LAST week we looked at five reasons you aren’t losing weight. These reasons focused mostly on your management of carbohydrates, fats and protein (macronutrients). In this article we’re going to look at general eating choices which can inhibit fat loss.

Making drastic dietary changes without support

Going from zero to 100 with dietary changes will often set you up for challenges. If you make “half steps”, your chances of success may increase.

Instead of deciding to never have cookies again, trying to switch them to diet cookies. Instead of never having ice-cream, settle on flavoured yogurt.

Be sure to do research to make sure your replacements are truly healthy, but it’s worth the effort. Be careful not to get too attached as these replacements are often placeholders, so the diet cookies are holding the habit in place for your favourite cookies, and sooner or later you’ll slide straight back. Plan to move forward to natural, healthy foods.

Eliminating entire groups of essential nutrients

Eliminating vegetables or fruit completely will also eliminate sources of important micronutrients needed for your life functions. Eliminating carbohydrates means eliminating easily acquired sources of healthy fibre.

The lack of micronutrients will eventually be harmful, and possibly lethal, as in the case of insufficient vitamin C, B12 and others. Unless you have special medical restrictions, attempt to have a complete balanced diet.

Unnecessarily eating gluten free

Following a gluten-free diet has become a trend, but the only people who need to adhere to a gluten-free diet are those with medical conditions, such as mast cell activation syndrome, celiac disease or Crohn’s disease. Many gluten-free products have more calories and sugar than their gluten-included counterparts, and often don’t result in health or weight-loss benefits.

Thinking all smoothies are automatically healthy

Often people assume that no-sugar added juices, natural coconut water and similar drinks are great to drink while trying to lose weight. This is not always the case. Yes, the nutrients are excellent; however, if it is manufactured you cannot be certain of the “creative mathematics” employed by the company. and even if you are juicing yourself, the servings are often much more than if you were eating the fruit.

One 16 or 24 oz serving of natural juice is often two to three servings of fruit in one drink. Even coconut water is 45 calories per cup, and most people drink two to three cups at a time.

Additionally, the absorption rate of the juice is quicker, spiking your insulin levels and activating fat retention systems. So, yes, have your fruit juice and your coconut water, but ensure you know your portion sizes or seldom have them.

Except for good protein drinks (if you require them), avoid drinking your calories.

Not eating enough

Constantly, severely restricting your caloric intake is a sure way to make fat loss progressively more difficult.

The principle is simple: Your body is designed to survive. This ability has been passed down to us by our ancestors who survived ice ages and famine. As our caloric intake becomes constantly restricted, our systems learn to conserve energy, effectively reducing our metabolic rate and putting us into an energy-saving mode.

Unfortunately, this can become a difficult state to reverse. As a result, our energy levels will reduce; our mental sharpness, mood, and rate of biological functions will decline; muscle loss will occur; and when we attempt to eat at reasonably normal caloric levels, fat gain will occur. Unless you are a part of a specially monitored programme, moderate caloric restriction is best for long-term results.

We constantly hear how simple it is to lose weight. well, it is and is not at the same time. We have complex biological and psychological systems. So, once again, healthy eating is a balance, but more accurately, an intricate balance of multiple points.

When you are working towards a leaner, healthier body weight, the balance becomes even more important than before. Be knowledgeable and eat controlled portions, eat healthily, eat with colour variety, and eat cleanly.

Fitz-George Rattray is the director of Intekai Academy, which is focused on helping people live a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and weight management. If you are interested in losing weight or living a healthier lifestyle, give them a call at 968-8238, or visit their website at intekaiacademy.org.