Fat Burning Diet Mistakes: 6 Tips for What Not to Do

 Last week, we touched on the 5 fat burning exercise mistakes that beginners make in the gym. This week, I am continuing the discussion. However, instead of focusing on exercise mistakes, this week's article is all about 6 fat burning diet mistakes.  You'll notice that this week I didn't limit these mistakes to beginners. That's because these fat burning diet mistakes are common among beginners, and those who have been dieting for years.

Let's dive right in!

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #6: Turning a re-feed day into a day-long binge.

 A re-feed is a specific, planned day in your diet cycle where you intentionally eat more food, perhaps 250-500 calories maximum more, than you normally do. This food should still be healthy. And, it is meant to reset your metabolism to keep you from plateauing. Typically, these re-feed days should not happen too often, unless you are getting close to your goal. At that time, they tend to be required more often, like once a week, to keep your metabolism high. Unfortunately, many people think of this as a cheat meal, or even worse, a cheat day. They think they have the day to eat whatever they want. This is not the case, and it will set you back on your progress.  Plus, once you cheat, it can be hard to stop. All those cravings you worked so hard to get rid of come back, and you can't stop eating.  I've done it too. But, to see the most progress, it is important to only add more calories of the same foods you are used to eating. Otherwise you could be going down a rabbit hole. 

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #5: Focusing on quantity, not quality.

 So, you're counting your calories, and maybe even your macros, but you're not seeing the progress you'd like. Is this you?  It's true that in order to lose fat and weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. However, just eating less food will only get you so far. Without intaking the proper nutrition, your body will not be working the way it should, and you could end up storing more fat. The quality of food is important so that you stay energized, burn fats and carbs, and keep your sugar levels down. So, if you're thinking that you can carb up before or after a long run, that's totally fine. Just make sure you are eating whole, slow digesting carbohydrates. Not sugars, and white starches.  

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #4: Focusing on quality, not quantity.

 Now let's look at the reverse. This time you are eating healthy, whole, non-processed foods. Lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats are in your diet. And you still aren't losing weight. Well, even though quality is important, so is quantity. In order to burn fat, you must be in a calorie deficit. Plus, no matter how healthy the foods that you are consuming are, your body can only use so much of one type of macronutrient, before storing the rest of it as fat.  This is also where the importance of small, spaced out meals comes into play. By separating your meals, you are giving your body time to digest your food and use it as energy, versus being inundated at once and storing the majority of it as fat. Unfortunately, there is no set amount of proteins, fats, or carbs that your body can use at once. There are approximate guesses, but every person's body is different. So, spacing out your meals, and tracking your calories will help keep you on track. 

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #3: Forgetting to track everything.

 Speaking of tracking calories, it is important to track everything! A lot of people don't realize how small a serving is, or how many calories a condiment has. Following the "fist-full" rule for a portion of brown rice, for example, is not the same for everyone. And, believe it or not a half a cup of brown rice is over 25 carbs. That's a lot of carbs when you still have additional carbohydrates that come from your protein and vegetable source. And, if your body doesn't need that many carbohydrates to use for energy, can you guess what happens? Yup! It gets stored as fat.  The same rules apply to fats and proteins. For example, one serving of ranch dressing is 6.7 grams of fats. That's not terrible, but when was the last time you limited your salad dressing to just one tablespoon? See where I'm going here? Without tracking everything, your calorie count and macro count will far exceed where it should be. And, you will be taking in a lot more calories than you are burning. 

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #2: Eating too many carbs and fats on the same day.

Here's the deal. You can pick and choose whether you want to eat a high carb diet or a high fat diet. But, you can't have both on the same day. The reason for this is because our bodies use carbohydrates for energy first. Then they go to fat, and finally protein.  By limiting one of the first two sources of energy, it forces them to use the other as energy, thus helping us burn fat. So, if you are hitting a plateau, another way to trick your body and boost that metabolism is to swap to a different main macronutrient source. Either fats or carbs. So, take a look at your macronutrient count to determine if you need to change up the way you're eating. 

Fat Burning Diet Mistake #1 Focusing on fad diet macros and/or daily statistic recommendations.

 Per my comment on Fat Burning Diet Mistake #4, every person's body is different. If you are following statistic recommendations, by only eating a certain percent of fats, carbs, or proteins a day and it isn't working, change things up.  Recommendations are based on average requirements. But, you aren't average. You are unique. You need to find what works for you. For example, Keto does not work for me. My body has its own quirks, and eating a diet that is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs does not help me lose fat. In fact, I actually gain fat on that. However, when I change to high protein and moderate fat, I can start to see progress. My body, just like yours is different. This means that you may need to play around with what the right count of numbers are for you. Pay attention to how you feel, and how your clothes fit.  

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you as a result of following one of my editorials or comments. It is always recommended that you consult a doctor and nutritionist before trying something new.