April 11, 2025 • 10 mins
What Are The Biggest Mistakes Women Make When Trying To Lose Weight?
Struggling with weight loss despite your best efforts? You're not alone. In this eye-opening episode, licensed nutritionist Catina Wilson tackles the most common mistakes derailing women's weight loss journeys—and you might be surprised by what's actually holding you back.
Catina shares a refreshingly honest perspective, drawing from both clinical experience and her personal weight loss journey. She explains why obsessing over the scale can be counterproductive and how to shift focus to non-scale victories that better reflect your progress. "Weight can fluctuate not only during certain times of the month...but also throughout the day," Catina notes, emphasizing how emotional attachment to that number can sabotage motivation.
We explore the surprising truth about exercise: why many women over-index on cardio when strength training might be the missing piece in their routine. Catina dispels the myth that women will get "bulky" from lifting weights and explains how building muscle creates a metabolic advantage that keeps burning calories long after your workout ends. The conversation also unpacks why irregular eating patterns trigger your body's starvation response, how proper sleep directly impacts weight regulation, and why personalized approaches—including when strategies like intermittent fasting work (and when they don't).
To learn more about Atlanta Wellness Clinic visit:
https://www.ATLWellnessClinic.com
Atlanta Wellness Clinic
1827 Powers Ferry Rd. SE, Bldg 1 STE 250
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
770-726-8978
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Atlanta Wellness Clinic podcast
Hosted by licensed nutritionistand clinic owner, katina Wilson.
We're here to kickstart yourweight loss journey Because,
let's be honest, the only thingwe want gaining weight is our
wallets.
From medical weight loss andnutrition coaching to body
contouring, we help MetroAtlanta women get real results.
(00:24):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Many women start their weight loss journey with
the best intentions, but commonmistakes often prevent them from
seeing lasting results.
Understanding these pitfallscan help you take a smarter,
more sustainable approach toreaching your goals.
Welcome back everyone.
Millie M, co-host producer,back in the studio with licensed
nutritionist and clinic owner,katina Wilson.
Katina, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It's going well.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I'm doing quite well.
Thank you so much.
Everyone listening wants toknow what are some of the
biggest mistakes women make whentrying to lose weight.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
How much time you got Right.
You know I've made a lot ofthese mistakes myself.
But before we jump into some ofthese different patterns, I do
think it's important to say thateverybody's journey is unique,
right?
So what works for one personcertainly may not work for
another, and we should allappreciate that, and so my
attempt is not necessarilygeneralizing any one person's
(01:26):
experience, but really just kindof highlighting, you know,
different kinds of patterns thatI've seen and even personally
experienced with my own weightloss journey.
So I think the first thing thatwe tend to make is we focus on a
number, on the scale right andyou know that that number it's a
powerful thing, it's anemotional thing, right, and when
(01:49):
it goes up, we feel some kindof way about it.
When it goes down, we feel somekind of way about it, and when
it doesn't move, we feel somekind of way about it, and
there's a lot that makes up thatnumber.
One of the things that I'velearned in this journey is you
got to not just focus on thenumber but focus on what they
call kind of these non-scalevictories.
Right, Because weight canfluctuate not only during
(02:09):
certain times of the month,because I can tell you when it's
that time of the month or it'sclose to that time of the month,
my body naturally gains aboutfive or six pounds.
I don't even have to keep trackof that time of the month on
the calendar, because if I stepon the scale, it's going to.
All of a sudden my weight hasjumped right, and so I know that
it's coming.
You're going to feel it in yourclothes.
You feel it in your clothesAbsolutely, and your weight even
(02:30):
fluctuates throughout the day,right, depending upon what you
eat or how hydrated you are andthat sort of a thing.
So it's important to thinkabout weight loss is not just
the number on the scale, butalso how you feel.
So one of the things that Ilike to track is the non-scale
victories.
Am I sleeping better?
Am I feeling better?
How are my stress levels?
Are my clothes getting better?
(02:50):
Because there was a time duringmy own weight loss journey
where that number on the scaledidn't move but the clothes were
getting looser, and so thereare different ways to track, and
so I would not get soemotionally hung up on the scale
anymore.
Again, I think we should track,kind of like these non-scale
victories.
So I think that's the firstthing.
I think another thing thatwomen do is, once we get that,
(03:14):
decide that now is the time.
Today is the day.
You know they go all in,especially like with the cardio,
especially when it comes toexercise.
We go all in.
Cardio is good.
It certainly is good to relievestress, it's good for
cardiovascular.
But I would like to see whatwomen do more and more strength
training, especially like as weget older, the strength training
actually becomes more importantthan just the cardio, and one
(03:35):
benefit to muscle building andstrength training is you're
burning fat.
Your metabolism is raring to goall throughout the day, not
just when you're doing thatcardio exercise, but it's really
pretty much that caloricburning, that metabolism, that
stops the minute you stop doingthat exercise.
Start to over-index on strengthtraining and, don't worry, I
(03:57):
hear women all the time say, oh,I'm afraid of getting bulky.
We don't make enoughtestosterone in our body to
really like, see the kinds ofgains right, muscle gains that
men have.
So it's, it's okay, right, it'sokay.
So do more strength training.
I think the other thing that Isee is that we don't really
schedule our eating, and that'ssomething that again in my own
(04:19):
weight loss journey and even inmy practice that I see with
patients, when you don't eat ona certain schedule, what that
does to your body is it tellsyour body that you're kind of in
starvation mode.
So your body's unsure, actually, when it's going to eat and so
when it does finally eat, whatis it going to do?
It's going to hold on to itbecause it's not sure when
you're going to eat.
And so when it does finally eat, what is it going to do?
(04:40):
It's going to hold onto itbecause it's not sure when
you're going to eat again.
So if you're somebody thatmaybe today you have breakfast,
tomorrow you don't, the next dayyou have a big brunch, but
maybe you skip lunch, thatconfuses your body.
And here's what's interestingabout that.
When I first started my weightloss journey, I had a small
child and I remember hearingthis and it resonated with me
almost immediately.
(05:00):
It's because most women, mostmothers, our babies, are on
feeding schedules.
Right, they don't have a clock,they don't know what time it is
, but over time their body getsused to knowing that.
Okay, at this time I'm going tohave, you know, my first meal
of the day.
I'm going to have my snack.
I'm going to have my middlemeal of the day.
Right, I'm going to have mysnack.
I'm going to have my middlemeal of the day.
Right, I'm going to have mysnack.
I'm going to, I'm going to goto bed.
The babies, their bodies, justknow.
(05:22):
And I can tell you, as mydaughter you know, her body got
comfortable with the schedule.
It was like clockwork.
She didn't know it was fiveo'clock in the afternoon, it was
time for dinner, but she waswalking in the kitchen letting
me know she was hungry, or shewas.
It's because her body got usedto it.
Our bodies work the same way.
So when your body knows when itcan expect fuel, it's going to
(05:42):
burn accordingly, but when itdoesn't know that, it's actually
going to hold on to it becauseit's fearful that you're in some
sort of starvation mode and soit doesn't know, like when it's
actually going to expect thefood.
So it's important to eat on aschedule.
And then I think the other thingthat I think is really
important that we don't doenough of is really prioritizing
mental health, and lack ofsleep is a big contributor to
(06:07):
weight gain and it also canprevent weight loss.
Your body really does need rest.
So prioritizing sleep, gettingat least seven hours a night and
I know it's difficult,especially because we're all
busy, but at least trying toprioritize that is super helpful
.
Doing things to help reduce ourstress I love to meditate, now
that I've gotten really in tunewith my body, like I can feel
(06:29):
when the stress is coming on.
I feel it here in my shoulders,I feel it in my stomach right,
and so when I start to feel that, just take, even if it's five
minutes, just take five minutesto just focus on something else,
to meditate.
Whatever it is that you can doto relieve that stress, it is
super helpful.
So those are just a few tipsthat I would recommend and a few
things that I see.
But I think if women did moreof the recommendations that I
(06:50):
suggested, I think it would maketheir weight loss journey a bit
easier.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Well, quick question what about people who say they
utilize fasting in their weightloss?
How does that factor into thethings that you were saying
about your body feeling likeit's starving?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Dr DeRionne Pollard, fasting is just another way of
eating at a schedule right.
So for most people, they do a16 hour fast and then they have
this eight hour window rightwhen they can eat.
Fasting is a great tool becausenow your body it's not so much
that it's starving, but now it'sstarting to convert.
It's starting to go after thefat and burn the fat for fuel
(07:31):
versus the carbs and whateveryou ate five hours ago.
So fasting is yet another tool.
But it is important, though,that you stick within that
fasting window and you stickwithin some of those tools.
But it is a tool, a verysimilar tool when it comes to
weight loss, and fasting doesn'twork for everybody.
Women my age, sometimes, we tendto struggle losing weight with
the fasting and a lot of itcomes with hormones.
(07:52):
As I said at the top of thepodcast, everybody's journey is
going to be different.
What works for some people,like fasting, works for some.
It doesn't work for me.
It doesn't work for others.
So for me, like that strictschedule, I need to eat, I need
to eat healthy, I need to eat ona regular schedule, but fasting
, from my perspective, it'sstill a schedule Like again, if
(08:15):
you're doing your 16 hours, aslong as it's still pretty much
the same 16 hours and then theeight hours that you eat.
Your body gets used to it andit knows to expect, right within
that eight hour window, likeokay, now it's time to eat again
.
When you start trying to moveit around and jump around, I
think that's when people startto see less results when it
comes to fasting.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Makes sense.
One more question what are someexamples of nutrient dense
foods that support weight loss?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Yeah, you know protein, right, you'll hear me
talk a lot about protein.
So, whole protein your chicken,your lean meats, your fish
right, Fruits and vegetables arealways good.
Whole grains right, those wouldbe like your nutrient dense
foods.
It takes longer for your bodyto digest them, and in a good
way, right Versus highlyprocessed foods where your body
(08:58):
burns through it very quicklyand you're feeling hungry like
an hour later, and so it's justgoing to cause you to want to
overeat.
The more whole foods you canfocus on.
And really, when you thinkabout whole foods, these are
things that you just kind of seein nature.
Or even when you go to thegrocery store.
A lot of the nutrient densefoods that you see are on the
(09:18):
outer perimeter of the store,whereas the processed foods are
actually like in the middle ofthe store.
So, as you think about yourshopping, focus on that outer
perimeter.
That's where your meats are,that's where your produce are
Usually, that's where your wholegrains are right.
So focus on that outerperimeter when you're shopping
at the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I appreciate that.
That's when I know I'm doingthe right thing, when I stay on
the perimeter and I don't godown those middle aisles too
much.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
It's hard, though I mean, I like to go down the
middle sometime too.
You know it's hard though, butit's okay.
It really comes down toeverything in moderation.
Right, you can go there everynow and then you don't stay
there.
I think if you use the 80-20rule and you focus more on the
nutrient-dense foods and beinghealthy, you can be successful.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
That's what we want success for those who are
looking forward.
Thank you so much, katina.
We'll catch you on the nextepisode.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Thank you.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the Atlanta Wellness Clinic
Podcast.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the Atlanta Wellness Clinic
Podcast.
If you're ready to kickstartyour weight loss journey, and
not just your bathroom scale andfrustration, visit
atlwellnesscliniccom or call usat 770-726-8978 for a free
(10:26):
10-minute weight lossconsultation, because the best
time to start was yesterday.
The second best time Right wasyesterday.
The second best time right now.
See you next time.
Welcome to the Atlanta Wellness Clinic podcast
Hosted by licensed nutritionistand clinic owner, katina Wilson.
We're here to kickstart yourweight loss journey Because,
let's be honest, the only thingwe want gaining weight is our
wallets.
From medical weight loss andnutrition coaching to body
contouring, we help MetroAtlanta women get real results.
(00:24):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Many women start their weight loss journey with
the best intentions, but commonmistakes often prevent them from
seeing lasting results.
Understanding these pitfallscan help you take a smarter,
more sustainable approach toreaching your goals.
Welcome back everyone.
Millie M, co-host producer,back in the studio with licensed
nutritionist and clinic owner,katina Wilson.
Katina, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It's going well.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I'm doing quite well.
Thank you so much.
Everyone listening wants toknow what are some of the
biggest mistakes women make whentrying to lose weight.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
How much time you got Right.
You know I've made a lot ofthese mistakes myself.
But before we jump into some ofthese different patterns, I do
think it's important to say thateverybody's journey is unique,
right?
So what works for one personcertainly may not work for
another, and we should allappreciate that, and so my
attempt is not necessarilygeneralizing any one person's
(01:26):
experience, but really just kindof highlighting, you know,
different kinds of patterns thatI've seen and even personally
experienced with my own weightloss journey.
So I think the first thing thatwe tend to make is we focus on a
number, on the scale right andyou know that that number it's a
powerful thing, it's anemotional thing, right, and when
(01:49):
it goes up, we feel some kindof way about it.
When it goes down, we feel somekind of way about it, and when
it doesn't move, we feel somekind of way about it, and
there's a lot that makes up thatnumber.
One of the things that I'velearned in this journey is you
got to not just focus on thenumber but focus on what they
call kind of these non-scalevictories.
Right, Because weight canfluctuate not only during
(02:09):
certain times of the month,because I can tell you when it's
that time of the month or it'sclose to that time of the month,
my body naturally gains aboutfive or six pounds.
I don't even have to keep trackof that time of the month on
the calendar, because if I stepon the scale, it's going to.
All of a sudden my weight hasjumped right, and so I know that
it's coming.
You're going to feel it in yourclothes.
You feel it in your clothesAbsolutely, and your weight even
(02:30):
fluctuates throughout the day,right, depending upon what you
eat or how hydrated you are andthat sort of a thing.
So it's important to thinkabout weight loss is not just
the number on the scale, butalso how you feel.
So one of the things that Ilike to track is the non-scale
victories.
Am I sleeping better?
Am I feeling better?
How are my stress levels?
Are my clothes getting better?
(02:50):
Because there was a time duringmy own weight loss journey
where that number on the scaledidn't move but the clothes were
getting looser, and so thereare different ways to track, and
so I would not get soemotionally hung up on the scale
anymore.
Again, I think we should track,kind of like these non-scale
victories.
So I think that's the firstthing.
I think another thing thatwomen do is, once we get that,
(03:14):
decide that now is the time.
Today is the day.
You know they go all in,especially like with the cardio,
especially when it comes toexercise.
We go all in.
Cardio is good.
It certainly is good to relievestress, it's good for
cardiovascular.
But I would like to see whatwomen do more and more strength
training, especially like as weget older, the strength training
actually becomes more importantthan just the cardio, and one
(03:35):
benefit to muscle building andstrength training is you're
burning fat.
Your metabolism is raring to goall throughout the day, not
just when you're doing thatcardio exercise, but it's really
pretty much that caloricburning, that metabolism, that
stops the minute you stop doingthat exercise.
Start to over-index on strengthtraining and, don't worry, I
(03:57):
hear women all the time say, oh,I'm afraid of getting bulky.
We don't make enoughtestosterone in our body to
really like, see the kinds ofgains right, muscle gains that
men have.
So it's, it's okay, right, it'sokay.
So do more strength training.
I think the other thing that Isee is that we don't really
schedule our eating, and that'ssomething that again in my own
(04:19):
weight loss journey and even inmy practice that I see with
patients, when you don't eat ona certain schedule, what that
does to your body is it tellsyour body that you're kind of in
starvation mode.
So your body's unsure, actually, when it's going to eat and so
when it does finally eat, whatis it going to do?
It's going to hold on to itbecause it's not sure when
you're going to eat.
And so when it does finally eat, what is it going to do?
(04:40):
It's going to hold onto itbecause it's not sure when
you're going to eat again.
So if you're somebody thatmaybe today you have breakfast,
tomorrow you don't, the next dayyou have a big brunch, but
maybe you skip lunch, thatconfuses your body.
And here's what's interestingabout that.
When I first started my weightloss journey, I had a small
child and I remember hearingthis and it resonated with me
almost immediately.
(05:00):
It's because most women, mostmothers, our babies, are on
feeding schedules.
Right, they don't have a clock,they don't know what time it is
, but over time their body getsused to knowing that.
Okay, at this time I'm going tohave, you know, my first meal
of the day.
I'm going to have my snack.
I'm going to have my middlemeal of the day.
Right, I'm going to have mysnack.
I'm going to have my middlemeal of the day.
Right, I'm going to have mysnack.
I'm going to, I'm going to goto bed.
The babies, their bodies, justknow.
(05:22):
And I can tell you, as mydaughter you know, her body got
comfortable with the schedule.
It was like clockwork.
She didn't know it was fiveo'clock in the afternoon, it was
time for dinner, but she waswalking in the kitchen letting
me know she was hungry, or shewas.
It's because her body got usedto it.
Our bodies work the same way.
So when your body knows when itcan expect fuel, it's going to
(05:42):
burn accordingly, but when itdoesn't know that, it's actually
going to hold on to it becauseit's fearful that you're in some
sort of starvation mode and soit doesn't know, like when it's
actually going to expect thefood.
So it's important to eat on aschedule.
And then I think the other thingthat I think is really
important that we don't doenough of is really prioritizing
mental health, and lack ofsleep is a big contributor to
(06:07):
weight gain and it also canprevent weight loss.
Your body really does need rest.
So prioritizing sleep, gettingat least seven hours a night and
I know it's difficult,especially because we're all
busy, but at least trying toprioritize that is super helpful
.
Doing things to help reduce ourstress I love to meditate, now
that I've gotten really in tunewith my body, like I can feel
(06:29):
when the stress is coming on.
I feel it here in my shoulders,I feel it in my stomach right,
and so when I start to feel that, just take, even if it's five
minutes, just take five minutesto just focus on something else,
to meditate.
Whatever it is that you can doto relieve that stress, it is
super helpful.
So those are just a few tipsthat I would recommend and a few
things that I see.
But I think if women did moreof the recommendations that I
(06:50):
suggested, I think it would maketheir weight loss journey a bit
easier.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Well, quick question what about people who say they
utilize fasting in their weightloss?
How does that factor into thethings that you were saying
about your body feeling likeit's starving?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Dr DeRionne Pollard, fasting is just another way of
eating at a schedule right.
So for most people, they do a16 hour fast and then they have
this eight hour window rightwhen they can eat.
Fasting is a great tool becausenow your body it's not so much
that it's starving, but now it'sstarting to convert.
It's starting to go after thefat and burn the fat for fuel
(07:31):
versus the carbs and whateveryou ate five hours ago.
So fasting is yet another tool.
But it is important, though,that you stick within that
fasting window and you stickwithin some of those tools.
But it is a tool, a verysimilar tool when it comes to
weight loss, and fasting doesn'twork for everybody.
Women my age, sometimes, we tendto struggle losing weight with
the fasting and a lot of itcomes with hormones.
(07:52):
As I said at the top of thepodcast, everybody's journey is
going to be different.
What works for some people,like fasting, works for some.
It doesn't work for me.
It doesn't work for others.
So for me, like that strictschedule, I need to eat, I need
to eat healthy, I need to eat ona regular schedule, but fasting
, from my perspective, it'sstill a schedule Like again, if
(08:15):
you're doing your 16 hours, aslong as it's still pretty much
the same 16 hours and then theeight hours that you eat.
Your body gets used to it andit knows to expect, right within
that eight hour window, likeokay, now it's time to eat again
.
When you start trying to moveit around and jump around, I
think that's when people startto see less results when it
comes to fasting.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Makes sense.
One more question what are someexamples of nutrient dense
foods that support weight loss?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Yeah, you know protein, right, you'll hear me
talk a lot about protein.
So, whole protein your chicken,your lean meats, your fish
right, Fruits and vegetables arealways good.
Whole grains right, those wouldbe like your nutrient dense
foods.
It takes longer for your bodyto digest them, and in a good
way, right Versus highlyprocessed foods where your body
(08:58):
burns through it very quicklyand you're feeling hungry like
an hour later, and so it's justgoing to cause you to want to
overeat.
The more whole foods you canfocus on.
And really, when you thinkabout whole foods, these are
things that you just kind of seein nature.
Or even when you go to thegrocery store.
A lot of the nutrient densefoods that you see are on the
(09:18):
outer perimeter of the store,whereas the processed foods are
actually like in the middle ofthe store.
So, as you think about yourshopping, focus on that outer
perimeter.
That's where your meats are,that's where your produce are
Usually, that's where your wholegrains are right.
So focus on that outerperimeter when you're shopping
at the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I appreciate that.
That's when I know I'm doingthe right thing, when I stay on
the perimeter and I don't godown those middle aisles too
much.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
It's hard, though I mean, I like to go down the
middle sometime too.
You know it's hard though, butit's okay.
It really comes down toeverything in moderation.
Right, you can go there everynow and then you don't stay
there.
I think if you use the 80-20rule and you focus more on the
nutrient-dense foods and beinghealthy, you can be successful.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
That's what we want success for those who are
looking forward.
Thank you so much, katina.
We'll catch you on the nextepisode.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Thank you.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the Atlanta Wellness Clinic
Podcast.
That's a wrap on this episodeof the Atlanta Wellness Clinic
Podcast.
If you're ready to kickstartyour weight loss journey, and
not just your bathroom scale andfrustration, visit
atlwellnesscliniccom or call usat 770-726-8978 for a free
(10:26):
10-minute weight lossconsultation, because the best
time to start was yesterday.
The second best time Right wasyesterday.
The second best time right now.
See you next time.
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