Why You Aren’t Getting Results

Learn how to get out of your own way and lose weight.

You can hire Oprah’s personal trainer, commission a live-in chef - even get your stomach stapled - and still struggle with your weight. There are countless ways to undermine weight loss if you’re not careful, and you may not even be consciously aware of how it’s happening.

In 10 years as a personal trainer, I have worked with hundreds of people. I’ve seen some people get in shape fairly easily while others struggle to lose a few pounds. Targeting a problem area is a no-brainer when someone curls up nightly with a container of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, but other self-sabotage is not so obvious.

Your own roadblocks may be more subtle; perhaps you use denial or rationalization to avoid the truth. For example, if you avoid yogurt at lunchtime “because it’s full of carbs,” but drink a six-pack of beer after dinner, you’re in serious denial mode. Here are some other common, self-sabotaging roadblocks and ways to work around them.

DIETARY ROADBLOCKS

[Roadblock No. 1:] “I don’t eat that much, but I still can’t lose weight.”

First, check with your doctor to determine if an underlying health problem prevents you from losing weight. If this is not the case, you may simply be unaware of how much you actually eat. A recent study showed that the average person underestimates calorie intake by as much as 45%. On a 1,500-calorie diet, 45% or 675 extra calories a day would create an additional pound of fat every five days! (It takes a surplus of 3,500 calories to gain a pound of fat.) Whether you count portions, calories or points, you need to know where those extra calories sneak into your diet.

[Solution:] Keeping a food journal and tracking food intake on a daily basis is a proven method of weight management. Unfortunately, this helpful weight management tool is also seen as cumbersome and is frequently resisted. As one person whined, “If I record my food, then I’ll actually have to deal with my issues!” That’s exactly the point. Denial may be easier, but it won’t help you lose weight.

The way a food journal helps you get out of denial is simple: you record everything you eat and drink at the time of consumption. Otherwise, that handful of Oreos you grabbed on your way out the door and that bite of macaroni and cheese off your child’s plate become distant memories by the end of the day.

Purchase a small notebook or create your own chart on your computer with the following columns:

At the end of a few days or a week, assess your journal for the following:

1. Do you eat little during the day and consume most of your calories in the evening? If so, plan smaller mini-meals throughout the day and you won’t be ravenous at night. Even meal-replacement drinks or bars are better than going without.

2. Do you rely heavily on processed foods or fast foods? Try choosing more fresh fruits and whole foods instead. Purchase a calorie-counter book and determine the best choices before you get to the restaurant.

4. Are you eating for emotional reasons or true hunger? (See number 4 below)

5. How often are you dining out? Limit restaurant dining as much as possible and prepare more meals at home; use portion control when you do dine out.

6. Are your portions too large? Learn how to “eye” portions of both proteins (meat, chicken or fish) and carbohydrates like rice and pasta.

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[Roadblock No. 2:] “I don’t have time to prepare nutritious food.”

It takes no more time to prepare healthy food than it does to prepare less-than-healthy alternatives ­ just keep it simple. Martha Stewart may poach her own salmon, but you can take shortcuts and still eat well.

[Solution:] Use timesaving appliances like the crock pot, vegetable steamer, rice cooker and microwave. Stock your freezer with easy-to-prepare stir-fries and quick-thaw portion-sized fish, chicken and lean cuts of meat. Fill your refrigerator with low-fat cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh vegetables and fruit. Get rid of junk food and make wholesome food readily available and you’re more likely to reach for it.

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[Roadblock No. 3:] “I haven’t found the right diet for me.”

This “diet mentality” way of thinking sets you up for failure and creates a no-win cycle. The cycle begins when you’re unhappy with your body and you go on a diet. When you feel deprived, you overeat, and this leads to even greater unhappiness with your body.

[Solution:] If dieting worked, we’d only have one. So stop dieting. Deprivation and starvation only adds fuel to self-sabotaging fires. Instead, look for ways to include portion-sizes of your favorite foods, and eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Eating a healthy mini-meal every three hours prevents bingeing by stabilizing blood sugar and keeping hunger at bay. Allow 20% of your daily allotment for “occasional” treats like sweets or dessert. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Stay on track 80% of the time and you’ll reap the rewards.

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[Roadblock No. 4:] “I eat when I’m stressed...or depressed...or angry.”

Food is fuel for our bodies, a fact that we often forget. Our emotional links with food begin in childhood when we are sent to our room without dessert. Consequently, chocolate cake is reward and broccoli is punishment. Few people reach for carrots when they’re upset.

[Solution:] Record your thoughts in your food journal to pinpoint emotional eating triggers. Pay attention to the real reason behind the craving and deal with it instead of reaching for that bag of chips. In the book, “Think Thin, Be Thin” by Doris Wild Helmering and Dianne Hales, the authors distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger in this way:

Physical hunger builds gradually, is felt below the neck (stomach), occurs several hours after a meal, goes away when full, and eating leads to a feeling of satisfaction.
Emotional hunger develops suddenly, is felt above the neck (having a “taste” or craving for chocolate), is unrelated to the last time you ate, persists despite fullness and eating leads to feelings of guilt and shame. Find alternate activities to replace food for comfort: call a friend or go for a walk instead.

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[Roadblock No. 5:] “It’s the weekend, so I can treat myself.”

It’s easy to make up for good behavior during the week by going hog-wild on the weekends. If you watch your diet during the week, you may feel justified eating whatever you want on the weekends. Unfortunately, you can easily take in enough calories on the weekend to prevent any weight loss.

Solution: Don’t go below 1,500 calories a day during the week to help curb weekend binges. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule, and splurge on a meal or two ­ not entire days.

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[Roadblock No. 6:] “I only exercise in the fat-burning zone.”

This “zone” refers to an exercise intensity of approximately 50 to 60% of aerobic capacity, usually considered fairly easy even by beginners. Within this range, a person burns a higher percentage of fat than carbohydrates.

[Solution:] Since weight loss occurs when there’s a caloric deficit, focus on the total number of calories expended. While a smaller percentage of fat is burned during higher-intensity exercise, the total amount of fat and calories is greater and, therefore, more likely to contribute to weight loss. Interval training is a great way to increase exercise intensity and burn more total calories and fat. Intervals also add variety and can help even seasoned exercisers break through a weight-loss plateau.

Here’s how to do it: Alternate periods of exercise with periods of recovery. For example, instead of walking at a steady pace for 30 minutes, begin with a five-minute warm-up followed by a 30- to 60-second, all-out run, then a two-minute walk and another run cycle. When using a treadmill or elliptical trainer, increase the resistance and/or your speed for a “run.” Done regularly, this kind of alternation will make your fat cells take a hike of their own.

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[Roadblock No. 7:] “I worked out on the treadmill for an hour, so I can eat more.”

Overestimating calories burned goes hand in hand with underestimating calories consumed. Propping the Sunday Times on a stationary bike and peddling leisurely for an hour will burn a few more calories than sitting on the couch ­ but not enough to justify a free-for-all at Krispy Kreme. The “calories burned” indicated on cardiovascular equipment gives a ballpark figure but can vary considerably.

[Solution:] Don’t use the calories-burned indicator as an excuse to eat more, or you’ll quickly undo all that hard work. If you want to treat yourself for a job well done, use non-food rewards instead. For example, for five consecutive days of 30-minute cardiovascular workouts, get yourself that new pair of hedge trimmers you saw on QVC. You deserve it.

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[Roadblock No. 8:] “I walk for exercise. I don’t need to lift weights.”

After the age of 25, fat to muscle ratio begins to shift ­ and not in a good way. Since muscle keeps your metabolism cranked, having less of it means you burn fewer calories as you age ­ and resistance exercise, weight training, is the only way to reverse the process.
[Solution:] Weight train two to three times a week to amp up fat burning. To get started, take aerobic or body-sculpting classes, hire a personal trainer or purchase a basic weight-training video to learn proper form. In-home exercise equipment is easy to use and works just as well ­ if you use it.

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[Roadblock No. 9:] “I’m afraid of getting too muscular.”

Some women believe that lifting a five-pound dumbbell will give them bodybuilding muscles. In reality, because muscle takes up less space than fat, women who train with weights become smaller and more compact. Many of the extreme female bodybuilders of years ago took male steroids to get those freakish muscles. It won’t happen otherwise.
[Solution:] If increased strength and muscle tone are your goals, use a weight that becomes a challenge to lift at between 12 and 15 repetitions. This amount of resistance challenges the muscles enough to create an “adaptive” change: your muscles become stronger and more toned as a result. If you easily lift a weight more than 20 times, you will need more resistance to get results.

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[Roadblock No. 10:] “I just want to weigh the same as I did when I graduated college ­ 20 years ago.”

Striving for elusive goals guarantees failure, frustration and a few loops around the diet-mentality cycle. Ask yourself why a particular number is so important to you.
[Solution:] Don’t let the bathroom scale determine your day’s mood. Gaining or losing a pound doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fat. Fluid fluctuations, especially among women, vary on a daily basis depending on the weather, the amount of salt you eat and your activity for the day. The scale doesn’t tell you how much fat or muscle you have ­ or how healthy you are. Have your body fat measurements taken by a professional and track that instead of your body weight.

Aside from weight loss, don’t forget the other health benefits of exercise: reduced risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. As if that isn’t enough, you’ll also feel better, sleep better and have more energy.

The bottom line

It’s easy to become stuck in your own beliefs even when a part of you knows they don’t make sense. Learn how to get out of your own way and acknowledge unhealthy habits that need fixing. Find what works for you; stick with it long enough and, who knows, maybe carrots will become your new comfort food.