end up with more body fat eventually.
High-quality foods = fueling your body into losing weight, plus the added benefits of healthy immunity, hormones, hair, etc.
Food quality matters. Period. You cannot just count the amount of energy you are taking in (a calorie) and balance it out with how many calories you need to spend. This was a nice try at simplifying a very intricate biochem process. And while pieces of it are true, it’s really missing the mark.
Problem # 2 with calorie counting is that some people drop their calories too low and for too long. This is your classic “dieter” who has done this over and over for years.
Your metabolism can handle some drops in intake here and there, but if it’s with any sort of consistency, your body gets smart and it wants to conserve the energy it has stored up (fat). As a result, your metabolism slows down.
If you find that even though you consume less and less food, the scale barely moves, you may be in this camp.
Problem # 3 with calorie counting it’s a pain in the butt and most people don’t like to do it. At least, they don’t like to do it right.
Guessing how much food you’re eating and tossing it into a calorie counting app will not get you accurate information. You need to weigh or measure your food. At least until you have a good idea of what certain amounts of food look like.
Lie: Calorie counting is the best way to lose weight.
Truth: Calorie counting has some applications, but it’s not the best weight-loss strategy, and may even backfire if used inappropriately.
Takeaway: Focus on eating real food instead of counting calories. We overeat junk food, not real food (in most cases). Usually, when you switch to a whole food diet you naturally decrease the amount of food you’re eating.
Would you overeat baked chicken and broccoli? Probably not. But if you’re like me, you can smash a bag of Doritos in one sitting.
Think of switching to whole foods – real food – as a natural way to regulate your caloric intake without having to do the math. And in a way that fuels your body into health, and therefore into weight loss, without the negative consequences.
Chris Kresser does a nice overview of a study in which the researchers took 2 groups of people, one low carb and one low fat, and put them on a whole food diet. Both groups lost weight, but the interesting thing is that they were told not to calorie count. They were educated on how to eat whole foods instead. Here’s the link in case you want to check it out.
Live on salads
I’m not knocking salads, but they are not a requirement to lose weight. Depending on what goes in them, they may cause weight gain instead of weight loss.
Lie: Salads are weight loss magic. You must eat like a rabbit to lose weight.
Truth: Salads can be part of a great diet if done right, but are certainly not a magic fix for weight loss.
If you do enjoy salads and would like to have them in your meal plan, here are a few things to consider.
# 1 – What might your salad be missing?
You need high-quality protein so beef up that salad, pun intended. You’ll hear me talk about getting more protein with every meal a lot because most women do not get enough and it’s essential for fat loss.
# 2 - What might your salad have that it shouldn’t?
“Salad” can mean a lot of things! Are there croutons, bacon bits, and salad dressings full of unhealthy fats and added sugar?
Healthy salad matrix
Base: Use a variety of lettuce, not just iceberg. This will give you different nutrients. Use romaine, baby spinach, or spring mix. Throw in some random greens you find in the grocery store.
Protein: Shredded chicken, chunks of steak, chunks of pork loin, boiled eggs, salmon, or in a pinch I may even just toss a can of tuna on top!
Crunch: Use almond slivers, sunflower seeds, or other nuts for a crunch instead of croutons. Bonus: these provide healthy fat!
Dressing: It’s oh so easy to make your own oil and vinegar type dressings. There are a few good store-bought brands on the market that are super clean and healthy, like Primal Kitchen brand. You want to check labels for any other brands and see if they have added sugar and check which oils they are using. Go for the ones with olive oil or avocado oil instead of soybean, canola, or vegetable oils.
Here’s a delicious Strawberry Vignette I love with baby spinach, red onion, feta, walnuts, and shredded chicken.
Jazz it up: Toss on a variety of veggies – think outside the box. You can even add some fresh herbs, or sprinkle on a little cheese if you’re keeping dairy in the meal plan.
Summing it all up
You do NOT have to magically figure out how to stay motivated, count calories, or live on salads!
Can you do some of these things? Sure! Must you? Absolutely not.
What’s more effective?
1. Learning to be disciplined and build new habits.
2. Focusing on food quality instead of starving and counting calories.
3. Enjoying whatever healthy food you like for lunch; it does not have to be a salad. If having salads, make sure to give them a healthy makeover.
If you’d like some of these concepts explained a little differently, and to have a couple of bonuses added in, check out this video which is all about making specific mindset shifts to lose weight and keep it off.
You can also join us in my Facebook group to learn discipline over motivation.
