A dozen diet bloopers that sabotage exercise

I’m frequently asked about the best exercises to burn fat, or retrieve a body part from the grasp of gravity…

The truth is — for my friends approaching 50 or who have turned the corner — those little exercises I might suggest will work even better if you do one thing: improve your nutrition habits.

So to help you get the most from your effort to stay forever fit and fab, I’ve listed the dirty dozen diet bloopers that might be keeping you from your best body and energy levels.

1. You don’t eat before exercise.

Though a particular study published in 2013 circulated about exercise in a fasted stated being better for fat burning, it really had no relevance to you. It was done on young men, fed a high calorie, 50% fat diet. If you’re a 50-something woman already watching what she eats the correlation is very small.

More research exists about eating something prior to exercise helping exercisers perceive workouts as more comfortable. Exercisers tend to stick with it longer or go harder, or both when they feel good. You’re going to enjoy it more and be most likely to repeat it regularly.

2. You don’t eat after exercise.

Waiting a short time to eat after exercise can have a positive effect on growth hormone release, which helps maintain lean muscle. However, waiting too long after exercise, if you’re a female who is already under stress, will potentially result in more muscle breakdown than you want. At about 90 minutes post-exercise, if it’s of sufficient intensity, your muscles are ripe for a high quality, high protein meal that does include some carbohydrates.

3. You eat junk pre- or post-exercise.

You don’t intentionally eat junk food. Yet, if you’re eating a lot of foods that come wrapped in a bar code, there’s a strong chance you’re including foods that are counter to the results you want. Artificial sweeteners or sugar, food chemicals all get stored as toxins in your body. Toxins are stored in fat making it difficult to lose fat.  Know what’s in the food you put in your body. Choose well to avoid this diet blooper.

4. You avoid fat.

The mantra at one time may have been “fat makes you fat.” It is no longer the belief. Scientific data are showing in fact, that those individuals on a higher fat diet, provided it’s a healthy fat, are leaner than those who avoid fat.

5. You assume “healthy” means the same for everyone.

Your body’s energy needs and your microbiome, that is, your gut, are different than anyone else’s. To know for sure what foods work for you and don’t, you’ve got to test.

6. You fall for ‘food marketing.’

Food producers and marketers know what you’re looking for and they’re using it. When you see words like gluten-free, dairy-free, healthy, no trans-fat, and others, you still need to keep reading. It’s a matter of what’s in a food and what’s not in it.

Entire food chains or departments labeled “health food stores” aren’t a green light for every food inside them.

7. You have the right food at the wrong time.

Carbohydrates and proteins for instance need to be eaten at certain times of day to help you feel your best. Protein is best used when it’s spread out evenly at a minimum of three meals per day.

Much of the timing of your carbohydrates is related to your energy needs as well as your hormones.

8. You avoid carbohydrates.

You probably already know that too many, of the wrong kind of carbohydrates, contributes to weight gain. Carbohydrate intake can go too low or too high to help you achieve your goals. Either end of the spectrum has a similar effect on your body. Your blood sugar and insulin levels can go up in both cases, making fat storage more likely and fat burning much more difficult.

9. You have “cheat” days.

Cheat days indicate you’re really not very satisfied most of the time. If you’re on this kind of a “diet” and not satisfied with the foods you eat on a daily basis, you’re not nearly as likely to have long-term success.

Cheat days can be stressful on your system. There’s room for treats in any diet lifestyle. You will eat cake again. It’s unrealistic to think you won’t.

10. You try to do what used to work in your 20s and 30s now.

We have made far too many scientific discoveries since then not to use the knowledge for our own good. You were at your peak of muscle mass and natural metabolism at 25. If you’re no longer 25 it’s time to dodge this diet blooper and do what your body needs now.

11. You’re eating 5-6 small meals a day.

The myth that eating small meals throughout the day will boost your metabolism needs to die. For a woman with hormone changes, often not snacking between meals gives hormones a chance to figure things out again. Normal signs of hunger return. You get acquainted with satisfaction and fullness after a meal.

If you’ve been a dieter for years, you’ve probably ignored your body for a long time. You ignored hunger signals. You ate for emotions rather than physiological signs. Getting reacquainted and your appetite will become a good signal your metabolism is back in order. It can also be a sign or symptom something is out of whack. Either way, give your body the chance to tell you what’s going on.

12. Your protein and overall calorie levels are too low.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in women (and men) who plateau is that they’re not eating enough. Your body gets a message every time you eat (and every time you don’t). You’re either telling it to slow down or speed up. It listens.