I was very young when I started my fitness journey. As a little girl, I did ballet, dancing, and I really loved it. In high school the physical education was also great and varied, and we would never do the same exercises two weeks in a row. Growing up, I loved moving and as my body developed so did my appeal for a fit, strong, and muscular body. The thing with growing up is also that your body changes, and for us women, we get more fat and in awkward places. Looking at that body of mine that I saw as fat, I decided that fat had to go somewhere or even disappear altogether. So, I jumped on a fitness journey, and along the way I have made many mistakes that I have also learned from. But in this article, I am giving you five of those mistakes that I made on my fitness journey.
1. Eating too few calories aka starving myself.
When I started exercising on my own, I thought that eating less means losing weight. While that is true to a great extent, there are also right and wrong ways to do it. And I pretty much did it the wrong way because I would starve myself without knowing that this is what I was really doing. I would skip meals, but also when I would have my meals finally, I would be picky about what I would eat and what I would not. In the beginning the weight loss was fast. Then, I plateaued because the few calories had become the set point for my body to maintain its weight. It was also not sustainable because not healthy. I was tired all the time and had headaches from being undernourished. I was also very weak. So, this is definitely not the way to go about weight loss, and I would not recommend you this way, ever.
2. Counting calories.
Yes. Counting calories is on my list and high up because I was doing it wrong. We’ve all heard at least once that the key behind weight loss is anchored in the Calorie In – Calorie Out or CICO formula. The truth is that the formula is not as simple as it sounds. You still need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose fat. Every time I had a piece of pizza for instance, I would write down the number of calories so that I would go burn them off on a treadmill afterward. One day, I had three pieces of a large pizza, averaging 1,300 calories. I then went on a treadmill and power-walked for three hours on the highest incline that the machine could go. This is definitely not the proper way to do things, and today I know that it is okay to have some pizza, or some cake without having to burn those calories off afterward and feeling guilty about it, which we actually teach our clients at Beasts Train Mean.
3. Focusing on the wrong thing.
Many people make this mistake too, even to this day. Weight loss is different from fat loss, and fat loss is what you should aim for, not weight loss. Why? Because fat loss done right is more sustainable than weight loss. You can lose weight without losing fat. For instance, in a single day our weight fluctuates so much that we gain and lose some in the same day. Being bloated one day and not the next would make a difference on the scale. So will water retention. So, I would freak out whenever I would not see that needle on the scale indicating a lower number despite all the effort that I thought I was making in that effect.
4. Not eating enough protein.
Protein is such an important macronutrient in our diet. For instance, it helps build and repairs tissues that we cause tears on when we exercise. Protein also helps keep you full longer, which at the time I did not know. I would not avoid protein, but I would not eat it in adequate quantities either. In fact, the only times I would have some protein was when I had some chicken in my salad! Today, I know to keep within my macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) needs daily, something that we also teach our clients at Beasts Train Mean.
5. Avoiding fat.
“Fat makes you fat.” That was an assumption that I had, thinking that eating less fat would solve my problem of not gaining fat at all. The truth is that there are healthier fats, and the body needs the fat. For instance, the fatty acids in fat helps our bodies absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat also helps regulate our bodies, among other good functions. Last but not least, some good sources of fat include avocado, nuts and seeds, fatty fish (salmon, for instance), egg yokes. Don’t skip the fat!
BONUS: Doing too much cardio.
While cardio exercises do help you lose weight, there is also such a thing as overtraining. Performing too much cardio puts you at risk for injuries, stress, and if you are trying to build muscles, then with too much cardio training you would be working against that goal. I would spend hours on the treadmill every day, which is definitely not the right way to do things.
I am looking back and I realize how far I have come. I have learned so much on my journey, and today I am proud to be in a position to help many avoid the mistakes that I made, or at least learn from those that they make. I hope that my mistakes are something that you can learn from, and do not hesitate to reach out for help. There is an African saying that goes, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Together let’s beast it!