Sometimes, what we think that losing weight is the most obvious thing in the world. Exercise, eat right, and be consistent – what could be more simple. However, many people get tripped up on the fact that some aspects of losing weight are anything but obvious – in fact, they can be downright counter-intuitive. Here are some surprising weight loss tips to keep in mind:
1) Weight loss is good, but fast weight loss isn’t better. It is possible to hurt yourself by losing weight too quickly. The side effects include loss of lean muscle and thus strength. Some people who lose weight too quickly even get ill.
2) Eat more (often), not less. Many tend to think that if they fast or starve themselves, that they’ll lose weight. The opposite is actually true – the body will slow its metabolism because it thinks it is starving, thus severely slowing down weight loss progress. One of the best quick weight loss tips is to plan out what you are eating every day down to the snack and the amount of food you eat. This will prevent you from both missing meals and succumbing to temptation.
3) More exercise isn’t necessarily better. The first reason this is true is physiological – the body needs rest to recover from workouts. The second reason is psychological – you’ll get mentally fatigued quickly if you push your body physically past the point it can handle mentally. Instead, focus on progression, and focus on short bursts of intensity. More intense less often is better than less intense more often.
4) Many people fail at losing weight, and it’s not because they are flawed or lazy. The simple fact is that losing weight is a battle against instincts honed after tens of thousands of years of evolution.