Losing weight is a simple concept accomplished with one basic rule: burn more calories than you eat.
It sounds easy, but anyone who’s tried to lose weight it knows it’s not. Losing weight takes time and discipline, and many fall into weight loss traps that do more harm than good. The myriad of tips, trends and routines can make you lose your way.
Avoiding common weight-loss pitfalls will make things easier.
Check out the following common weight-loss mistakes dieters tend to fall for. Steering clear of these will help you reach your weight-loss goals sooner and more easily.
1. Not Enough Calories
It sounds counter-intuitive, but starving your body of calories is the most common mistake dieters make. Not consuming enough calories can put your body in a calorie deficit so great it prompts you body to react by reducing metabolism, which can inhibit weight loss.
The initial effects of too large a caloric deficit can be fatigue, headaches, brain fog and moodiness. Keep calories too low and your body will begin to prioritize fat storage, saving up energy and making harder for fat to be metabolized. When this happens, if can increase the time it takes you to reach your weight goals.
And if you’re a gym-goer who skimps too severely on calories, you can say goodbye to muscle gains.
A general guideline is to cut no more then 20% of you daily caloric intake. Any more than that, and you can make losing weight harder, not easier.
2. Eating Processed, Packaged Food
This common mistake is the result of not reading the nutrition label on the food you’re eating. Dieters buying ‘fat free’, ‘low calorie’ and other attention-grabbing buzzwords are fooling themselves.
Processed ‘fat free’ food products are manufactured to be completely absent of fat, however, that missing fat is almost always replaced with a slew of additives in order to make it palatable. The most common fat substitutes on processed food products are refined carbohydrates, including various kinds of sugars and sugar substitutes like high-fructose corn syrup, as well as other chemicals that can be detrimental to your weight loss goals.
Packaged and processed food are also lacking in nutrient when compared to whole, natural foods, so stick with whole foods when dieting, they’re undeniably healthier.
3. Fruits, Vegetables, and Wholesome Foods
Fruit and vegetables will always be healthy, however many dieters mistakenly consume them as meal-replacements. The challenge here is that you have to eat A LOT of fruits and vegetables to satisfy your hunger.
The sugar content in fruits can raise your blood sugar, prompting your body to produce more insulin. Consumption of too much sugar and other simply carbs can lead to a variety of metabolic disorders, including diabetes.
Vegetables are a good choice, as the abundance of fiber can help you feel full longer.
Foods such as eggs, wheat toast, rice, grilled meats do well to satisfy hunger with their considerable amount of protein and, yes, fat. Fat consumption has a large impact on feeling satiated.
Obviously a balanced die is best.
If you need of a snack, fibrous vegetables are a good choice. A piece of fruit before a workout can help give you energy. When it comes to meal time, aim for a balance of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates.
4. Lack of Sleep
Sleep has a huge impact on every facet of your health–the right amount of sleep works wonders for the mind and body. In the case of dieters, getting adequate sleep is essential, as it helps regulate the hormones responsible for hunger.
With that being said, dieters who lack in sleep usually find it hard to satisfy their appetites. Not only is their lower calorie intake signaling the body to eat more, but their lack of sleep influences hunger hormones to work round the clock, making it much harder to stick to their diet.
In short, sleep is important for everybody, and dieters who don’t get enough of it are prone to overeating.
5. Not Doing Strength Training
Most dieters tend to stick to cardio when it comes to exercise. Cardio can assist greatly with weight loss, especially since burning calories with cardio means you can eat more and be less hungry.
However, if you’ve stuck to the same diet and cardio routine for weeks, you may find your body burns fewer calories as time goes on. This is because your body comes to regard calories as more precious, so your body aims to conserve them by slowing down your metabolism.
The best way to help keep your metabolism revved is to do muscle building exercises, and that means hitting the weights. Just thirty minutes a day of strength training helps keep your metabolism from slowing and keep the fat burning.
You don’t have to go overboard–a pair of light dumbbells or some body weight exercises is sufficient to keep your metabolism from slowing.
6. Not Getting Enough Healthy Fat
For decade, fat consumption was associated with weight gain and heart disease, but new research shows the fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet. Healthy fats, such as those found in animal products such as fish and grilled meats, as well as nuts and olives.
Aside from the short-term effects of providing satiety, healthy fats are have positive long-term effects throughout your body, including balancing hormones, improving brain function, regulating testosterone levels, improving heart health, promoting workout recovery and even aiding in weight loss. Yes, an appropriate amount of healthy fat in the diet aids weight loss by regulating hunger hormones.
Don’t let yourself fall into the aforementioned pitfalls when on a dietary routine. Sure, losing weight is a long, grueling process that presents a myriad hardships, but sticking to the aforementioned guidelines will help you reach your weight goals in the shortest time possible.
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