4 Diet Mistakes You Make Before Noon

Today you’re going to discover one of my dirty lil’ secrets from my personal trainer days… I found that if you can fix someone’s diet and get them FAST results, they’ll love you forever!

Hands and plate with weighing scale on the table

Bonnie, a new client of mine, was the perfect example. She was 47, had three kids, and was struggling to lose weight with her current cardio and diet program. When she started training with me, we immediately switched to short, burst workouts, and as usual, we planned to spend 15 minutes after her first session going over her diet. If we could fix her nutrition, she could lose 3-5 pounds in the very first week.

Of course, Bonnie was a busy mom, and she had to rush off to take her three lil’ munchkins to school, so we only had 5 minutes. But Bonnie’s diet mistakes were so obvious that it was easy for me to point them out and show her what to do instead.

And you know what? She followed my advice and dropped 4.1 pounds in the first magical week using my workouts.

These mistakes are so common that they might be holding you back, too. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed that when I work with someone stuck at a weight loss plateau that they are making 3 or more of these diet mistakes — before noon!

Let’s knock them out of your life, one by one, and get you back on the fast track to success so that you can experience the Weight Loss WHOOOOOSH like Bonnie.

Diet Mistake #1 – Too Many Calories Because of ‘Protein Guilt’

My good friend, Brad Pilon, author of Eat-Stop-Eat, came up with the brilliant term, “Protein Guilt.” Here’s what it means…

The media has so brainwashed us into thinking we need to eat protein every two hours that I often found clients getting their protein from the wrong places.

For example, a lot of folks exercising for weight loss will eat something like a 210 calorie Protein Power Bar because they are obsessed with getting 20 grams of protein. But along with that protein (which is good, but you don’t need to obsess about it) comes 13 grams of sugar and 130 calories of non-protein.

Worse, you’re actually getting low-quality protein (like soy, rice, etc.) in these bars. But we still eat the “protein candy bar” because the mainstream media has tricked us into thinking we’ll lose muscle and our metabolism if we don’t get that protein.

So that’s protein guilt, and you need to avoid it unless you’re happy with the spare tire that comes with junk calories. Bonnie wasn’t, and I’m sure you aren’t either.

The solution: Eat real-food sources of protein (like eggs, fish, chicken, beef, and nuts) or low-carb protein powders (like BioTrust). “Don’t stress about getting protein every 2 hours, just aim for 70-120 grams per day,” Brad says.

Mistake #2 – Scarfing Meals Down Too Fast

I have a friend that can finish an entire 16 ounce New York Strip steak in less time than it takes Bally the Super-Fitness Dog to finish his kibble (and Bally eats SUPER-fast). Not surprisingly, my friend has a few pounds to lose.

Here’s the problem. When you eat fast, your brain doesn’t register that your stomach is full. That leads to you over-eating beyond what you — and your stomach — need. If that sounds like you, or someone you know, the solutions are simple.

First, chew every bite of food 10 times. You might think that’s easy, but it’s not. Most people chew once… Bally doesn’t chew at all, he just “Hoovers” his food back like a vacuum cleaner!

Second, set your fork down between bites. Again, seems simple, but it works. It will slow you down.

Third, and this one’s “revolutionary,” but if you have dining companions, consider having an actual polite conversation with them. That will also slow you down. And word will get around that you’re a heck of a lot of fun!

Mistake #3 – Eating While Moving

This means no eating while walking. I’ve never understood people that eat and run (almost literally) on the sidewalks here in Denver (where I’m writing to you from the Early To Rise HQ).

How do those folks enjoy their burritos from Illegal Pete’s (a Denver institution) when they’re inhaling it along with the bus fumes on 16th Street? I don’t get it.

This also includes eating while driving in the car. Don’t consume any calories (that goes for liquids, too, like sugary Starbucks drinks) when you’re driving. Not only does eating while driving lead to crumbs and spills, but the BIG problem with eating while moving is that we often forget to count these calories.

All those ‘free calories’ add up on our waistline, bulge our bellies, and leave us struggling with the weight loss plateau. Limit your meals to sitting at a table and banish all drinks — except water and calorie-free coffee and tea — from drive time.

Mistake #4 – Chugging Calories

Bonnie often found herself finishing her younger son’s sodas. She knew better, but she hated to see that last half bottle go to waste. But that half bottle was 90 calories of straight sugar.

She also added two pumps of Starbucks’ classic syrup to her coffee (40 calories), finished half a cup of her daughter’s orange juice in the morning (50 calories), and unknowingly drank 125 calories in what she thought was a calorie-free Vitamin Water. That’s an extra 300 calories each day (all from sugar!).

And then there was this: The 588 liquid calories from two “Perfect Margaritas” at Applebee’s every Thursday night with the girls. Ouch.

No wonder that no matter how hard she worked, Bonnie was unable to overcome the battle of the belly fat.

The solution is to eliminate all those sugar calories and switch to water, Green Tea, and straight coffee. Oh, but you can still enjoy a drink or two, just switch to red wine (that cut Bonnie’s booze calories in half).

Now you’ll notice that none of the mistakes say anything about never eating carbs. That’s the BEST news I have for you today.

You can still eat carbs and enjoy the Weight Loss WHOOOOOOSH.

How?

Check out the 4-step system to eating carbs and losing weight (shockingly simple).