Listen up, Dallas-Fort Worth: Why your diet isn’t working

by Shelby Hall, fitness contributor of Shelby Hall

DALLAS — If losing weight was easy, I’d be out of a job. Weight loss is complicated, and if you think you’re on the right track but aren’t getting results, here are seven things that might be screwing you over.

1. Lack of strength training. If you diet without exercise, you lose about 50% fat and 50% lean mass. This is bad. Don’t let your body eat away at the good stuff. Prevent muscle loss (yes, your internal organs are included in this) by strength training 2-3 times a week. Dallas has fitness centers located all over the city that can fit almost anyone’s budget -- from 11 different Gold’s Gym locations with super affordable prices to more expensive gyms such as Equinox Fitness, located on Oak Lawn with on-site spas and botanical shampoos in the locker rooms.

2. Not consuming fiber. You need 35 grams a day! Fiber helps with digestion as well as keeping you full longer. And unpleasantly, it really does help clean red meat out of your large intestine. My favorite way of adding fiber to my diet is with Fiber One products. The granola bars are what I go for -- the Oats & Chocolate flavor is the tastiest, but they also have peanut butter, strawberry, mocha, and apple flavored bars as well. It’s one of the most cost-efficient ways off supplementing your diet ($3.99 for a box, available at all grocery stores).

3. Miscounting calories. Just go to calorieking.com for some harsh realizations. How many calories is the average tuna salad sandwich from a deli? 750. That’s the sandwich alone. Try eating at a salad place such as Greenz or a vegetarian spot like Kalachandji's.

4. Not enough water intake. Dehydration slows your metabolism in an effort to conserve water. Slow metabolism = burning less calories. Especially in Dallas, the low humidity requires more water intake than in other parts of the country. Trouble consuming enough? Try adding a punch to your plain bottle with an orange or lime slice.

5. Not realizing that losing weight takes time. Rome was not built in a day, shedding 10 pounds does not happen overnight. In reality, shedding 10 pounds of fat (not water weight) takes about 6-8 weeks.

6. Sacrificing sleep for an A.M. workout. Sleeping less than 7 hours regularly will slow your body’s ability to function properly and can trigger the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. This means a slower metabolism, slower healing, and even weight gain.

7. Buying into the weight-loss supplement scheme. You’re a smart individual but I’ll spell this out anyway: Simply stated, weight-loss supplements are a waste of money. If anything, you’ll have some interesting urine samples and feel shaky, jittery, or even overly-aggressive! The worst offenders include ingredients such as hoodia, synephrine, ephedrine, and guarana.

Luckily, nixing these seven missteps should be easy. You’ll then start seeing the results you’ve been working so hard for!

Shelby Hall is a personal trainer at Equinox Fitness, located on Oak Lawn. Equinox Fitness is ranked the #1 gym in America by ESPN and Fitness magazine.

Have a health and fitness question for Shelby? Email her at shelbyjordanhall@gmail.com.