Even though there is so much information available on weight loss, the same diet errors are repeated every day. We are not talking about small slip-ups where you ate a piece of pie that wasn't on the plan, but big mistakes that lead to not losing the weight you want to lose. Understanding these mistakes can help you develop the attitude that will lead to permanent weight loss for you.
1. The all-or-nothing attitude
People on an all-or-nothing diet will often choose a complicated diet that is almost impossible to maintain. Before they start, they will rummage through the kitchen for anything that doesn't fit the plan and throw it in the garbage. They plan to be the perfect diet person, so they will be the perfect diet person for a day, three days, seven days or even a few weeks. Then, inevitably, something happens that means they can't stick to the diet once. Immediately, everything is ruined in their eyes and the diet is over. They go to the store and buy everything that was put in the trash last week and regain all the weight they lost, as quickly as possible.
If you're on this type of diet, you have to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really want to lose weight permanently, or do you just want to lose a few pounds so you can put it back on? The way forward is to make small changes in what you eat so that you lose weight slowly but steadily.
Another common mistake is to think of your diet as a period of sacrifice. You don't allow yourself the foods you enjoy most while you are on the verge of reaching your target weight. You can have a great diet and still lose weight, but what happens when you reach your goal? You haven't learned to eat "bad foods" in moderation, so once you start, you may lose control. It's best to include a little bit of everything in your diet and learn to enjoy it in small amounts. Yes, even chocolate!
Setting achievable goals is essential in any weight loss plan. Goals should be clear, realistic and in writing. Although you probably have an ideal weight in your mind, unless you are very slightly overweight, it is probably too far away to be helpful. A more useful goal would be to lose two pounds a week for the first five weeks, then one pound a weeks thereafter. Some weeks you'll lose more and some weeks you'll lose less, some weeks you may even gain, but if you track your progress on a graph, you'll see that the ups and downs are natural and don't prevent you from making steady progress towards your main goal.
If you've made these mistakes, don't worry. The most important thing in a diet, as in so many other things, is to move on. Learn from your failures as well as your success and don't use a mistake as an excuse to give up. The only way to achieve your goal permanently is to commit to becoming a healthier person. Remember that eating is usually about eating more on some days and less on others. Learn to eat in moderation and you have a good chance of avoiding these bad dieting mistakes.
3 Misfeeds to be avoided at all costs
No comments
Post a Comment