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Three Stunning Weight Loss Mistakes You Can Easily Fix

O.k. Right From the start, it’s not just three weight loss mistakes (see also the articles - “Why Can’t I Lost Weight” and “Workout Mistakes“)but a smorgasbord. For some reason, a lot more people than usual felt like personally emailing me their weight loss problems to answer in the newsletter this month.

Since it’s going to rain today, I thought, “What the heck, lets put some of them down so the next time this happens others will have a place to look up the same weight loss mistakes.” So lets start with the first one..

Hi Ray,

I am finishing up with reading Fat 2 Fit. And I am really enjoying it! The way it is presented keeps it real.

I have downloaded the nutrition info, and am starting to manipulate it into my new workout routine.

The thing is Ray, I go to the gym 3 days a week, make sure my calories do not exceed 1700 per day and my fat content is below 50 grams per day. And have been doing this consistently for 6 months. I have a personal trainer twice a week and she is great… my fitness levels have really improved! But my weight and inches aren’t going anywhere.

I’ve even asked her to figure it out for me, but neither does she have an answer.

During my reading of your Fat 2 Fit Program, I have come to respect what you have to say.
Therefore I would like to ask you, Where Am I Making Mistakes?

I am almost (in 4 weeks) 21 years old, weigh 95 kilograms and am 168 cm’s tall (or short)

My BMI is 34.

If you can help me, … you have no idea what it would mean to me.

Nadia

Answer From Ray Burton:

Hi Nadia, most times when I get an email like this from people it can only be a few things. Here are three of the most common weight loss mistakes and before I forget, the BMI is a load of crap so forget about that.

1. The ratios of protein to carbohydrates to fats (Basic Nutrition).
2. Mistaken Identity
3. Lifting light (for the ladies)

For the first one, what I mean by the ratios of proteins to carbohydrates to fats is that most people only worry about total calories and fat. Now that’s a good thing but you also have to make sure about the sources of your carbohydrates, the amount of protein and the types of fats your eating.

A great example is licorice. You look at the label and it says low fat. AWESOME! Not really. Now this is a silly example but if you ate 1700 calories of this “low fat” snack, you would get hit over the head with the sugar stick and have almost zero protein for you muscles to grow and recover on. You’ve just started to play with the diet in the book so this eating stuff wont be a problem for you soon, just follow the eating plan in the program.

Now for the second one, mistaken identity. VERY often with women their bodies respond fantastically to weight training but their trainers do not do bodyfat tests. Just measurements and weight. Then after a couple of weeks, they don’t see a weight change because they have lost 5 pounds of fat and put on five pounds of muscle. The net change shows zero but, oh how far that is from the real story of what is going on with their bodies. Of course they feel a ton different but that damn scale plays a really heavy role on your motivation when you look down at it no matter how great you feel or how many dress sizes you have gone down.

The third major weight loss mistake I see is clients lifting light. When they come in they say they “don’t want to get big, so I’m lifting light”. What a mistake. You couldn’t be any more wrong with that approach. You lift weights to change the shape of your body and you adjust the speed of your training to elevate your heart rate to burn calories. Then you make up for any mistakes with a dash of intense cardio now and then. That’s how it works but people lift light and their bodies laugh at them. If the weights are light then there is absolutely no reason for the body to respond to the training in any way shape or form. It’s just a waste of time. You just have to remember that “heavy” is a relative term. If you have trouble lifting something on the 12th rep, then it’s heavy for you.

I hope that helps a little.

The Max Heart Rate Question – Is Pushing To Hard A Mistake?

Hi Ray,

I have been receiving emails from you for a long time and this one I truly like due to the simplicity of it. I truly enjoyed the past article on carbohydrates. I have subscribed as well to your fat to fit program and I have to say it was also very informative. My only regret is the fact that I never gave you feedback on the program in the checkup form. Just know that I do follow it but I tend to stay on it for a bit then do something else, then start over again.

In any case I guess I am writing to you to find out exactly how heart rate comes into play. I usually do a 4 day 2 split and I do cardio on the elliptical for 30 minutes all four days. I enjoy doing a “hard” cardio so when it tells me to slow down for max heart rate, I feel as if I am not doing a good job. Can you explain this to me as I am trying to understand if your heart rate should ever go above the max and if it does, is this a mistake?
Thanks Ray.

Answer From Ray Burton:

Your max heart rate actually changes with how in shape you are. A 37 year old who is in shape has a higher safe max heart than a couch potato of the same age. The machines at the gym are made to be super conservative and safe so no one gets sued. This is why I always put the machine on manual and adjust the intensity myself instead of letting the machine monitor and adjust according to my heart rate.

Once you are in shape and the doctor says you are healthy and safe, you should just push it hard whenever you want. Those poor gazelles don’t wear heart rate monitors when lions chase them…that’s how nature designed us.

I’m Not Making Any Mistakes And I Still Don’t Lose Weight!

Hi Ray,

I know you see the subject line and think, ok, just like every other excuse maker out there. I promise you I am not. I have been trying so many different angles of diet and exercise for years now, and I’m stuck. I just turned 30, I’m 5′ 9″ and today weighed in at 152. I have never been obese, and I’m not trying to lose weight as much as body fat. I’ve worked out with trainers that feed me 2100 cals a day and hard training workout, plus I am a runner and run on most days of the week as well. I run about a 10 minute mile for at a minimum of 30 mins.

2 weeks ago I started the Jillian Michaels program from her book “Making The Cut” and have been working out harder than ever, eating a 40-30-30 (or 40-35-25) diet for 2 weeks, stepped on the scale today and I gained a pound!! I’ve followed the instructions to the letter, my meals are VERY balanced and I’m eating better this last year than I have my entire life (and I’ve always eaten relatively healthy) I have logged all of my meals on ShapeFit’s FitTracker meal plan, and make sure that I do not go over 1500 calories in a day. I’m eating 6 times a day.

A typical days food for me is:

Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean -1 cup; 1/2 cup fat free milk, 1/2 a protein shake (Body Fortress Chocolate 26g protein, 110 cals)
Snack: 20 almonds
Lunch: Chicken or Turkey Breast (not cold cuts, but real breast meat) 3-5oz, Broccoli 1-2 cups, Fat Free Italian Dressing, 3tbsp.
Snack: Grapes (1 cup) or a small tangerine or plum; string cheese (Frigo Low Fat -60cals)
Dinner: Egg Beaters, 2 servings (65cals), spinach 1cup, and Fat Free Cheese (graded, 110cals)
Snack: Yogurt (1 cup) or Fruit

I’m getting so discouraged at everyone telling me that my body just doesn’t want to lose weight. That’s fine, but my body fat is staying strong at 25% even with the high intensity circuit training workouts, cardio and diet.

I need help, or any thoughts you may have on why I seem to be resistant to weight loss?

Thank you in advance,
Jennifer

Answer From Ray Burton:
You’re right, everything does look very good except your protein intake looks a little low for my tastes. The only other things I can think of is to total the calories for all your activities and see if you are underfeeding for the work load. The other is when is the last time you took a break? Is your body catabolic and stuck with the fat burning because of a catabolic hormones ramping up from the workload?

I always try to go as simple as possible to track down mistakes. Is it?
1. Underfeeding
2. Overfeeding
3. Undertraining
4. Overtraining
5. Macronutrient Ratios
6. Balance between cardio, resistance training
7. Lifestyle stresses
8. Medical

Hope that helps a little. It’s a hard thing to do over email without watching you train and meeting you.

Well that’s it folks. We covered a LOT of ground and I put in links to several other resources for further reading if something looked similar to the weight loss mistakes you might be making.

If your progress has stalled, where do you think your biggest weight loss mistake is? Let me know in the comments below.

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