If you are trying to shed that fat off your body then avoid these 5 pitfalls like the plague. They are very common and you must ensure that you are not committing these mistakes yourself. If you don't know what they are then you should probably read on.
1. No exercise required
While you will be able to lose some fat by just correcting a poor diet but if you need to lose weight fast then this alone will not enable you to reach your goals. You will eventually hit a plateau when your body gets accustom to its new caloric intake level. Remember the basic concept for losing weight is the balance you do with the calories you consume and the calories you burn. Without exercise it's going to be hard to burn off those calories no matter how much you cut your caloric intake.
2. Losing Fat while gaining muscle at the same time!
If you want to lose weight fast then you're gonna have to make up your mind on which you want to do. They cannot be done at the same time despite what people would like to believe. Losing weight requires creating a caloric deficit and gaining muscle requires creating a caloric surplus. That would be like trying to drive a car while holding down the brakes. The only way this can be done is by taking steroids or by being blessed with amazing genetics.
3. More is better
When it comes to working out, more is not always better. It is possible to over-train and this can slow down your progress, causing you to get frustrated and maybe even stop altogether. No two people are the same. Just because your friend is able to handle large bouts of cardio doesn't mean you can as well. Don't just blindly copy someone else's workout program. If you suspect that your plateau may be due to over-training then its best to take a short break from your training.
4. Starve yourself
If you are looking at losing weight in a hurry then this is not the path to go. Your body will go into SURVIVAL MODE. It will try to get you to eat. It will store fat and feed on muscle and slow your metabolism down! And you don't want that!! The fact of the matter is that to lose weight you should be eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Eating more frequently will speed up your metabolism and force your body to burn fat. The size of the meals you should eat will depend on your gender, age, weight and activity level.
5. Workout only a few minutes a day
We've all seen these types of workout programs being marketed around. As the saying goes, if it's too good to be true then it probably isn't. In order to shed the fat and lose weight you are going to have to burn calories and 5 minutes on the Stairmaster isn't going to cut it. The only way you can get away with doing a really short work (under 15mins) and expect to shed some weight is if that workout routine totally kills you! By that I mean some sort of high intensity interval training.
