4 Common Weight Loss *Strategies* That Are Making Your Jeans Too Tight

We have all been there before- following a weight loss strategy that simply was NOT working for us. Unfortunately many of us have also had the unfortunate experience of starting a weight loss program only to end up HEAVIER and BIGGER than we were when we started. Major bummer. I’ve been there too. But with all of the information and programs out there, how do you know what works and what doesn’t?

The truth is for every extreme weight loss measure out there, someone is getting results (even if temporarily) following that approach. When we are bombarded with clever marketing and those stories from others who swear by the method, we are tempted to try it even if intuitively we know that this approach is not so likely to work for us.
While what works wonderfully for one woman may fail miserably for another, there are some common weight loss “strategies” that backfire for most women and will likely cause you to grow out of your jeans.

Failed Strategy #1: Going gang busters with cardio.

I get it. You want to lose weight and a natural reaction is to get busy burning those calories. But WAIT. How do you actually FEEL when you are doing hours of cardio each week? Maybe a little HUNGRY? Maybe a little low energy? I’m sure you are and those are just two of the reasons why going gang busters with cardio will eventually cause you to outgrow your jeans.

If your workout plan makes it impossible to stick to your nutrition plan, you’ve got a losing situation on your hands. If you are too wiped out from your training to do anything else in your life, you eventually quit training and the few pounds that you may have lost are more than happy to come back and bring their friends.

Failed Strategy #2: Going super low carb.

 

Let me say this really loudly- carbs are NOT the enemy. You need a certain amount of carbs to fuel your body (both brain and muscles) and randomly cutting carbs below what your body needs will be the catalyst for a host of compensatory reactions that you DON’T want.

Here’s what happens when you cut your carbs too low- you crave carbs and sweets, you have NO energy, and your workout performance deteriorates. When you add all of these reactions together, what you have is a bunch of missed or less than purposeful workouts coupled with the inevitable breakdown and carb binge. All of this results in you growing out of your jeans.

 

Failed Strategy #3: Cutting calories without regards to protein intake.

The common belief is that you need to burn more calories than you eat if you want to lose weight. At the most fundamental level, this is true BUT it is not quite this simple. Our bodies do not process all nutrients the same AND some nutrients are more effective in helping control hunger and cravings than others.

Cutting your calories WITHOUT keeping your protein intake at a moderate level is a recipe for growing out of your jeans. Here’s why. Protein does a couple of things that you do NOT want to miss out on such as keeping you fuller longer (less willpower required for that lower intake) and preserving your muscle mass so that you actually lose fat and not just weight (super important for your metabolism and weight maintenance in the future). So if you choose to cut calories as part of your weight loss strategy, be sure you aren’t skimping on the protein.

 

Failed Strategy #4: Skimping on weight training.

I get it. You want to lose weight so you aren’t so concerned with weight training. I used to do that too and here’s why you don’t want to do that. Lifting weights while you lose weight preserves the muscle you have. Preserving the muscle you have helps prevent that pesky little weight loss plateau that is so common after just a few weeks following the cut calories and increase cardio approach. Finally when you are done losing weight and resume a more normal intake, if you have lost muscle along the way, it is easier to gain weight and end up with a higher body fat percentage than when you started.

What did you think? Let me know in the comments below! And if you found this helpful or inspirational, be sure to share.