3 most common mistakes people make when losing weight and how to beat them
I’m doing everything right, but I’m still not losing weight. What’s going on?
1. Not Eating Enough
Improper dieting can actually lead you to put on more body fat over time. Have you ever been in a constant diet cycle, where you lose a heap of weight and then gradually your weight increases again? This is due to your body’s natural set point – a range that your body likes to stay within.
When you try to restrict and diet and push your body below that range, your body fights to get it back up by increasing hunger levels, makes you preoccupied about food and may decrease your metabolism.
In between these dieting attempts, you may see yourself returning to your set point weight. This is not effective in the long term because for each attempt at a diet, your body may increase your weight gradually over time and may actually increase your set point over time.
Your body doesn’t know whether it’s on a deserted island with no food or in a kitchen surrounded by lots of food, so it does everything it can to survive. The body isn’t interested in losing weight, it’s more worried about your survival. This is why if you go too restrictive, your metabolism will slow down to preserve as much energy as possible (know as metabolic adaptation) and you will need to work hard to get out of this.
Very low calorie diets may create a quick initial weight loss, but when hunger, boredom or life circumstances get in the way, these unrealistic plans can become too hard to stick to. This could lead to that familiar diet/binge cycle of eating, causing you to feel badly about yourself for failing instead of being your own cheerleader to help you achieve your desire to look and feel your best.
WHAT TO DO:
Stop threatening yourself with a new diet constantly! It’s all about practicing a sustainable healthy lifestyle that you enjoy and can adhere to forever. Slow and steady wins the race and also avoids the disruptions to hormones and metabolism.
2. Creating Food ‘Rules’
“No food after 8pm”
“No sugar”
“Nothing processed”
We’re talking about the kind of restrictions people subject themselves to in the name of dropping kilos. The kind that take over your life and leave you feeling guilty every time you “mess up.” Spoiler alert: These diets do not work.
Have you tried diet after diet, with no long-term success? Yet still, so many of us go back time and time again to diets that haven’t worked, thinking maybe if I did this one thing differently or I know I can stick it out this time, often blaming ourselves.
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not your fault. Restrictive diets indeed set you up for failure. Heres why –
1.Triggers overeating – Banning certain foods simply heightens your awareness of them. Just think: If you know you shouldn’t eat doughnuts, seeing one turns your sensors on.
2. Social withdrawal – A list of food rules is severely limiting, which is especially tricky in social situations. 3. Nutrient Deficiencies – There are loads of nutrients that your body needs to function at 100 percent. Cutting out food groups can result in a deficiency.
4. Guilt around food – By putting so much pressure on yourself, you counteract part of the reason you’re eating well in the first place: to be healthier. Feelings of guilt can, of course, take a toll on your mental health. Why beat yourself up over a doughnut?
WHAT TO DO:
Take those evil judgements that you have in your mind off foods – These aren’t your judgements, they have been ingrained in us through diet culture. These evil judgements may always be there in your mind but you can tune out from them – just like a radio playing in the background.
Remind yourself that no food is inherently good or bad. Focus on balanced eating and allow all foods in moderation for a healthier approach.
Practice mindful eating skills – It’s important to remove all distractions, and enjoy the food with all your senses. Enjoy the smell, taste, touch and look – just like a Masterchef judge. You don’t eat these ‘banned’ foods for nutrition, you eat them for your mind. So you want to allow your mind the full experience of it, so it feels satisfied and as happy with the eating experience as possible.
3. Following the Latest Fad
Fad diets often promise a quick fix to health-related issues, from weight management to improving skin tone. But they are also often unrealistic or unsustainable, based on limited or no scientific evidence at all.
Just imagine.. ‘no need to worry about counting calories or exercising, just follow the rules and the extra kilos fall right off’. They don’t work, so don’t fall for the fad diet hype. Heres why –
1. You may develop a pattern called “yo-yo” or weight cycling, which is losing weight, gaining weight, and then losing it again.
2. You may cause a nutrient deficiency – If you’re on a diet that encourages you to sacrifice good-for you practices to “follow the rules,” you need to take a step back and analyse exactly what you’re doing, and why.
Just because your neighbour told you to eat Keto, your partner told you to go Vegan or your friend told you to go gluten-free, doesn’t mean you should. It’s all about focusing on what you enjoy and what you can stick to daily.
A healthy lifestyle is a forever kind of thing.. you may as well enjoy it!
WHAT TO DO:
- Create a calorie deficit.
- Eat more protein and whole foods.
- Don’t restrict foods you love.
- Lift weights a few times a week.
- Try to be active (steps) daily.
- Sleep 7-8 hours every night.
- Stay consistent.
- Don’t go too fast.
- Stay patient.
- Don’t quit.
You want to make a lifestyle change that will allow you to maintain a healthy weight by eating nutrient-dense foods from all of the food groups in the amounts that are right for your body. You shouldn’t punish yourself by cutting out foods you enjoy just because you’d like to lose weight …enjoying delicious food is one of the pleasures in life.
Slowly shifting to healthier eating habits that you can maintain will help you lose weight and keep it off. Need help getting it right? Let us help you with a customised science-based nutrition & fitness program.
Join the RTH tribe today! https://rachelstouchofhealth.com/1-on-1-coaching/
