In today’s article, we will be shedding light on some common fat loss mistakes that many people make on their weight loss journeys. While losing fat can be challenging, it becomes even more difficult when you unknowingly fall into these traps.

By understanding and avoiding these mistakes, you can optimize your fat loss efforts and pave the way for long-lasting success. So, let’s dive right in and discover the key pitfalls to steer clear of on your path to a leaner, fitter you!

1. Not Counting Calories  

To lose weight you must in a calorie deficit i.e. burning more calories than you eat

Make sure you track calories on an app such as My fitness Pal. You’ll be surprised how much you’re eating!

A good starting point for fat loss is your target bodyweight x 26 for fat loss. Also hiring a nutritionist or dietician to provide some accountability will help massively.  

2. Not Eating Enough Protein  

When losing fat you must eat adequate protein

If you’re in calorie deficit and not eating enough protein you’ll burn muscle and fat at the same rate. You will end up smaller but at the same body fat percentage.  

Being in a calorie deficit will mean you lose weight but to make sure you burn fat not muscle you must eat adequate protein.  

Aim to eat 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. This will help you feel full for longer too!

3. Weekend Cheat Days  

A lot of people will be great during the week but when it comes to the weekend they’ll binge eat and binge drink.  

This can easily take you out of your calorie deficit for the week or even end up in a calorie surplus and putting weight on.  

This is shown in the graph below how weekend binge eating can ruin all your progress.

The dotted line at 2200 calories is your maintenance calories and shown in red is your Friday, Saturday and Sunday binge eating  

Even though you have been in a calorie deficit Monday to Thursday. The weekend binge eating takes your average calories to maintenance which means you lose NO WEIGHT.  

The way to stop this is to make sure you’re not starving yourself during the week. Your calories should only be 200-300 below maintenance. This will stop these massive cravings which leads binging.  

4. Not Lifting Weights  

Many gym goers do only cardio and no weight training  

When losing weight it is vital to be lifting weights. If you’re not lifting when in a calorie deficit you will lose fat and muscle at the same rate. This will mean you’ll end up lighter but the same body fat percentage.  

Weight training tells your body that you need to hold onto your muscle and therefore burn fat in preference to your muscle.  

Aim to lift weight 3 to 4 times a week focusing on a rep range of 8 to 15 reps   . . .