Losing weight is a strenuous endeavor that’s likely to have multiple setbacks along the way. The need for urgent results is one of the most commonly experienced problems among people seeking to shed excessive weight. This often results in frustration because the weight loss in such a way is quickly regained. Also, adding various foods into your diet without consulting with weight loss coaches can lead to disappointment in the end. However, despite the increasing pressure to lose weight, it’s crucial to set viable weight reduction targets. Setting impractical weight loss targets has seen many people quit in the middle of this critical undertaking when it becomes apparent that their targets won’t be attainable within the specified timeframe.
Many people pursue weight loss for various reasons, including enhancing their health statistics, attaining a perfect body for a wedding event, or fitting into a set of clothing that has been gathering dust in the closet for years. Eyeing for a step-by-step and regular weight loss is usually the most productive approach to burning calories. Therefore, one needs to establish a healthy lifestyle that entails a nutritious diet, a workout regimen, a healthy night’s sleep, and reduced stress levels.
Here are the top weight loss mistakes people often make and how to avoid them.
1. Setting All Your Focus on Scale
It’s normal to feel like you’re taking too long to lose excessive weight, despite adopting a healthy lifestyle.
It’s essential to note that the number on the weighing machine is just a single measure of weight change. Weight is impacted by several factors, including changes in fluid and the volume of food that sticks in your system.
Actually, weight may vary by approximately 2-4 pounds over a couple of days, depending on various things such as food and water intake.
Besides, hormonal variations in women can result in massive water retention, which is captured in the weight you observe on the weighing machine.
If the reading on the scale is constant, there is a possibility you’re shedding fat mass but retaining water. In addition, if you’ve been exercising, you perhaps could be losing fat while gaining muscle.
When this becomes the case, your clothes are likely to appear oversize, particularly around the waist, even if the reading on the scale remains unchanged.
Using a tape measure to measure your waist and taking periodic photos of yourself can reveal whether you’re losing fat, even if there are slight variations in the scale reading.
2. Consuming Excessive or Fewer Calories
A calorie deficiency is necessary for weight reduction. This implies that the calorie consumption rate should be lower than elimination.
For a long time, it was assumed that a 3,500 reduction in calories weekly would lead to a 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat loss. However, this has been contradicted by recent studies, which indicate that calorie deficiency changes from person to person.
More often than not, you may feel like you’re not consuming excess calories, which could be the case. Nonetheless, studies show that people regularly tend to determine the number of calories in a meal incorrectly.
In one of the studies, adults were requested to exercise on a treadmill, determine the number of calories they burned, and after that, propose a meal with the exact amount of calories; surprisingly, it was found out that virtually all the participants greatly underestimated and overestimated the calories in workout and food.
You might be eating nutritious foods but also rich in calories, like fish and nuts. Consuming moderate amounts is critical to your weight loss endeavors.
Contrastingly, significantly reducing your calorie consumption can be fruitless. Studies indicate that consuming significantly fewer calories can lead to muscle loss and considerably lower the rate of metabolism.
3. Failure to Exercise or Over Exercising
In the course of weight loss, you’ll undoubtedly lose some muscle mass in addition to fat, even though the amount lies in various factors.
If you fail to exercise completely while limiting calorie intake, you’re likely to experience a significant loss in muscle mass and a decline in metabolic rate. However, by exercising, you will experience a considerable increase in fat loss, a reduction in the loss of lean mass, and an increase in the rate of metabolism.
Having more lean mass makes it easier to shed excess weight while maintaining weight loss.
Nevertheless, exercising too much can give rise to problems.
Studies have revealed that over-exercising is untenable in the long run for most people and can cause stress. On top of that, it could have a negative effect on endocrine hormones, which aid in functional regulation throughout the body.
It’s worth noting that over-exercising in a bid to stretch the body to burn extra calories can turn out to be counterproductive and unhealthy.
However, doing intensive workouts such as lifting weights and performing cardio a handful of times a week can be a tenable approach for keeping the metabolic rate at the required levels during weight loss.
3. Opting for Low Fat or “Diet” Foods
Refined low-fat or “diet” foods are usually deemed nutritional options that can aid in weight loss. However, in most cases, they have been shown to be counterproductive.
A significant number of these products are densely packed with sugar in order to enhance their flavor. For example, a 170-gram container of low-fat flavored yogurt can possess roughly 23.5 grams of sugar, more than four teaspoons.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2000-calorie diet should not contain more than 12 teaspoons of added sugar daily.
Foods low in fat can prompt you to feel hungry every so often; hence, you may consume more than your body requires.
Rather than low-fat foods, opt for a blend of healthy foods that are slightly processed. More often, pick fruits and vegetables, entailing canned and frozen varieties, since they are low in fat and rich in nutrients.
4. Having a diet low in fiber
A diet deficient in fiber can impede your weight loss struggles alongside your overall health.
According to recent studies, viscous fiber, a type of soluble fiber, aids in easing appetite by creating a gel that retains water. This gel moves gradually via your digestive tract prompting you to feel packed.
Research shows that all forms of fiber may stimulate weight loss. However, a review of multiple studies revealed that viscous fiber brought down weight and waistline even without having a diet with limited calories.
Although studies are still in progress, research shows that fiber may as well interact with stomach microbes, generating hormones that help make you feel packed.
In addition, fiber may alleviate the risk of underlying conditions and enhance digestion.
5. Not Having Adequate Protein in Your Diet
Having sufficient protein in your diet is essential if you’re striving to lose weight. As a matter of fact, protein has been demonstrated to aid in weight loss in different ways. The protein may help reduce appetite, increase the metabolic rate, make you less hungry, reduce the amount of weight regained and safeguard muscle mass during weight loss.
Research further revealed that foods densely packed in proteins possessing 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per 1.2-1.6 g/kg might help with appetite control and alter body composition.
To fast-track, your weight loss, consider incorporating protein-rich foods into your everyday diet. Remember, there are several sources of protein besides meat and dairy. Some of the most impressive and affordable protein options include legumes, flaxseeds, beans, and quinoa.
6. Consuming Excessive Fat on a Low-Carb Diet
Ketogenic and low-carb diets have been shown to be productive for some individuals.
Studies reveal they tend to ease the appetite, which usually results in a spontaneous decline in calorie consumption.
A significant number of low-carb and ketogenic diets permit unrestricted volumes of fat, assuming that the immediate appetite reduction will maintain calories at minimal levels to aid in weight loss.
However, not all people can receive a strong enough signal to go slow on eating. Because of that, they may be consuming excessive calories for a calorie-deprived diet.
If you’re consuming significant amounts of fat in your diet or beverages and are not experiencing a considerable loss in weight, then cutting your fat intake could be all you need.
7. Drinking Sugary Beverages
People often tend to eliminate soft drinks and other sugary beverages from their diet in a bid to lose weight. Lessening the variety of sweetened drinks that you take can have a positive impact on your overall health.
However, intake of fresh juice is possibly better, but that doesn’t mean it can’t pose health issues. Just like any other drink, pure fruit juice is packed with sugar and can give rise to health concerns and obesity, the same effects caused by sugar-sweetened beverages.
For example, 372 grams (12 ounces) of pure apple juice features 35.76 grams of sugar, exceeding the amount of sugar contained in 12 ounces of cola by 22.75 grams.
More importantly, liquid calories appear to have a moderate effect on the appetite centers in your brain compared to calories derived from solid foods that significantly impact the same centers.
Research shows there is a possibility of consuming more calories in general rather than compensating for liquid calories by reducing consumption during the day.
