There’s nothing more frustrating than stepping on the scales only to find that you haven’t lost anything – or worse, that you’ve gained a few pounds. It’s especially disheartening when you feel like you’ve had a good week. So what’s going on?

You’re not being entirely honest with yourself

Did you track everything you ate over the week? Or did you fudge the numbers, forget about drinks or have one too many sneaky snacks that didn’t make it into your diary?

It happens to us all at some point, and we usually don’t even realize we’ve done it. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but it can mean that you’re not losing weight because you’re adding hundreds of extra calories to your day without really thinking about it.

The solution:

• Track everything. Everything! Keep a note of what you’re eating as you eat it. If you’re not already using an app like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, or Cronometer, you should download one and get into the habit of tracking what you eat either in advance or soon after you eat. That’ll cut down on lapses in memory.
• If you’re finding yourself constantly tempted by little treats, like donuts in the office, your kid’s leftovers, or extra whip on your Starbucks order, it’s time to be a little stricter. We know, we know, no one likes feeling deprived but at some point, you’ve got to start saying no. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a donut ever again, it’s more about saying no to surprise calories that’ll throw your day off. By all means, plan to have a donut and figure out how you can fit it into your day, but those little extras that you’re eating without thinking? Pay attention and try and limit them.

You’re forgetting about portion sizes

Think about binge eating and you’ll probably picture masses of chips, chocolate, and junk food. But you can overeat healthier foods too if you’re not keeping an eye on how much you’re eating.

We know it can feel like a hassle to measure what you eat, but until you get familiar with what healthy serving sizes look like, using a kitchen scale to measure out your food is the best way to ensure you don’t take in excess calories.

Check your calorie counting app for how many calories you want to spend on a food before you cook, and then measure things like pasta and rice (either dry or cooked) to make sure you’re not eating too much.

You’re forgetting about drinks

If you’ve got a soda habit, taking the often difficult step of cutting them out (or at least reducing how many cans you drink a day) can lead to a significant calorie saving. A 12 fl oz can of Coca Cola is 140 calories, so you can see how easily the calories stack up if you have more than 1 can a day. A can of Coke Zero is 0 calories, although it can be difficult to get used to the taste.

What about other drinks? Flavored water, energy drinks, takeout coffees on the way to work? They’re all easy to forget about, especially if you automatically assume drinks aren’t high in calories (some are!)

The solution:

• Read the labels or check nutrition facts online before you order
• Go for sugar-free where you can
• If in doubt, stick to water!

You’re eating out too much

We all love eating at a restaurant (we’re big fans of drive-thru too), but it’s harder to stay in control of your weight loss when you’re eating out regularly. You can find nutritional information for many places online, but most things will tend to be higher in calories than what you’d make at home because they won’t be shy when it comes to cooking with oil, deep frying, and using creamy ingredients.

Try and make more meals at home if you can. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make delicious, nutritious meals, and making things yourself is the only real way to control exactly what goes into your meals.

Your expectations are too high

Maybe you are losing weight, but it’s not as quick as you’d like. It would be amazing if weight loss was easy and quick, and you were dropping 5 or 6lbs every week. Sometimes that does happen, especially in the early days, but sometimes even shifting 1lb can feel like a battle.

The truth is that the body is a weird thing, and sometimes you can do everything right and still find you’re disappointed when your weigh day comes around.

• If you’re losing half a pound or a pound every week but you feel like you’re not losing weight, you are! It doesn’t sound like much, but half a pound off still makes you lighter than you were last week, and it all adds up.
• It gets harder to hit those big numbers every week as you get closer to your goal weight, so if you’re thinking that the last 10lbs you have to lose are so much harder than the 60lbs you lost before it, you’d be right.
• It’s not impossible to do, but it does take a little more effort than when you were at your heaviest and your body was only too happy to start dropping the weight. Reassess your goals and your calorie allowance and keep going.

The most important thing to do if you feel like you’re not losing weight is to not give up. Every step towards a healthier lifestyle is a step towards achieving your goals, even if you’re not seeing it reflected on the scales. Keep going and you will see results, even if it takes longer than you’d anticipated.

A common misconception is that you’ve got to give up all the foods you love when you’re trying to lose weight. It’s easy to see where this has come from: it probably doesn’t seem possible that you can still enjoy your favorite candy and still lose weight, for example.

The best way to lose weight and not completely lose your mind while doing so is to keep a little of what you love, using simple swaps to cut calories and make things healthier. Here’s how you can do that in the kitchen, so you don’t have to give up your favorite dishes.

Swap refined grains for whole grains

Replace white flour with whole wheat flour, white rice with brown rice, and white bread with whole grain bread. Whole grains are rich in fiber, which helps to keep you fuller for longer.

Make it veggie

An easy way to increase the number of vegetables you eat is to make your recipe vegetarian or vegan. Take your usual chili and swap the ground beef for red (AKA chili or kidney) beans or black beans (AKA turtle beans or frijoles negros), or bulk up your favorite recipe by adding chopped zucchini, peppers or eggplant. Vegetables are low in calories, so you’ll be boosting the volume of your meal (good for feeling fuller) without adding unnecessary extra calories.

Use healthier fats

When cooking, replace canola oil, corn oil, and soybean oil with healthier options like olive oil, avocado oil or sesame oil. These oils are better for you because they contain monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help to increase levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL) and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) levels.

Oil is high in calories, so be sure to measure how much you’re using. For example, 1 tbsp of olive oil is 119 calories, so don’t pour freely from the bottle! Get a set of cheap measuring spoons so you know exactly how much you’re using.

To further cut calories, consider using spray oil like PAM cooking spray. You can get different varieties of spray oil, so look for olive or avocado spray oil options. PAM olive oil cooking spray states that one ¼ second spray is 0 calories, and although we think that’s food labelling trickery (zero calories?!), it’s true that a short spray of oil is going to very drastically cut down on calories.

Choose lean proteins

Lean proteins like chicken, turkey, and fish, are lower in fat and calories than red meat like beef, pork, and lamb. Try switching ground beef for ground turkey or chicken when making burgers, and switch steak tacos for pulled chicken, ground turkey, or even shrimp.

Beans, lentils, tofu, and eggs are also examples of lean protein. Try swapping red and processed meats when making things like chili, spaghetti dishes, and stir-fries.

It’s all too easy to fall off the wagon, especially after you’ve had a long break from building your healthier habits. Whether you’ve had a bout of low motivation, have been on vacation, or just had some life stuff going on (it happens), put it all behind you and get back into a routine. Here’s how.

Start small

Don’t try and do everything at once. You know what you need to do to start losing weight again: eat better, watch your portion sizes, and get a bit more active. We’re not talking about killing yourself in the gym or restricting what you eat here. Think about what small, achievable goals you can start doing: take a daily walk, or swap a snack for something a little healthier.

Wean yourself off

If you’ve got junk food lying around that’s make it difficult to cut back on high calorie foods, wean yourself off it. As tempting as it is, don’t immediately throw all that junk food in the garbage, because you’ll probably feel very hard done by (also who can afford to be throwing food away in this economy?!)

If candy or chips are your weaknesses, portion them out in to Ziploc bags and enjoy them as a calorie-controlled treat.

Gradually do more to incorporate healthier habits into your life. If you’re grabbing takeout too often, make a pact with yourself to cook at home twice a week and give yourself a pass on the days when takeout feels like the only option. Then add more and more homecooked meals until you feel like you’re back in control.

Find something you enjoy

When you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s much less likely to feel like a chore. This is especially true when it comes to working out, so put the effort into finding something you’ll enjoy, whether it’s dancing, swimming, cycling, or hiking.

Avoid boredom

Boredom is another huge reason why we fall off the wagon, because we need something to hold our interest. Why would we continue to eat the healthy homecooked meals we pour our time and effort into when our head’s turned by a cheesy, easy, fast-food meal?

Mix things up. Try new recipes and recreate your favorite takeout dishes to add some interest to your meals. The same goes for workouts – try something new!

Plan your meals ahead

Meal prep is a great way to stay on track. Planning what you’ll eat ahead of time can help you make healthier choices and avoid impulse decisions, so it’s worth a try to see if it works for your lifestyle. Prepare a batch of healthy meals or snacks on the weekend to have ready throughout the week.

Don’t beat yourself up

It’s normal to have setbacks when you’re trying to lose weight. Don’t let them derail you, instead try to learn from your mistakes and get back on track. Weight loss takes a lot of effort and time, so try and be patient with yourself. We know it’s frustrating, but if you keep chipping away at your goals you’ll get there.

Lean on your support system

Honestly, there’s no shame in struggling to get back in the swing of things. We’ve all been there, because this stuff’s hard. Talk about how you’re doing with your fellow MAN v FAT Soccer teammates, and you’ll soon find that we all have times when we struggle.

Sharing your experiences can boost your motivation, and the support and accountability you’ll get from your teammates is incredibly helpful for setting you back on the right path.

As the season progresses, it’s important to take a step back and consider how things are going. Are you making good progress towards those goals you set back in week 1? Or do you need to adjust them now that you’ve got a few weeks under your belt?

Reflect on your progress

This is a good time to take stock of what you’ve achieved in the last few weeks. Have you lost weight? Has your fitness improved? Are you enjoying yourself out on the field? These are all important things to think about, and if you’re happy with the progress you’ve made that’s cause for celebration!

• Celebrate your achievements. This isn’t a time to be modest: be proud about what you’ve done.
• Think about what went right. What went into your success? What really helped? Knowing these answers will make it easier to replicate your achievements as you work towards your next goals.
• Set new challenges. Take what you’ve learned in the past few weeks and use your knowledge to challenge yourself further. What will get you even closer to your overall goal? Can you challenge yourself to cook more, or to try a new workout?
• Continue to track your progress. You’ve made a great start, but don’t lose momentum! Keep going, and check in with yourself every few weeks to see how you’re doing.

Adjusting your goals

Things might not have gone exactly as you’d hoped, and that’s ok. Maybe life got in the way, or you had a few false starts with getting to grips with changing your eating habits. Maybe your initial goals were a bit too ambitious. It happens. If this sounds familiar, think about what you can change and how, and make a pledge to work on it.

• Are your goals realistic? We’d all love to lose a huge amount of weight in a short space of time, but that’s not how it works. Make sure your goal is something you’ve got a fair shot at achieving, otherwise you’ll just end up frustrated and demotivated.
• Can you try something new? If you’ve not quite achieved what you’d hoped to, consider a new approach. Switch things up and try something different, whether that’s a new workout, a way to increase your daily activity, or a new approach to eating better.
• Seek support. Confide in friends and family and you might find they’re a treasure trove of support and encouragement. If you’re not comfortable turning to people you know, don’t forget about your MAN v FAT Soccer teammates! They’ll know better than anyone what it’s like to be working towards weight loss goals.
• Speak to your coach. Your coach is also someone you should be leaning on when times get tough, it’s what they’re there for! Arrange to have a chat with them and they’ll be more than happy to help, whether it’s looking over your food diary to spot opportunities for change, or for a pep talk when things feel tough, your coach is there for you.

Check in regularly

It’s important to check in with yourself regularly as you’re working towards your weight loss goals. People who are successful at losing weight (and keeping it off long-term) are the ones who are fully in tune with their body and mind, continually asking themselves if there’s anything they can do to better work towards their goals.

Thinking about your goals and evaluating your progress will help to keep you accountable and on track, but it’s also incredibly motivating to see the progress you’re making. Enjoy the process and make sure you take a moment to celebrate your success along the way.

Binge eating is really common among men who are trying to lose weight. It’s likely there’s been a time where you’ve thought, why did I eat all that?! We’ve all been there, and while it can feel disheartening, there are ways to bounce back.

Stop the yo-yo

We overeat, or binge, then say, ‘diet starts Monday’ while feeling guilty or disappointed. Then we radically cut back to try and make up for it.

That can only go so far, and you’re bound to find that you can’t keep the restriction up for long. And when you can’t maintain the restriction, you reach for food for comfort – all the food! And then you’re back at square one.

Break this yo-yo cycle though by accepting when you’ve maybe eaten too much and try your best to simply move on, without placing unsustainable, unrealistic restrictions on yourself.

Get back to normal as soon as possible

It’s true that a new week is a fresh start that’s full of opportunity, and it can be liberating to say ‘the diet starts on Monday’, but instead of waiting, seize the day and don’t let a bad day spiral into several.

Each meal is a new opportunity to flex your healthy eating habits. If you had one flat tire you wouldn’t slash the other three. In the same way, don’t give up on your goal because of one setback.

Drink more water

Most of us are guilty of depriving our bodies of the water it needs to function. Does that ring true? Do you get your eight glasses of fluids in a day? Drinking more water will stop you from getting dehydrated, especially after a high salt binge, and it’ll help with your digestion too.

Get moving

When you’re feeling lethargic and full after binge eating, you’re probably going to want to just lie on the sofa doing nothing except possibly clutching your belly and wailing.

Although it’ll feel like the last thing you want, the best thing you can do is to get active.
Go for a walk and blow off the cobwebs. It doesn’t need to be an especially long walk but getting yourself out of the house will take your mind off that uncomfortable full feeling and will help your body start to process all that excess food.

Cut yourself some slack

We’ve saved the most important for last. Don’t beat yourself up about the odd binge slip up. Changing your unhealthy eating habits is a monumental task and it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. Try to see it as an experience to learn from. Breaking a habit like bingeing takes time and effort to overcome.

See if you can work out if there are any triggers to your binge eating and that should put you in a good place to spot the next potential binge and try and stop it in its tracks.

When you’re trying to lose weight, calorie counting is a great way to do it. But even so, it can feel daunting to figure out where you can cut cals in your diet. That’s why we like these switches – ways to cut calories without any of the effort. 

Skip the butter 

It’s delicious, but you don’t need to add butter to everything. Sometimes it’s completely masked by other flavors, and it’s in these cases you should consider skipping it. A tbsp of butter is 100 calories, which is a significant saving if you’re not tasting it. 

…Or find an alternative 

Ok, so sometimes butter is needed. Sandwiches, for example, are pretty dry without it, but you could use mashed avocado for a creamy alternative. 

The calories in avocado can be high depending on how much you use, but avocados have other great things going for them, making them a perfect alternative to butter. 

• High in omega 3 

• High in monounsaturated fatty acids (that’s the good kind) 

• High in potassium 

• Shown to lower cholesterol levels
  

You could also go for hummus, coconut oil, or nut butter, but be sure to check the calories and keep an eye on how much you use. 

Change up the takeout coffees 

If you’re a Starbucks or Dunkin’ fan, your daily caffeine fix can come with a huge calorie price tag. We’re not saying you should stop grabbing takeout coffees, rather be mindful of what you’re ordering. 

A Starbucks grande cinnamon dolce latte is 340 calories. You could lower the calories by switching to a smaller size (a tall is 270 calories), or go for one of Starbucks’ 200 calories or less choices: a tall skinny vanilla latte is 100 calories (and a grande is 190 calories). 

…And reduce your liquid calories 

Put down the fruit juices and smoothies – they’re full of sugar and high in calories. If you love a glass of OJ, eat an actual orange instead for the added fiber bonus. Cut down on alcohol too, as it’s generally very high in calories. 

You know soda isn’t the greatest choice, but sometimes it’s hard to beat. We get it. But one 12oz can of Coca-Cola is 140 calories, so keep them as the occasional treat, or switch to Coke Zero, which is (as you may have guessed), 0 calories. Does it taste the same? No, not really, but it’s still crisp and refreshing, and if you can get used to it as an alternative you could potentially save hundreds of calories a day (depending on how much Coke you drink). 

Spray your oil 

Oil is very high in calories, so you’re probably already aware that you should use it sparingly. Still, sometimes you do need oil when cooking. Spray oil, also called cooking spray, is really low in calories (Pam is ‘0 calories’ per ¼ second spray, although obviously if you spray more than that the calories are going to go up) and it’s an easy way to control how much oil you use. 

Make your own sauces 

Jarred sauces are super easy, but they can be high in calories. Prego roasted garlic and herb sauce is 70 calories per ½ cup, which feels like a lot when you could make a simple sauce with the same ingredients (tomato paste, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil) with fewer calories.  

Spotlight vegetables 

You don’t need to replace spaghetti with zoodles (that’s noodle-shaped zucchini) or to start grating cauliflower to use in place of rice – although if you do want to do that, go for it.  

No, we’re just recommending that you start filling half your plate with vegetables before you add anything else. That’s it! This small change can make a big difference to the calories on your plate, as you cut down on the how much starchy carbs you have.  

Keep easy-serve bags of vegetables in the freezer which you can use to easily bulk out meals.  

You might think that when it comes to weight loss, the more you can lose, the better. But studies show that losing even 5% of your total body weight can bring amazing health benefits. 

If you want to lose weight, you probably have some idea of how much you want to lose. And while it’s great to have goals, saying you want to lose hundreds of pounds can feel incredibly daunting.  

Short-term goals are just as important as your long-term ones to give you focus and keep your motivation levels high. Aiming to lose 5% of your body weight is a great one to consider: it’s attainable, and it can be built upon if needed. 

What’s more, studies show that losing 5% of your bodyweight leads to incredible health outcomes if you’re overweight. Hitting 5% lost can lead to: 

• Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. This is because losing weight can elevate HDL (good) cholesterol and lower triglycerides (bad fats). It can lower your blood pressure by an average of 5 mmHg. 

• Reduction in insulin resistance, decreasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

• Decreased risk of developing certain cancers. 

• Better sleep and reduction of sleep disorders like sleep apnea. 

• Reduced pressure on your joints. 

• Lowered inflammation levels in the body. 

• Boosted mood and self-esteem. 

• Reducing your risk of fertility problems.
  

By making small, sustainable changes to what you eat, how much you move, and prioritizing your sleep, you’ll lose weight gradually and consistently – and you’ll be able to keep it off. Every positive decision you make to eat well, move more, and get quality sleep will move you closer to that 5% body weight loss goal – you’ve got this. 

You’ve probably heard that you should be getting 10k steps a day, but where did this number come from, and does it have any basis in science? 

Setting yourself a target to reach 10,000 steps a day started as a marketing effort, created by a Japanese company selling pedometers in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. A genius move if you ask us. The company’s pedometers, called manpo-kei (which means ’10,000 steps meter’ in Japanese), were a huge hit and did a lot to get the Japanese public more active. 

But why has this 10k target endured? Well, the original marketing campaign was created because doctors were concerned about low levels of activity among Japanese people, and the push to 10k steps definitely helped improve activity levels.  

It’s not so much that 10,000 is a magic number, more that having a goal to work towards helps to get us more active. Even if you don’t manage to get to 10k, something is better than nothing.  

How to get 10,000 steps a day 

If it feels like a difficult target, start small. Rule number 1? Get up! You could go for a walk around the block before breakfast, explore a local park at the weekend, and if you work at a desk, you could get up for a walk each hour for 5-10 minutes.  

Of course, it might not be easy for you to go for a walk, depending on where you live. If your neighborhood isn’t set up for walking (whether it’s unsafe, missing sidewalks, etc.), spending some time on the treadmill is an option.  

Walking pads are popular right now because they’re cheaper and tend to be easier to store than treadmills – if you work from home, consider investing in a standing desk and walking pad to really get your step count up.  

There are also workout videos on YouTube that help you increase your step count by walking in place at home.  

Track your steps using your smartphone (many have a built in pedometer, or you can download dedicated pedometer apps), or consider buying a smartwatch like a Fitbit, Samsung Watch, or Apple Watch. 

Don’t forget that every small effort adds up over time. Even just taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking further away from the store entrance and walking across the parking lot can have an impact on your activity levels. 

The benefits of walking 

Studies have shown that walking can have a significant impact on your health, including reducing blood pressure and improving glucose levels. Walking outside has also been shown to have a positive effect on mental health. 

What if I can’t reach 10,000 steps a day? 

If you find it difficult to reach 10,000 steps a day, don’t worry. Like we said, it’s not a magic number and there are many other ways to get active that will burn the same number of calories and have the same impact on your weight loss. 

The sun’s out and temperatures are rising – sometimes a little too high, so what are you supposed to do about working out?

Should I exercise indoors or outdoors?

That depends on how hot it is. Research shows that exercising outdoors can boost your energy levels, improve stress levels, and increase your body’s levels of vitamin D, which is essential for maintaining healthy bones, boosting your mood, and may even have a part to play in weight loss.

But you’ve got to weigh the benefits up against the downsides of extreme heat. Read our guide to avoiding heat exhaustion and heatstroke for more, but in short, spending time in extreme heat can lead to potentially serious health issues.

Where possible, do your workout indoors and enjoy that sweet, sweet aircon.

Exercising outdoors

If you really want to get some fresh air as part of your workout, do it early in the morning when temperatures aren’t as high as they are later in the day. Avoid being out in the sun when the sun’s at its strongest, which in Florida is between 10am and 2pm.

Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s at least SPF30, even if you’re out early in the morning, and wear light-colored, loose clothing. Have water to hand and make sure you drink it throughout your workout.

How do I stop myself from getting too hot?

No one likes being sticky and sweaty, especially if there’s thigh chafing too. As well as wearing light clothing, look for sweat-wicking (also called moisture-wicking) workout clothes, which pull moisture away from the body and can keep you comfortable and dry.

Try ‘pre-cooling’ by having a cool shower before your workout. There’s a point when your body gets so hot that your performance suffers (e.g. you won’t run as fast or lift as much), but studies show that lowering your core temperature with a cool shower first can help your performance stay high for longer.

What’s the best way to stay hydrated?

It might seem like you need a special ‘hydrating’ drink, but it’s not necessary. These drinks are often full of sugar and high in calories, so stick to water. Sip regularly before, during, and after exercise to maintain a healthy level of hydration.

My muscles are hot, so I don’t need to warm up first, right?

You may be tempted to forget the stretch and get stuck in, but don’t fall victim to this way of thinking!

While it may seem like your muscles are warm enough due to the weather, dynamic stretches are still super important to prevent injuries. Properly warmed up muscles are much more coordinated and have fewer unintentional jerky movements, which will help boost your soccer game when you’re out on the field.