“I’m so tired of dieting! I’m not losing enough weight and belly fat!”
If this sounds a lot like you, you might be committing diet mistakes that are secretly sabotaging your weight loss efforts.
Here are 10 diet mistakes you should stop doing:
Setting Unreasonable Expectations
If you’re following a diet plan that is not compatible with your lifestyle it’s highly likely you’ll just fall off the bandwagon a few weeks in and regain the weight. Don’t cut out meat from your diet all at once, instead add more veggies to your favorite meals and choose healthier alternatives.
Doing it Alone
When you share your goals to supportive friends and family, you build a safety net around you with people who will keep you accountable to the steps you take towards your target weight. Take it up a notch by finding a diet buddy. A recent study found that dieters who have a weight-loss partner significantly lose more belly fat than those who try to lose weight alone.
Falling For “Healthy Food” Imposters
Not everything labeled as “sugar-free” or “organic” are actually nutritious. Seeing these buzzwords on food packaging gives the dieter the perception that they’re eating healthy food without minding their portions, hence resulting to overeating more calories than you should.
Eating While Watching TV
Experts find that eating with a distracted mind can block your brain’s satiety cues, resulting again to overeating more calories than you should.
Skipping Meals
Feeling like you’re always hungry is not because your willpower is weak. Notice that you get these urges to binge on days when you “forgot” to eat lunch. Skipping meals may make you feel like you’re eating less, but it will actually cause you to eat more later on.
Eating in a Rush
If there’s one thing you should stop doing, it’s scarfing down your food in the shortest possible time because you have to catch a 9 o’clock meeting. Research has found that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full.
Forgetting to Exercise
Dieting alone will never give you the results you want. Recent research shows that weight loss programs that incorporate exercise routines are significantly more effective for weight loss than diet plans without recommended workout sessions. Read up on online resources about aerobic and strength training exercises that you can do at home.
Relying on Exercise Alone
A 2012 study shows that people tend to overestimate the number of calories they burn on workouts. This results to overcompensation where they eat more than they burned, and also indulging in food as “reward” for making it through the exercise.
Slacking Off on Beverages
Going on a diet does not only mean regulating the amount and kind of food you munch on, but also the beverages you drink! Sugary sodas, processed juices, and sweetened teas are all chock full of calories that can add a few inches to the waistline. Studies also show that our bodies don’t process liquid calories the way it does solid calories – meaning we may end up drinking more calories until we feel full.
Treating One Food Like A Magic Diet Pill
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) does keep you fuller for longer and minimizes spikes in blood sugar. But just because you get your daily dose of ACV does not mean you do not make alterations with anything else about your diet. There is no single food that will work like a magic diet pill. Continue drizzling ACV on your salad, but make sure you’re also saying no to junk food and clocking in your cardio.
Head over to this Eat This article for the full list of diet mistakes you should stop doing.
Paul Mcgrath says
There are so many structures to be put together to have a healthy diet the commitment has to be at the highest standard in the personal side of your diet.. and yes reading your 10 don’t do id say we all have done most of them with our programs.
Well written.
Lisa Chan says
Thanks for dropping by, Paul!