At PPS Perth, one of the most common conversations we have with new members is about why their previous attempts at fat loss didn't stick. In almost every case, it comes down to the same handful of mistakes — not from a lack of effort, but from following outdated or oversimplified advice.
As Perth's body composition specialists, we've helped hundreds of everyday people cut through the noise and achieve real, lasting results. Here are the three most common fat-loss mistakes we see — and what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Cheat Meals
There's no real science behind a 'cheat meal'.
The idea is simply to indulge in food you've been craving after a big week of restricting yourself. This is meant to reduce cravings, feel rewarded and give yourself a mental break after eating chicken and broccoli all week.
But if you go out on the weekend and smash a 2,000-calorie cheat meal without tracking it, you could blow your weekly calorie deficit entirely.
"Well I need something Coach, I can't eat the same food every day!"
Enter the re-feed day.
A re-feed day is like a cheat day but with some actual science behind it.
A re-feed day is designed to replenish your leptin — the hormone responsible for regulating hunger and supporting fat burning. After prolonged periods of dieting, leptin levels drop. This makes you hungrier and slows your progress.
Leptin is replenished by higher levels of carbohydrates.
So a weekly re-feed day should be seen as a high-carb day at maintenance calories. This will allow you to eat a few more carbs than usual while still tracking everything — ensuring it fits your goals and actually accelerates your progress rather than stalling it.
A re-feed day is a structured, measured approach that lets you enjoy a few more carbs than usual, curb cravings and keep your fat burning on track.
Mistake #2: Liquid Calories
If you're trying to reduce body fat, you're probably eating less than you'd like — so it's important not to waste your calories on things that offer little nutritional value.
Fruit juice and soft drink have almost no nutritional value or fibre. If you're already working with a limited calorie budget, why waste them?
For example: You're a woman on 1,200 calories per day trying to improve your body composition. You can have up to 100–125g of carbs per day and 20–35g of fibre. A 250ml glass of juice contains around 25g of carbs — all sugar and zero fibre — and costs you around 100–150 calories.
That's 25% of your daily carb intake wasted in a glass!
Wiser choices would be:
✔ A medium apple or banana — similar carbohydrate content with added fibre and micronutrients. Fruit contains fructose, a natural sugar, and the fibre helps with absorption.
✔ A 350g serve of watermelon, rockmelon or pineapple — similar to the above, with the added advantage of being mostly water.
✔ A big 400g serve of pumpkin — a great plate filler when you're on a tight calorie budget and works well with a Sunday roast.
✔ 120g of potato or rice — if you're after a heavier, starchier carb source, both are excellent choices packed with fibre and nutrients.
Learn to read nutritional labels to help make smarter choices when you're trying to lose body fat. This will help stretch your macro budget further while being healthier for your body.
Mistake #3: Believing the Media
Three things the media tells you to do that you don't actually need to lose body fat:
1. Eating gluten-free foods and avoiding dairy when you are not intolerant to either
2. Choosing brown rice or sweet potato over white rice or potato, assuming low-GI foods don't count toward your daily calorie intake
3. Eating a low-fat diet
Why?
✔ You don't need to avoid entire food groups — especially ones you enjoy — just because of media hype. You may be restricting yourself for no reason and depriving your body of nutrients it needs to function.
✔ Low-GI carbs from brown rice and sweet potato still count as carbs and contribute to your daily calories. Don't be fooled into thinking you can eat unlimited low-GI carbs without affecting your body fat.
✔ A low-fat diet is unsafe and counterproductive. Dietary fats support hormone production and optimize performance. Your body will store body fat if it senses a lack of dietary fat — which is the opposite of what you're trying to achieve.
Fat loss doesn't require extreme restriction, endless cardio or cutting out entire food groups. It requires a smart, sustainable approach built around your lifestyle — and that's exactly what we deliver at PPS.
If you're tired of spinning your wheels and want expert body composition coaching from a team that treats you like a name, not a number, we'd love to hear from you.
We have 5 private personal training gyms across Perth — Morley, South Perth, Subiaco, Wanneroo and Yangebup — as well as online coaching available Australia-wide.