Kansas City Personal Trainers Reveal Top Reasons for Weight Loss Failure

PR Log (Press Release) – Jun 16, 2009 – Kansas City personal trainers Micah LaCerte and Diana Chaloux of Hitch Fit recently revealed the top reasons why people fail when it comes to losing weight.
Chaloux says “80% of the way that your body looks is dependant on how you feed it. The number one reason people fail to lose weight and achieve their fitness goals is because they are not eating properly. If you do not eat the right type of foods, at the right times of day, in the proper portion sizes then you simply will not achieve your weight loss goals. Many people get frustrated because they are exercising frequently but they are not achieving any results. When you look at the way they are eating, 9 times out of 10 the answer as to why their weight is not changing is crystal clear. Exercise is not a free pass to eat whatever you want to, and losing weight also does not mean that you starve yourself causing your metabolism to shut down.”
LaCerte added, “Portion control is a major problem. In today’s society the majority of the population is completely out of touch with what a proper portion should be. Restaurants serve meals that should be split up into 2-3 smaller meals, and in some cases I’ve seen plates come out that contain 8-10x what the average person should be consuming in one sitting. Portion sizes aren’t going to be the same for everyone, there are several factors to consider when determining what yours should be including your weight, height, age and body fat percentage. Generally speaking however, a serving of meat or fish should be the size of the palm of your hand, and a serving of carbohydrates such as sweet potato, whole grain pasta or brown rice should be no larger than the size of your fist.”
Chaloux continued, “Lack of awareness is another top reason for weight loss failure. Many people are emotional eaters, eat when they are stressed or bored or constantly eat throughout the day without accounting for it. When they gain fat weight often times they don’t realize why or how it happened. The best solution for this is to journal every single item that is eaten throughout the day. It is often quite shocking when people realize just how many extra calories they are consuming on a regular basis. If the calories consumed are higher than the calories being expended, then the only option the body has is to store that extra fuel as fat.”
LaCerte says, “Motivation and accountability are two big factors that come into play with a person who is trying to lose weight. It’s easy to be motivated for one day, get fired up, buy a gym membership, work out and eat right. But then day two, three and four come around, and without a strong knowledge of why you want to lose weight and what your ultimate goal is, it is easy to make excuses, revert back to old habits, make less and less of an effort, get frustrated due to lack of results and finally quit trying. I’ve heard this story a million times from people who have literally convinced themselves that they can’t do it. The fact of the matter is, they absolutely can do it, it’s an issue of getting them motivated enough to make the right choices on a consistent basis. When people do start seeing results as a reflection of their consistency, and when they get on the right track and their entire life starts to transform, that’s when the good habits stick. Having someone, such as a personal trainer, hold you accountable for your goals can be a valuable tool for success. Knowing that you have to own up to your actions and be held responsible for you choices is a powerful motivator in and of itself.”  
According to Chaloux lack of exercise intensity is another limiting factor when it comes to weight loss. “If you’re going to the gym but aren’t breaking a sweat, or are using that time as a social hour, then you are sabotaging yourself. Just going into the gym isn’t going to transform your body, you need to work hard and push yourself during that time. Beginners should start a bit more slowly but constantly progress themselves in order to achieve a higher fitness level. On countless occasions I’ve seen people “working out” on a piece of cardio equipment, yet they are barely moving their bodies and burning very minimal calories during their workouts. Though it is better to do something than to do nothing, if you are serious about losing weight you need to kick things up a notch, you have to challenge your body to change it.”
Lacerte says “The truth of the matter is, losing weight and keeping it off is a challenge for many because it requires a lifestyle change and implementation of new eating and exercise habits. People are so misguided by marketing scams trying to convince them that it’s as easy as swallowing a pill or following a fad diet for 10 days or buying a silly piece of exercise equipment.  There are no quick fixes regardless of what you read in magazines or see on television. Proper nutrition and sufficient exercise including both strength training and cardiovascular conditioning are the three components that you must incorporate into your life on a regular basis in order to achieve your weight loss goals.”