10 Common Mistakes People Make while Dieting

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Dieting mistakes

We already know that weight loss is all about eating healthy and exercising. In other words, it is the process of burning more calories than you eat. While workouts also play a vital role, your weight loss process is majorly affected by your eating habits.

If you’re on a mission to shed pounds with healthy diet and exercise, remember weight loss is not at all easy. It is possible that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. It is already a long process and better not to be stretched by your dieting-mistakes.

Here are the mistakes most people make when they are dieting:

Crash dieting

Crash dieting aka restrictive diet is quite prevalent when you want to trim down fat quickly. It gives you results more quickly but you cannot overlook the damage it causes to your body.

Along with fat loss, crash diet also results in lean muscle and tissue loss which ultimately leads to slow metabolic rate.

Also on a crash diet, our body goes into the calorie-saving-mode, therefore storing more calories as fat.

Not tracking your food

Every morsel you eat counts. Tracking your food is the best way to analyze how much calories you are eating. It provides a clear picture of your nutrient consumption. What if you’re not getting adequate protein, fats, carbohydrates or fiber to help in your weight loss and you may still eat more calories than required.

Losing track or not tracking your food properly will set back the entire process.

Snacking too often, even when not hungry

To lose fat, you don’t need to starve yourself. Instead, you need to eat healthy food more frequently. This is the principle we follow. Though it is 100% true, snacking too often, even when you are not hungry, may result in overeating and excess calorie consumption. Also, you may not feel full.

The secret to successful weight loss is eating only when you’re hungry. Don’t starve yourself. Food is important for your body, but too much eating will sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Skipping meals

Eating lesser calories than you burn is the mantra for weight loss. In an effort to do so, many of us tend to skip meals. The thought behind the process of skipping is that if you cut down a meal from your diet chart, the calories-consumption will automatically decrease. But, that won’t work, because after skipping one meal you will feel deprived and your metabolism will also slow down.

Those are the reason you will overeat whenever you’ll be having your next meal.

Taking cheat day to next level

A cheat day is a day when you are allowed to eat your favorite foods. It is practiced once in a while, and when done in a right way, helps to satiate your cravings. Also, it can even boost your metabolism and helps in torching down calories more efficiently.

But many people think the cheat day is ‘Overeating-Allowed’ day. They eat like there’s no tomorrow. Forgetting that you are consuming thousands of calories in one go. This will make you feel sick and bloated for days.

Forgetting about liquid calories

Liquid calories from alcohol, teas, coffee with cream and sugar, smoothies, sodas, fizzy drinks, sweetened juices etc. can really promote weight gain. The thing is when you track your daily calorie intake you do not count liquid calories. According to a recent research, Americans get almost 21% of their calories from beverages.

Try to switch all these calories-loaded drinks with water or unsweetened juice and tea. If you are opting for alcoholic drinks, limit the consumption.

Underestimating your portion size

You may have switched all your unhealthy eating habits to healthy ones. But eating healthy is one thing; another is the quantity of food. Sometimes, we consume larger portions of healthy foods and think that we are on our way to successful weight loss. Just because the food you are eating is healthier doesn’t mean you can over-eat it. Potion control is the key to weight loss.

Try to go for small plates/bowls and never clean your or anyone else’s plate.

Consuming too-few calories

Weight loss is the process of balance and consistency. If you substantially cut down your calories, then your metabolism will slow down along with your weight loss process. Also, too-low calorie intake results in muscle loss. Go for a balance of calorie intake and calories burned.

Not eating enough proteins

Protein is important for effective weight loss. It can:

  • Decrease appetite
  • Decrease calorie intake
  • Uplift feelings of fullness
  • Enhance metabolic rate
  • Protect muscle mass throughout weight loss
Protein rich food

Most of the protein-rich foods help in fat burning. If your protein intake is too low, then it will significantly decrease the pace of losing weight.

Eating too-little Carbs

The most common mistake in weight loss is avoiding carbs like a plague. You need to understand carbs are not your enemy. Your body needs it to carry all the vital functions properly. It is the primary source of energy. So, instead of avoiding carbs, try to include complex carbohydrates as they provide fibers, minerals, and vitamins.

Sometimes these small mistakes will hinder your progress. Avoid them as much as you can to set yourself in an optimum condition for effective weight loss.

10 Common Mistakes People Make while Dieting