Are you perplexed that your constant diet and exercise efforts have yielded less than optimum results. If yes, then there are high chances that you are making some common mistakes while dieting. Even when you are on a diet, you may be consuming many calories than you think.
Look Around
Look around at what could be causing the weight gain. Going on a diet can create an obsession with foods, heightening the cravings. You might not even realize how quickly your calories are going up. One extra teaspoon of salad dressing can add almost 100 calories, while an extra butter can add up to 100 calories. Eating while cooking is one the most common mistakes while dieting. Starting your day with a high calorie drink like coffee, eating the leftovers from the kid’s plates and gulping down too many glasses of wine can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Skipping Meals
Research has shown that people who skip breakfast weigh more than people who eat. People are under the misconception that skipping breakfast or any meal can make them lose weight. Those who eat less than three meals end up eating more calories during the course of the day. Eating three square meals is bare minimum for a healthy and fit body. Start your day with a healthy, protein and fiber rich breakfast. When you start with a healthy meal, you are more likely to make good nutrition choices throughout the day.
Too Many Liquid Calories
Liquid calories from smoothies, alcohol, ice cream, juice, soda and tea can contribute to weight gain. A recent study found that people consumed 21% calories from beverages. Switch to water, green tea and green juice to lose weight easily.
Oversized Portions
Oversized portions or eating in huge portions can increase the calories. A few tricks to trim your portions include, leaving a few bites on the plate and using smaller plates and bowls for serving food. Occasionally checking the portions with measuring cups can also help you to control your servings.
Choosing Unhealthy add On:
We have the tendency to top our salads and other healthy foods with fatty toppings like cheese, oil, bacon and creamy dressings. These unhealthy toppings can increase the calories intake.
Weight Loss Pills
Diet or weight loss pills are a common approach that people take to lose weight. Many people who are desperate to lose weight are often misguided by the sham promises made by the marketers of pills. Not only are the weight loss pills worthless, but they can also lead to serious health problems. The only way to achieve natural weight loss is by disregarding the promotional hype and adopting a healthy weight loss regime.
Mindless Eating
Eating amnesia or mindless eating is the act of unknowingly eating while watching television or reading a book. Try to get out of the habit of eating something while relaxing. Sip on a cup of tea or a glass of water instead.
Too much Olive Oil
People often consume large amounts of olive oil perceiving it to be healthy. Although olive oil contains heart healthy monounsaturated fats, flavonoids, antioxidants and vitamin, it is still high in calories. 1 tablespoon packs 120 calories. People put 300 calories in pan even before they start cooking. Measure the oil while using for cooking, dressing and sauces.
Eating Excess Amounts of Fruits
Some weight loss plans encourage people to eat fruits and juice without guilt. Fruits contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but are also loaded with sugar. Do not eat more than three servings of fruits. Fruit juice, on the other hand lacks in filling fiber and contains added sugar that can wreak havoc on your weight loss plans.
Starving
The body needs fuel for the organs to function properly. While starving, the body slows the metabolism, preventing weight loss. There are also high chances of gaining back the lost pounds as soon as you give in to your cravings.
Avoid Nuts
Many people are afraid to eat nuts taking them as little fat pills. The fact is that nuts contain healthy fat, which is not only an essential nutrient, but can also help to lose weight. Nuts fill the stomach and help to satisfy cravings. Thus, choose nuts over pretzels or potato chips. Eat a handful of almonds, pistachios and cashews for successful weight loss.
Single Food Diets
There have been a number of crazy fad diets based on a single food item or eliminating a food for several weeks. Not only do such diets fail, but can also pose serious health risks. You miss the essential nutrients required for cellular function. While the single food diet may help you lose weight initially, you are much likely to gain back all the weight if you start eating freely again.
Not Sleeping Well
Lack of sleep if often overlooked as a diet mistake. If you are doing everything, yet not losing fat, then you need to look at your sleeping patterns. Skipping sleep can thwart your weight loss chances. Sleeping less than 6 hours can slow down the metabolism and cause hormonal changes, disrupting your weight loss process. Chronically, high levels of cortisol can make losing fat very difficult, making you gain fat. Being tired and sleepless can also make you eat more. According to a study, sleep deprived people tend to consume 500 more calories.
Not Exercising
You can never lose weight with diet alone. If you want to shed 5 kilos, cutting back on high calorie foods might do the trick. However, if you want to lose a significant amount of weight, you need to do hard-core exercise. This will not just hasten weight loss, but will make sure that the fat is distributed properly.
Eating only Salads
Contrary to popular belief, consuming salads only may not help you lose weight. Salads do not contain enough carbohydrates to control the hunger hormones. A healthy soup, stir-fried vegetables or a sandwich is a better option.
Not Drinking Water
Substituting water for sugary drinks and juice can cause a major blow to your daily calorie count. Water makes a room in your stomach, preventing overeating. In a study, people who drank two glasses of water before eating a meal consumed up to 100 fewer calories.
Eating too Early
Eating early in the evening is not a sound decision. People, who eat early at 7 pm and stay up until 11, tend to binge on junk foods. People should aim to eat 70% calories before dinner and 30% after dinner. An early dinner can lead you to indulge in a late night binge on cookies or ice cream.
Emotional Eating
Foods can evoke both good and bad emotions. People tend to binge when they feel anxious, depressed, sad, angry or elated. If you turn to food when you feel stressed out, you are letting your emotions control what you eat and how you eat. Sweets and junk food are the most common comfort foods. Thus, you need to find a way to break this emotional attachment with food.
You Never Snack in Between
People avoid eating in between, thinking that they will get fat, but it is important to eat more often in small amounts to keep the metabolism high. You should be ideally eating three square meals with two healthy snacks each day.
Successful weight loss can be achieved by avoiding the above-mentioned mistakes and following a low calorie diet. Commit to correcting one mistake a week to get into an alluring shape.