At the end of every year, I like to do a mix of reflecting and intention setting. Or, sometimes instead, I just eat a ton of holiday cookies and watch TV. Don’t judge me.

This year, though, I couldn’t help but think about the year my clients have had as well, and how much they’ve accomplished and overcome.

And let me tell you, they’ve accomplished and overcome a lot of things — like not eating that entire pint of ice cream in one sitting (I’m looking at you, Steven).

The big realization I had is that while we’re all very different people, most of us started out making many of the same mistakes.

So I compiled the top six and I’m sharing them with you.

If you have health or fitness related goals for 2023, see if any of these apply to you.

(I struggled with numbers 1, 5, and 6 when I was getting started more than a decade ago!)

The Six Biggest Mistakes People Make in the Pursuit of Fat Loss

• Not Tracking Intake. It’s easy to under (or over) estimate how many calories you’re consuming. Especially if you’re not tracking your meals. Track what you eat via a journal, food log, or an app like MyFitnessPal.
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  Doing so allows you to accurately assess your intake. Once you have that data, then you can make the better adjustments. Or, you know, just eat whatever you want and hope for the best. Your choice.
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• Skipping Meals. I know intermittent fasting is all the “rage” these days. And it “can” be a helpful tool for some people. For most though, skipping meals is a one way ticket overeating later in the day.
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  My advice, don’t skip breakfast. Instead, focus on getting 30g of protein at breakfast. That will keep you full well into your lunch hour.
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• Relying on Fad Diets. Fad diets often promise quick results. And damn if that’s not appealing. But they’re not sustainable in the long-term.
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  Ditch the restrictive and celebrity sponsored diets. Focus on making health and balanced choices most of the time. 80/20, my friends. Or, you know, just do a juice cleanse for a week and call it a day. Your call.
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• Not Lifting Weights. Exercise is an important part of any weight loss journey. But most people think they need endless hours of cardio to slim down. Sure, cardio has its benefits. But running doesn’t build or maintain muscle.
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  And outside of your organs keeping you alive, muscle burns more calories per hour. So the more you build, the more calories you burn. AND, the more calories you can consume while dieting.
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• Not Getting Enough Sleep. In 2022, I had blood work done to get a better look at what’s going on under my hood. And I had it done at a time when my 6 month old was still waking up 2-3x a night. Because of that, my blood sugar was in pre-diabetes stages.
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  Nothing had changed about my diet. But I was sleeping far more poorly than ever. And it was affecting my health. Numerous studies have shown that people with poor sleep habits have elevated risk factors heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.
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  And a lack of quality sleep increases your hunger levels too. More hunger means you’re probably gonna snack more. And hello weight gain.
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  Sleep is the most powerful lifestyle habit you can change. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Or, you know, just stay up late scrolling through social media. Your call.
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• Being Too Hard on Yourself. Weight loss can be a challenging journey. And this may seem like cliche advice, but it’s important to be kind to yourself along the way.
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  Don’t beat yourself up for occasional setbacks or deviations from your plan. Life gets busy. Shit happens. And the more grace you can give yourself when things get crazy, the more likely you are to keep trucking along.

Do you wanna succeed with your health goals in 2023?

Change any of these 6 areas and I guarantee you’ll see success.