If losing weight were simple, Spanx would be just a screennamein an S&M chat room. But dieting is complicated. There are evenways to screw up without realizing it. For instance, who wouldever think that working out in the a.m. might be the reasonyou’re not slimming down? Luckily, once you’ve identified theseflubs, fixing them is nowhere near as hard as pulling on a pair ofcontrol–top hose.
ALWAYS A GO–GETTER, YOU WORKOUT AT 6 A.M. What’s wrong with that? Morning workouts aregreat—if you go to bed at 10 p.m. In a recent study in the AmericanJournal of Epidemiology, women who slept seven or morehours a night were less likely to put on weight than women whodidn’t. Those who slept only six hours a night were 12 percentmore likely to gain substantial weight—33 pounds on averageover the course of 16 years! (Women who slept a measly fivehours had a 32 percent chance of gaining 30 or more pounds.)Other studies have linked lack of sleep to a higher BMI and havefound that it negatively affects levels of the appetite–regulatinghormones ghrelin and leptin.
DETOUR: Don’t sacrifice your snooze time—not even for an extra–longrun. And quality matters more than quantity, so taking a siestalater won’t help. In a 20–minute power nap you don’t get intothe deep–sleep stage. You need to go through the cycles of sleepover a few hours to get the restorative rest that allows your bodyto work properly.” Bottom line: You’re better off sleeping thanstumbling to a sunrise Pilates class on too few zz’s. Find a timethat is more convenient and easier to keep consistently.
ROADBLOCK #2: YOU’RE SHOOTING FOR AREALISTIC SIZE 6 INSTEAD OF ANEARLY IMPOSSIBLE SIZE 2. What’s wrong with that? We know size 2 jeans look like theywere made for a 10–year–old, but, according to a study of 1,801people published in the International Journal of Obesity, womenwho set unrealistically high weight–loss goals dropped moreweight in 24 months than those who kept their expectations low.
DETOUR: The study concluded that having an optimistic goal motivatedwomen to lose more weight. And the participants who failed toreach their magic number did not quit trying to drop the weight.Could aiming for Sienna Miller’s figure really help you reachyour goal weight healthfully? If you’re a driven person and alofty goal motivates you, it can work.
ROADBLOCK #3: YOU IGNORE SARCOPENIA. What’s wrong with that? Sarcopenia, in case you weren’t payingattention to your medical TV dramas, is age–related muscle lossand it can start in your 30s. If you don’t take action now, youcould begin to lose as much as 1 to 2 percent of your musclemass by the time you hit 50. Less muscle means you burn fewercalories and store more of them as fat.
DETOUR: The key to stopping muscle meltdown is to strengthen yourbody. When you increase lean muscle mass, you burn morecalories, even when you’re sitting down doing nothing. Find astrength workout and start sculpting at least twice a week. Andkeep it up after you reach your goal weight. Studies show thatif you don’t exercise regularly (60 minutes of moderate physicalactivity a day), the pounds can creep back on.
ROADBLOCK #4: YOU THINK “WATER–RICH DIET”MEANS MORE TRIPS TO THE COOLER. What’s wrong with that? Water in your glass is good, but waterin your food can have serious slimming power. In a new AmericanJournal of Clinical Nutrition study, obese women ages 20to 60 were told to either reduce their fat intake or increase theirintake of water–rich foods, such as fruits and veggies. Althoughthey ate more, women in the water–rich group chose foods thatwere more filling—yet had fewer calories—so they still lost 33percent more weight in the first six months than the women inthe reduced–fat group.
DETOUR: Fill up on food that’s high in H2O. Some good choices in additionto fruits and veggies: broth–based, low–sodium soups;oatmeal and other whole grains; and beans.
