When the pants aren’t fitting as they should, then losing weight becomes a priority. It is a pattern that many people follow without always realizing that this is their choice foundation.
Your doctor might say during your annual checkup that it is time to lose a few pounds to support your heart or joints. You might have already had a successful weight loss journey, but it is those last ten pounds that you want to remove that refuse to disappear.
The choices you make at this stage can help you to achieve the wanted results or sabotage your success. If you can avoid the common mistakes that people make when they don’t like what they see in the mirror, then a successful outcome becomes more likely.
Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight
1. Unrealistic Goals Being Set
People set weight loss goals that are almost impossible to achieve. When they don’t see any success or forward progress, then they give up. The old saying goes that the easiest way to eat an elephant is to take one bite at a time. A similar process works well for weight loss.
Instead of saying that you’re going to lose 90lbs over the next year, try to lose 5lbs in the next month. Then celebrate your achievement before going to take off the next bit until you reach the long-term goal.
When you set unrealistic expectations, then an increased risk of unhealthy decisions can develop. It took some time to get where you are right now. Fixing the situations is going to require some patience.
2. Expecting a Quick Fix
A diet that focuses on the consumption of a small number of foods is a recipe for failure. Although some people swear by the rice-only or cabbage-only diet, the habits you develop during these efforts don’t set you up for long-term success.
A quick fix doesn’t create sustainable results. It only creates a short-term outcome that likely ends in long-term failure.
Even if you try a liquid diet with blended fruits and vegetables, you aren’t getting the correct nutrient profile for your health. You might also get an excess of other vitamins or minerals that can lead to other concerns, especially if you maintain that lifestyle over several months.
If you want to substitute the occasional meal by consuming protein shakes, then there isn’t anything wrong with that. Continuing in that pattern for several weeks at every meal means you might have a lower number on the scale, but your health won’t be any better.
3. Using Guilt
Feeling guilty about your current weight status does nothing for your motivation. If anything, that emotion can cause you to look for coping skills that increase the calories you consume each day.
If you believe you are attempting a diet incorrectly, then guilt can cause you to stop your efforts entirely.
When you don’t feel good about your body, then it can be challenging to find positive thoughts, encouragement, or support. That’s why it is helpful to have an accountability partner you trust to lead you through the challenging first days of a diet.
Focus on the successes you can create through your efforts. Take a look at the entire journey instead of the failures that happen in the present moment.
4. Skipping Meals
When you want to lose weight quickly, then you will likely being deficient in certain nutrients to support the needs of your body. You also risk developing eating disorders in the future. Skipping meals takes away the fuel that your physical processes need for proper operations. Even if you decide to follow an ultra low calorie diet, you’re still eating 800 calories per day over three meals.
Anything that you try bellow a thousand calories a day will need supervision to avoid the development of an eating disorder from your doctor. You also need extra vitamins and minerals to ensure no deficiencies develop.
If you aren’t restricting calories, then skipping one meal often means that you binge at the next one.
Intermittent fasting may be the one exception to this mistake, but even that practice as specific rules to follow.
5. Scale Obsessions
When people use a scale for checking on their weight, then they are more likely to stick with a weight loss plan compared to those who don’t take that action.
It doesn’t take much for a person to start using the number on the scale to become down hearted. People can become overly emotional with what they see. A better feeling happens when you can fit into your favorite clothes better – or for the first time in a long while.
If you do want to weigh yourself daily, then focus on a range of numbers instead of one specific result. Losing fat is more of a weekly process than a daily one, which means you might not see changes happen every day.
6. Overdoing Exercise
If you have been working at a sedentary job for the past five years, then it is an unreasonable expectation to start training like an Olympian. Slipping into high-intensity exercise is going to be more supportive of your health.
Even when you start seeing weight loss improvements, pushing yourself to 90% of your upper limit heart rate should be something you do 2-3 days weekly instead of all of the time. You need to give your body some time to recuperate.
When your body doesn’t have enough energy for your workouts, then it can trigger fat storage even if you restrict calories. Muscle mass loss can occur, slowing your metabolism even more – causing even more fat development.
Other people try medication, such as Leptitox. Here is the best Leptitox review in my opinion to see if it is suitable for you.
Fast weight loss happens through water losses more than genuine fat energy consumption. Drinking lots of water, sweating out your weight, or using purging to get rid of extra calories are all actions to avoid. Be patient with yourself, and embrace the journey! If you are proud of who you can be, then focus on the steps needed to take you there.
