Dr. Erin: Common weight loss pitfalls
I came across a great article in last Sunday’s tribune about common weight loss pitfalls. One of the author’s first points was that exercise burns calories, but not as much as we think it does. A recent research study showed that the government recommended 7 hours of moderate exercise a week didn’t trigger a change in weight. Think about it, that’s 60 minutes of moderate exercise per day and there was no change in weight!
For most people, the reason they can’t lose weight is because they still consume too many calories. It’s way easier to eat a package of M&Ms (250 calories) than jog for 30 minutes to burn those 250 calories off. Another common reason people don’t loose weight is because they eat instead of drinking water. The body can’t recognize the difference between hunger and thirst — and food has more calories than water. Lastly, many people who work out eat energy bars drenched in chocolate or high calorie counts. Unless you are doing serious weight lifting or distance running/cycling, consuming that much protein or “energy” after a work out is not needed.
To learn more about common weight loss pitfalls, you can check out the article by clicking here.