Many Americans try to lose weight. They’ve seen the scale go up and down and sometimes watched it not even budge. The biggest problem could be self-sabotage. Here’s what you could be doing wrong.

• You’re Not Eating Enough

Cutting calories below your body’s resting metabolic rate makes your body very unhappy. If you’re not eating enough to fuel the basic functions of your body, it slows your metabolism. Without knowing your RMR, signs that you are not eating enough are fairly obvious. Feeling tired all the time and getting sick a lot are two primary signs that you’re not consuming enough calories.

• Eating The Wrong Kind of Calories

Consuming your daily allotment of calories in the form of chips and cookies will not help you succeed at weight loss. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2011 that indicated people who ate a large amount of sugary or starchy foods gained more weight than those who did not. Even when they limited their caloric intake. Starch and sugar are converted to fat easily, especially if you are not getting enough exercise.

• Doing the Same Exercise Daily

Any exercise is better than no exercise, but your body will eventually adapt. As you become more efficient, you burn fewer calories. Adding interval training could help you push past a plateau. Evidence also indicates that interval training helps you to burn calories even after your workout is done.

• Using Exercise as an Excuse to Eat

Many people overestimate how many calories that they have burned in a workout. Burning fewer calories than you thought is not what gets a dieter into trouble. It’s the calories they consume when they believe the exercise gives them excuse to eat more.

Diet and exercise are important to a person’s overall health. Used together and correctly, these two things could also help you meet your goal weight. Just remember to keep that goal realistic. And cut yourself some slack on occasion.

If you have a fitness goal – whether it is weight loss or training for a marathon – look no further than personal trainer Frank Tortorici. He can help you meet all of your fitness and weight loss goals. Contact him today.