Dear women, can you stop putting others before you and take a little closer look at your nutrition needs? That right, more often than not, women are busy playing superwomen even if you cannot see their cape somewhere. Here are some dietary mistakes that women make in their hurry to provide for everyone, yet they often ignore their health needs and fitness in their quest to be perfect.

Eating Too Few Calories

Eating too few calories does not equal fat loss; in fact, it can do just the opposite, stall your fat loss process. Most women can make this common mistake in their quest to improve their health and lose weight. They are so busy that they hardly have time to plan their meals, and in the end, they start under-eating. While a slight energy deficit is eating fewer calories than we expend. But too much reduction in calories can impact your overall health, energy, and even weight loss.

When you eat too little, your body starts burning lesser calories during the day and workouts, increases your stress hormones, and makes you hold on to your body fat even more. You need to eat enough to feel great, burn fat, and feel energized throughout the day.

Skimping on Protein

We underestimate the power of protein, and most women skimp on this all-important macro-nutrient. Proteins are made up of molecules of amino acids and are key building blocks of the body as they are primarily muscle-builders. Proteins are made up of essential amino acids that our body needs to consume more of them through our diets and non-essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make.

You can find an ample amount of protein through various foods such as chicken, turkey, Greek yogurt, fish. The various plant products such as beans, tofu, and quinoa, also contain enough protein. Besides that, you can also treat yourself to some delicious protein smoothies. Protein can also help reduce body fat, make you feel fuller. Apart from that it also improves your workout performance, helps grow and repair muscles, and speeds up the metabolism process.

Shifting From One Fad Diet to Another

Most dieting falls into two categories: they either work or work for a while and then don’t work at all. Most diets stop giving results after a while. While fad diets may help you lose weight initially, they hardly improve your health parameters.

Most diets have a yo-yo effect and may even increase your risk of disease. They are unsustainable and restrictive. However, they may ask you to stop eating one macronutrient, whether carbs, fat, or protein. To stay fit and healthy, women need to include all macronutrients and eat a balanced diet. Most women who make the mistake of eating fewer calories may feel deprived, tired, sluggish, and hungry. In the end, we may lose our willpower and give into temptation.

Ignore the Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

You need to improve what you eat right around your workouts, this is one of the most overlooked points, yet it is one of the most beneficial ways to improve your workouts and get better results. Most women eat nothing before their workouts and not enough protein after the workouts to fuel their bodies.

Most women feel that if they eat anything before their workout, they may feel too sick to work out, and if they eat enough calories, they may put on weight. The truth is, you need to eat proper nutrition before a workout to push yourself further, feel less tired and help you lose weight at a steadier rate. This way, you will also be able to pack in those muscles that you want.

Eating Big Heavy Meals at Later Part of the Day

We may often see women eating high GI (glycemic index) foods such as potatoes, pasta, rice, and bread for their evening meal or late at night. Although we never suggest you give up on carbs, ideally, you should not eat them too close to your bedtime.

When you eat too late at night, there may be a lesser chance of using carbs. Since eating too late may mean the energy isn’t used up, and you may end up storing the fat even more. Eating too late will disturb your digestion process and disrupt your sleep, the last thing you want.

Are you guilty of making these mistakes? Then, you need to stop them right now to stay healthy and fit. Remember, when you are healthy, you may be in a better place to take care of your family!