Top 5 Diet Mistakes to Avoid

There are the top 5 mistakes that I always encourage people to AVOID when dieting and trying to lose weight.  These can hinder your weight loss efforts and even harm your health. 

I know that we don’t like the word, diet, but when you are just changing your habits temporarily and aren’t committed to long term change…that’s what I call a diet.  You can lose weight dieting, but to lose it for good you have to change your lifestyle.  There is no one size fit’s all plan to lose weight that works for everyone.  Use these 5 tips to make sure that you pick a weight loss plan that will help you find out what works for you and achieve lasting weight loss.

Starving To Burn Calories

Whenever someone wants to lose weight, the first method they usually try is to quit eating whole groups of foods.  Some go as far as to stop eating MOST foods.  That’s a serious problem. Theoretically this seems like a foolproof weight loss plan. You do not consume calories at all and the body uses the fat already accumulated to produce energy. Eventually, that fat burns and you slim down. Unfortunately, this is not how it works.

The truth is that if you begin starving yourself to lose weight, your metabolism slows down. Once the metabolism slows down, you will encounter come across all sorts of problems. Instead of burning calories, the body begins retaining the remaining energy and to do that, it builds up more fat. Your body thinks there is a famine or crisis going on and is only trying to save you from it.  So, in essence, you are not losing fat, only gaining more. On the other hand, if you eat healthy portioned meals made up of healthy foods, you will be able to control your calorie intake and keep your metabolism up to par. This will surely help you slim down.

Intense Exercise and Insufficient Diet

Before you even think about going on a diet, you should know a thing or two about calories. You should know that calories are not bad for you. Calories are fuel for your body and we all need them for just day to day body function. If you do not consume calories at all, you will feel weak, not to mention you will lose muscle. Consuming too many excess calories can be harmful for your health. Therefore, your goal is to limit your calorie intake to a reasonable amount.

Calories give you energy to exercise and the workout helps you slim down. It is in fact that simple. However, most people exercise vigorously and do not consume enough calories. Sometimes they eat unhealthy foods and consume lots of unhealthy fats and sugars as well. Always remember that if you want to lose weight, you should exercise intensely and maintain a healthy diet as well. Without that, you will only get weak and be incapable of going about your daily routine (possibly more prone to injury).  You can also create nutrient imbalances that can effect your health if you aren’t eating right but still do intense exercise.

Once you pair a fixed calorie intake with exercise, you see excellent weight loss results. That amount is different for each person.  Read this article to learn more.

Not Counting Calories

On diets most people consume a specific amount of food at each meal. They may realize that each type of food has a different calorie count and contains a specific set of nutrients.  Some weight loss plans break this info down for you, but many don’t. The best method to know how many calories you’re eating is to count calories, count nutrients (like fiber and fats) and plan out your meals. This way, you will be able to maintain a steady calorie intake. For example: If you feel hungry, you can consume filler foods that are high natural fiber and low in calories.  Celery, carrots and other raw veggies are the perfect filler foods. The same filler foods can be eaten as snacks as well. The fiber in these foods will keep you from feeling hungry.

Eating When Bored, Stressed or Emotional

Emotional eating is a major problem for so many people.  It is the number-one cause for weight gain because people medicate their feelings and issues with food ALL THE TIME.  Most people do not realize that they have this issue. They eat whatever they can get their hands on when they feel stressed, bored, bothered, upset, etc. Even if they are on a diet, they will end up consuming unhealthy foods when emotional eating kicks in, taking them off course. Instead of eating unhealthy foods when your feelings lead you to eat, you should eat healthy snacks and drink water. The best option, of course, is to avoid emotional eating completely by finding healthy ways to process and deal with emotions. Hobbies, meditation and even yoga can help you to do this.

Dieting Instead of Changing Your Lifestyle

Don’t go on a diet.  Change your LIFE.  Change your habits.  Change the way you think about food.  Change the places you go to for food.  Change the way you think about your health.  Most of the time, people pick a diet or weight loss plan (online plans, books, etc.) and they follow the plan but don’t really focus on how they can life in this new way for the rest of their lives.  Don’t do anything that can’t be incorporated into your life.  Sure you can do a smoothie or juicing fast, but you need to commit to how you’re going to change your eating habits when you start eating solids again.  If you are going to eat Paleo or Eat Clean, you want to be able to do it for the long haul or once you stop you risk gaining back all of the weight.  If you plan ahead and commit to living a new way you can see longterm change.