In your eagerness to lose weight you may find yourself trying different things. Sometimes, you’ll be certain that what you’re trying to do is helpful, even when it is far from it.
To help you avoid doing things which are either useless or detrimental to weight loss, I recommend that you go over the following list of things that you should NOT do when trying to lose weight.
1. Stay On a Very Low Calorie Diet For Too Long
Very low calorie diets are devilish because they’re so logical: if you want to lose weight you need to eat less, so why not just cut it down in a big way, right?
Wrong! And this is for two reasons:
a. Very low calorie diets are hard to stick to for long. Pretty soon, you will feel like you can’t take it anymore.
b. Very low calorie diets can cause your metabolism to slow down, if you stay on them long enough. This will make long term weight loss hard to achieve.
Basically, starving yourself is not a good way to lose weight, at least not in the long run. Yet, a lot of people do exactly that. Don’t make this mistake.
2. Believe In Quick Fixes
As the recent Ab Circle Pro FTC bust shows, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. You shouldn’t believe everything an infomercial says and you shouldn’t base your weight loss hoped on a quick fix.
You can’t lose weight without making a big and sustained effort. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
3. Go At It Alone
Weight loss is all about you and your body, but it shouldn’t be done alone. You should get the support of those closest to you. If you feel ashamed about your current weight, get over it. You have nothing to ashamed of. You’re trying to improve your life and this is something to be proud of.
Having support is crucial, especially when things will become a bit difficult. The help of those around you can help you overcome these difficulties.
4. Focus On Only Calories And Not Health
It is certainly possible to eat what you want and lose weight, but it isn’t smart. You can eat only junk food – as long as you watch your calories – and lose weight.
I am not one for giving up all the foods you love and a little indulgence should be a part of life, but food isn’t just about calories. It is also about the nutrients it provides your body and, in the case of processed foods, the various chemicals that are in it. Healthy food isn’t always low in calories, but it is always nutritionally rich. Don’t judge food just by the calories in it. Look at its health qualities.
5. Emulate Celebrity Diets
Magazines love to talk about celebrities who dropped weight and go on and on about how they did it. Often, these stories are accompanied by professional pictures which make the star or starlet look stunningly fit. Is it any wonder that regular folk want to emulate these celebrities and try the same diet plans?
Celebrity diets need to be approached with caution. Even if the story is totally true and isn’t a part of an ad campaign, celebrities often lead far different lives than the rest of us. They often have personal trainers, dietitians and other resources. They also have a lifestyle which allows them to dedicate a great deal of time for fitness.
Before you rush to try a celebrity diet, make sure it’s something that you can actually do.
6. Weigh Yourself Every Day
Weighing yourself too often is pointless and may even be negative to your efforts. You don’t need to weigh yourself more than once a week and even when you do, you need to do it the right way to get accurate results.
Weight fluctuates. It’s normal. Even when you’re on a good diet there will be days in which you’ll gain a little. This is why weighing yourself every day is a big mistake. The only thing it can do is get you down when you see that your weight hasn’t decreased as much as you would have liked to.
