Diet Mistakes Even Fit Women Make

If you have started to plateau or your progress is stalling maybe its something easy in your diet!  I'm going to list a few simple things to look for in your diet to see if you are making these mistakes.  If so, a little tweaking of what and how you eat may help you start seeing some results again.

1.  Low-carb plan means no fiber.

Bad Bread!  But being bloated and constipated is not good for a six-pack, which is exactly what happens when you don't get enough dietary fiber.  

Solution:  If you're having trouble with constipation, add one cup of beans (like lentil, soy, kidney, or garbanzo, the list is endless) to a meal each day.  This will immediately boost your fiber intake.  If you opt for whole wheat bread, you don't have to eliminate it from your diet; one slice has 2 grams of fiber.

2.  Under supplementing.

Don't go anti-supplement on us.  Most women fall short when it comes to their whole food intake - especially in the fruit, veggie, and protein department.

Solution:  Grab a calculator and have a look at one day from your per pound body-weight, consider adding in a scoop of protein powder daily.  Very versatile, protein powder (soy, whey, casein, and hemp) can be added to fruit smoothies, yogurt and even some pancake receipts.  As for other nutrients, a multivitamin can do the trick.  

3.  Over supplementing.

If your supplement cabinet is bigger then your food cabinet, then that's a problem.  When you separate individual nutrients from whole foods sources (as many supplements do), your body might not respond as well to the nutrients and sometimes they may even be harmful.

Solution:  Focus the majority of your nutrition plan on food.  For example, instead of having three protein shakes a day, cut back to one while eating 2 additional servings of protein-rich foods, like a bean salad or a turkey wrap.

4.  Cutting carbs before a workout.

Active women tend to think that leaning out means fewer carbohydrates.  But skipping food before you train is a definite mistake.

Solution:  Eat a small meal - enough to support activity, focusing on protein, healthy fat and slow digesting carbohydrates- about 30-60 minutes before working out.  

5.  Dieting to the extreme.

The only people who should be on a strict meal plans are those with a physique contest coming up within the next 10-12 weeks.  Otherwise, very restrictive nutrition plans can create a "feast-famine" cycle.  When asked about about nutrition blunders, the first on the list is - not eating enough.

Solution:  "If you are active you can not live, breathe, and think on 1000 calories a day. Your body will not function properly and anything extra you put in your body will be stored as body fat as you are in a state of famine.  You need to regulate your calories by your daily activities.  More activities equals more calories."  Go to the tools section on nutritiondata.com to figure out your daily caloric requirement.  And to lose one pound per week, cut 500 calories each day (say 250 through exercise and 250 through reducing calories.)

These 5 tips were taken from an article in Oxygen magazine.  June 2008 issue.  To see the remaining 20 tips, please refer to the article.