Call time on these 5 weight loss saboteurs

You’ve culled sugar and processed carbs. You’ve traded cous cous for quinoa and you consistently max out your 5-a-day fruit and veggies. Yet those skinny jeans still feel like they’ve spent an hour in the tumble dryer. What gives?

Fit to Last PT James Staring has five suggestions. Answer these questions honestly, target your fat loss saboteur and feel the benefits.

1. Do you drink enough water?

People often mistake thirst for hunger. Overeating can potentially be staved off by drinking water to address that initial craving. The next time you crave a snack between meals, try having a glass of water first. If you still feel hungry after 30 minutes, dive into something nutritious. We suggest these satisfying nutty nibbles.

2. Are you eating too much at each meal?

Conscious portion control is crucial to weight loss – this means for all required macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and good fats like olive oil and avocado), not eliminating staple items as per the latest craze.

Click here for an easy portion-control guide. Using your hands as a guide is a simple way to determine how much of each macronutrient (protein, healthy fats and carbohydrate) you should be consuming at each meal.

3. Do you know how much of protein, fats or carbohydrates to eat at each meal?

This is really important for weight loss because if you are missing out on important nutrients or not timing your eating correctly, you won’t get the results you want. Stick to these three as a rule.

Remember you need fruit or vegetables, protein and good fats like avocado or nuts at every meal or snack.

Eat your carbs an hour after you workout, when your body is most capable of absorbing – rather than storing them.

For the next seven days when you finish each meal, set your alarm for two hours. When it goes off, ask yourself how you feel. If your energy levels are dropping and peaking throughout the day, then your blood sugar levels are unsteady and you need to examine what you are eating to make sure your energy levels are consistent.

4. Do you workout enough to make a difference?

If you’re tweaking your eating without moving your body you potentially sacrifice muscle mass. While the number on the scale might drop this works against you because the more lean muscle mass you have, the more effective your body will be at metabolising fat.

Exercise regularly and you will increase your lean muscle mass. This makes you more metabolically active, and you will burn more calories – even when you aren’t exercising.

5. Do you take Omega 3 supplements?

As well as keeping your brain agile and skin glowing, Omega-3 helps your cells remain ‘fluid’. This makes making them sensitive to insulin so the cell wall is more likely to release fat for disposal rather than store it in the cellular tissue. Stock up at Holland & Barrett.

How have you beat your weight loss saboteurs? Tweet and share with us @healthymag or join in the conversation on our Facebook page

James Staring is a certified fitness professional with particular experience training endurance runners, triathletes, low back pain sufferers, and weekend warriors of all ability levels. James focuses on building the best version of you and inspiring you to new levels of fitness – regardless of your current ability or age. For more info head to fittolast.co.uk

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Call time on these 5 weight loss saboteurs

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PT James Staring shares the five worst weight loss saboteurs and how you can target them and feel your best this summer

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Roisin Dervish-O'Kane

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Healthy

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