Fitness Instructor Lost 10 Pounds After Correcting 3 Habits
Do you feel like you are doing all the right diet and exercise things, but can't seem to lose weight? You might be making a few mistakes, according to one expert. McKenna Olsen is an influencer and health coach who recently lost 10 pounds. In a new post, she reveals a few changes she made."If you exercise 4-5 times a week and eat in a calorie deficit but aren't losing fat, here's what you need to evaluate," she writes across the Instagram video. "If you are trying to lose body fat and feel like you are 'doing everything right' but not seeing change…you probably aren't doing the right things," she adds in the caption.
You Aren't Adhering to Diet During the Weekend
Weekend adherence is key, says McKenna. "Are you only tracking food intake Monday-Thursday or Monday-Friday and then not Saturday or Sunday, treating the weekend as a free for all? Understand the weekend makes up 28-42% of your week…depending if you count Friday. This means it CAN be an obstacle in your progression if it turns into a free for all. The weekend still counts," she says.
You Are Only Focusing on Workouts and Nutrition
"Are you only focusing on workouts and nutrition?" she asks. "It's time to prioritize the things we deem as 'little' that actually make a BIG difference (especially as women), such as SLEEP," she writes. "Sleep is where our bodies ultimately recover. If we are not prioritizing it, we are going to lack recovery and over time, have an increase in our stress hormone, cortisol, which if CHRONICALLY elevated, can cause inflammation, lack of recovery and impact hunger hormones, causing you to feel more "snacky" which of course can make it harder to adhere to your nutritional targets. Higher inflammation doesn't "stop" fat loss but it does MASK fat loss, meaning the more inflammed you are due to lack of making sleep or stress management a priority, IS going to make it appear that you are not making progress."
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You Aren't Adapting
"How long have you been at this nutritional intake? If it's been a solid 3-4+ weeks and adherence TRULY is 90+%, you might just be ready for a change," McKenna claims. "Adaptation is a real thing. Over time, Your "deficit" intake will no longer be a deficit and your energy OUTput will become something your body adapts to which means a change IS eventually going to be needed to further things."
She Also Started Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning
In another post she reveals a few more habits that helped her lose weight, starting with "regular grocery shopping + meal planning," she says. "I had to stop the snacking and reprioritize eating REAL MEALS. Grazing through the day without optimal protein led me to overconsume the fats and carbs," she writes.
She Packed Snacks When on the Go
Next, she "stopped going unprepared when leaving the house," she writes. "This always leads to built-up hunger, leading to overconsuming or snacking later on. I always brought a high-protein snack with me in case I was out longer to avoid overeating at the next meal or mindlessly snacking."
RELATED: Top Fitness Coach Shares How She Lost 15 Pounds in 90 Days
She Started Eating Breakfast
Her third change? "For so long I was the person who never ate breakfast. I blamed it I'm not having an appetite in the morning and little did I realize that not eating in the morning was continuing to suppress my appetite, then I'd end up extra hungry later and be even more mindless.," she writes.
She Also Started Paying More Attention to Carbs and Fat
The last thing she did? She "stopped winging it" with her "energy nutrients (carbs + fat) and realllllly starting paying attention to fat intake and not letting it exceed 30% of my daily intake," she says. "People tend to be so scared of carbs but fats are the nutrients that add up QUICK. Your body is far more likely to store extra fats as fat vs carbs since carbs are your body's main energy source. This way my issue.. grazing on nuts/seeds, rice cakes with pb. No real meals and the fats added up QUICK." And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss I'm a Nutritionist and Here Are 25 Weight Loss Truths You Need to Hear.
