15 common mistakes when trying to loose weight

 15 common mistakes when trying to loose weight

It is quite common for people to loose weight through simple diet management and few exercises. On the other hand, some find it difficult to loose even few kilos. It is important for you to know that it is not always the lack efforts people put, but the mistakes that they keep repeating in the process of loosing weight.

Let’s know these common mistakes that people make (and that you can avoid them) when trying to loose weight :-

1. Skipping meals.

A lot of people believe that the more they skip their meals or starve themselves, the faster will be their speed of loosing weight. But that’s not the case. Skipping meals is not an effective weight loss strategy rather it leads to overeating. Instead, a balanced diet can prevent extreme hunger, keeping your metabolism going and your energy level maintained.

2. Taking medications for weight loss.

Most weight loss drugs work by decreasing appetite or appetite suppression. The National Institutes of Health warn that starvation diets and use of laxatives lead to water and weight loss and the weight comes back when normal eating is resumed.

3. Not taking a balanced diet.

Remember, it’s not about eating less but eating right. You might be calorie deficit but if you are consuming only carbs and fat, then you need to rectify it. It’s important for any diet to have carbs, fat ,good amount of protein, fruits, vegetables and enough roughage.

4. Skipping the importance of water.

Having adequate amount of water helps in boosting metabolism, effective bowel movements and suppressing appetite. In fact, a lot of times when you feel hungry, it’s not always the food that your body needs but 1-2 glasses of water that’d vanish your hunger away. Drinking 1-2 of litres water a day is enough to assist weight loss.

5. Consuming packaged sugar.

Most people stop putting extra spoons of sugar in their tea or coffee but start drinking packaged fruit juices. They avoid reading the labels forgetting that even the most ‘nature claimed fruit juices’ could contain sugar and could put all your efforts in waste. One can instead prefer having normal water to keep oneself hydrated. One can also make a lemon drink at home that would not only refresh you but boost weight loss process as well.

6. Wrong food combinations.

Some people eat nutritious food but in wrong combinations. In place of benefitting, it often leads to various digestion problems like acidity and bloating. Some common examples are milk and bananas, tomatoes and cucumbers (together in salad), fruits immediately after having meal, eating milk with sour items or eating food that has been stored for long.

7. Not exercising.

Although a major part of you weight loss journey depends on your diet, but that could be proved little less beneficial if you do not exercise at all. Having the right kind of food is a great move, but you need to digest it as well to avail it’s benefits. Avoid sitting for prolonged hours. Even if you have a desk job or work from home, just take 20 minutes and do a mild walk to avoid your metabolic rate from going down.

8. Relying only on cardio.

Cardio is a great way of loosing weight. Although it’s important to realize that you are bound to loose your muscle mass along with fat if you rely solely on cardio. It’s better to practice a mix of workouts like weight training, stair climbing or yoga for better results.

9. Sleep deprivation.

Now this might sound like a small factor but actually it plays a significant role. It you want to loose weight, you should make sure that you are getting sufficient sleep. Sleeping late or binge watching whole night makes you eat the unhealthy snacks. Sleep loss or little sleep have significant impact on metabolism and hampers it. 7 hours of a sleep is therefore a good time period for your body to rest.

10. Blindly following diet trends.

With time, there are new diet trends that are being followed by large number of people even if it requires you to starve yourself. However, you need not experiment with every new diet trend and follow it. You just need to know what your body lacks, what kind of nutrients it needs and what simply needs to be cut down from diet.

11. Saying no to specific foods.

Even if you are on calorie deficit, you can still eat rice, bread and even dessert. It’s just that you can have a healthier versions of these foods like whole wheat, brown rice or brown bread, replacing jaggery with sugar and adding vegetables and fruits.

12. Neglecting extra salt in meals.

Sodium causes more water to be retained in your body resulting in weight gain. It’s just not the water weight it affects rather the high salt diets appear to be linked to higher body fat, the kind of which accumulates around your middle.

13. Exercising with an empty stomach.

Exercising or working out with empty stomach can make you feel fainted. Also, over exercising causes the body to release stress hormones that can actually make you gain weight. It’s better to exercise by slowly building endurance without getting exhausted and overexerting yourself at any point.

14. Avoiding portion control.

Portion control is a very powerful practice that can immensely affect your irregular eating habits. You can practice it by using small dinnerware ,using your plate as a portion guide. You can divide your plate into sections based on different groups.( Example:-one plate for vegetable salad, one for complex carbs, one for high fat foods and another for high protein.) It is also advised by some people to eat in front of mirror for mindful eating and being watchful of it.

15. Over Expecting

Setting health goals motivates you to achieve your target. However, one should know that it is a slow process and that you need patience to achieve it authentically. Speaking of this, remember that you do not have to be super strict to yourself or starve yourself after keeping some unrealistic expectations of weight loss because some xyz person or a random video has told you to do so. Just accept it that if you want to do it effectively and efficiently, it is going to take some time.