If you were making something harder on yourself, you would want someone to tell you, right? Right. 

Ok, cool. Can I save you some major frustrations when it comes to your weight loss goal then? 

I have three habits that I see my clients doing wayyyy too often! They think they are “healthy” and they mean really well – but when it comes to supporting their weight loss goal – they are making it SO much harder on themselves for no reason. 

Once they understand what works better – they ditch these 3 habits ASAP!

Mistake #1: capping your meals at 300 calories

One of the first things I look for when with any women trying to lose weight is if they are eating meals that are around or not much more than 300 calories. 

This is NOT enough food!

300 calories in my opinion is a really balanced snack! Not a full meal.

Why is this a problem? 

As I said, 300 calories is really not enough fuel, and if you’re eating 3 meals a day at 300 calories (even with a snack or two), you’re not getting anywhere near the total amount of calories you need in a day to support a healthy metabolism!

If you are a woman – especially of reproductive age – your daily calorie needs are almost always at least 2,000 calories minimum (even if you are on the shorter side). Our bodies need energy! ESPECIALLY to be able to go above and beyond and burn fat. 

I could talk about this topic all day – that’s why I wrote this other blog post too, so go check it out.

The other problem with 300-calorie meals is that it’s going to lead to other problems later on. For example: let’s say you’re doing really well on your diet plan all day and then the clock strikes 8 p.m. How many times have you struggled with those snack attacks or a major sweet tooth?

Or let’s say you do so well Monday-Friday, but then the weekend comes and you literally cannot control yourself.

This doesn’t happen because you have bad willpower. This happens because it’s a biological response to not eating enough. And let me say this too: there’s a BIG difference between being in a healthy calorie deficit and simply not eating enough at all. 

When we cap our meals to ~300 calories all day – it’s nowhere near an amount of food that is helpful for you. 

If you find yourself doing the math in your head and thinking that a meal that is 500+ calories is too much for weight loss, I want you to think again!

#2: Always using the same dumbbells for your workouts

Oof, this one might ruffle some feathers, but it needs to be said! 

Your 5-10 pound dumbbells aren’t going to help you lose weight. 

Ok, ok…this depends on the situation. Because if you are a beginner and just starting to get into exercising and strength training, 5-10 pound dumbbells are absolutely beneficial. You are challenging your muscles and supporting muscle growth. 

Remember: building more muscle (or lean body mass) is essential for weight loss! The body cannot burn fat successfully over the long term if you aren’t increasing your metabolic rate and the BEST way to do this is by increasing your lean body mass. More muscle = more calorie burn at rest.

So, back to my point – if you are not a beginner and have been working out / strength training for a while, your 5s and 10s for all of your strength exercises aren’t going to be that efficient for building lean muscle tissue. 

Sure, your upper body moves might need those lighter weight options, but my guess is that you can lift a whole lot more weight for your bigger muscle groups. (glutes, thighs, shoulders, chest). 

Building muscle happens when we CHALLENGE the muscles. This means we are able to complete 8-12 reps and potentially reach the point of failure near the last rep. (failure is not being able to complete another rep with good form). 

When my clients start to actually strength train – AKA: they are truly training their muscles instead of just going through the motions with the dumbbells they always had – they start to see results!

Progressive overload is the best style of strength workouts to look for because the workouts are designed to slowly increase the reps and weight over about a 12-week period. 

Tips for using heavier weights: utilize the gym membership you might be paying for and not using OR sign up for one within your price range near you, search for heavier weights on Facebook marketplace for good deals, or Amazon Prime Day is also a great chance for discounted dumbbells and equipment. 

#3: Thinking your 2 eggs for breakfast is enough protein

It’s great that you’re choosing a high-quality protein like eggs, however, 2 eggs just aren’t enough protein. 

An average egg provides about 7g of protein, so while 14 grams of protein at breakfast is a good start, it’s not what I’d recommend to support your weight loss goal. 

Your protein needs are going to be 0.8 – 1 grams of protein per pound of your current body weight or realistic goal weight. For example: if your goal weight is 150 pounds – your daily protein needs would be 120 – 150 grams of protein per day. 

In order to meet this protein goal, you need to be eating meals with, at minimum, 30g of protein. Bonus: eating at least 30g of protein at your meals will help keep you so much more full and satisfied throughout the day. You’ll be reaching for snacks less and overall not thinking about food so much. 

Eating enough protein has endless benefits, especially for weight loss, and I go into even more detail in this post.

Tips for eating more protein at breakfast:

• Add ⅓ -½ c of liquid egg whites to your 2 eggs
• Add a scoop or 2 of collagen to your coffee
• Increase the portion sizes of the proteins you are eating like yogurt, cottage cheese, turkey bacon, etc.
• Make a smoothie! You can add protein powder and/or Greek yogurt for the protein. Some of my favorite smoothie ideas:

Perfect Pumpkin Smoothie 

Coffee Bean Smoothie

Blueberries N’ Cream Smoothie

Remember, weight loss does NOT have to be hard – and you might be making it a lot harder on yourself with little habits like these. 

Stay healthy, 

Coach Elle