If you want to lose weight, you know you need to cut back on calories and up your exercise routine. Though that’s a big part of it, that’s not all there is to losing weight successfully. There are things you should do, but there are also things you should avoid doing, and these errors can stall or even reverse your progress. For example: one of the common mistakes that people make when losing weight is they start consuming fat burners tablet without even consulting a doctor and understanding whether their body even needs it or not.
Here are some of the most typical weight loss blunders that you should avoid doing.
- Not Reading Product Labels Properly
Nowadays, many packaged foods have healthy-sounding claims on the front that trick you into thinking they’re healthy. If you check the nutrition label, most of those claims are completely unsubstantiated. Sugar is hidden in ingredients like fructose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose.
Instead, check the ingredients, nutrition label, and serving size on the back of the package. This way you will only eat what you need.
- Not Considering Calories & Sugar In Drinks
What’s your favourite drink’s sugar content? At least 40 g of sugar is found in the most popular drinks! Just one drink contains 2-3 times the daily recommended intake! Beer, fruit juice, soda and wine are also high in carbs and calories, which can make you hungry because your brain doesn’t react to liquid calories like it does to food calories.
Instead, hydrate! Add lemon, mint leaves or your favorite berries to water if you don’t like it plain. Unsweetened green tea is another good drink.
- Limiting Yourself
Weight loss advice often includes reducing portion sizes. When done right, it works. But you shouldn’t eat so little that you’re always hungry. First, it’s unhealthy. Second, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy when your calorie intake is too low, making weight loss harder.
Cutting out your favorite “bad” foods is another restriction mistake. This usually leads to serious cravings, which you either satisfy by eating too much of other foods or, if you restrict yourself for too long, you end up binging on your favorite “forbidden” treats and completely abandoning your diet. And in that case, your weight loss tablets won’t be able to reverse your blunder.
Instead, eat small, filling portions. Enjoy a cheat meal occasionally. 1-2 cheat meals a week will help you manage cravings and stick to your diet.
- Overdoing On Low-fat & Fat-Free Processed Foods
Many believe low-fat and fat-free foods are healthy, but they are unaware that these foods are loaded with sugar and other flavor enhancers. Fat-free flavored drinking yogurts can have as much sugar as chocolate bars!
Instead, choose minimally processed and unprocessed whole foods, both that have low-fat and healthy fat. If you want to buy low-fat or fat-free, check the nutrition label to make sure it’s not full of sugar or additives and has fewer calories and good fat than full-fat.
- Overconsumption Of Healthy Foods
When you know something is good for you, it’s easy to eat too much of it. This is especially true of healthy foods. But even though they’re good for you, they can still cause you to put on extra pounds. Foods like nuts, avocados, hummus, quinoa, and brown rice are nutrient-dense, but they also tend to be high in calories.
Search for recommended serving sizes of healthy foods and stick to them. Feel free to eat more but remember that the serving size is important to keep in mind.
- Skipping Meals
Skipping breakfast or dinner is the biggest weight-loss mistake. It seems logical to cut calories to lose weight faster but skipping meals can do more harm than good. It can lead to slow metabolism and makes you more likely to snack and overeat later.
Instead, eat a nutritious, energy-boosting breakfast or wholesome dinner to avoid overeating later. Healthy breakfasts include dalia, cheela, eggs, oatmeal, idli or yogurt with fruits. For dinner try khichdi, you won’t regret it!
Did you find any of these blunders to be unexpected? Know of any other common blunders people make on diets, or have any additional suggestions that weren’t included? Feel free to tell us about it in the feedback section!