There's no shortage of weight loss advice on the internet.
Most of it is either unproven or proven not to work.
Here are the top 5 biggest weight loss traps that set you up for failure.
1️⃣ Extreme (and non-sustainable) diets
Strict prescription meal plans that tell you to eat this much at this time are for bodybuilders and competitive athletes - not regular people. They're meant to be short-term. They're designed to help a person get to a specific short term goal (ex: drop 10 lbs).
But what happens when that "diet" or "meal plan" is over? You either go back to your old way of eating because you don't know what else to do or you follow a plan that was meant to be temporary for too long - which could lead to bigger problems like nutrient deficiencies, disordered eating habits, or other health (mental, metabolic, hormonal) consequences.
2️⃣ Drastic changes in too many areas of your daily routine
Meal plans and diets fail for this reason. Unless you plan to never get busy, always be prepared, pass up birthday party and dinner invites, skip vacations, and stick to a schedule all day every day - LIFE will get in the way of your "perfect" meal plan.
Jumping ahead and trying to do too much too soon can lead to injury, frustration, or burnout. This is why it’s so important to focus on the steps of the process...on the very act of doing the work itself. Choose small changes and make a plan that involves incremental steps to alter and enhance your daily routine.
3️⃣ Unrealistic expectations / Desire for immediate results
In order to achieve any big goal without feeling overwhelmed or frozen today, we must break it down into small, manageable steps we can do starting today and then focus on the very first step.
So even though the goal is big and scary, the daily actions are possible and doable. You can’t set a goal to lose 30 pounds and expect to lose 5 pounds within the first day. Progress takes times and consistency.
4️⃣ Deprivation
A large part of weight management is what you eat. And there are a lot of delicious and enjoyable foods that aren’t very beneficial to your health.
When you're creating and following a healthy eating plan you'll certainly need to make choices to abstain from unhealthy food (i.e. sugary foods, fried foods, highly processed foods) - but you don't need to completely deprive yourself of the things you enjoy eating.
Moderation is key!
5️⃣ Overestimating/Underestimating calories
Calories are tricky little buggers. Calorie counting can be time consuming and, unfortunately, it can be very easy to underestimate the number of calories that you intake and overestimate the number of calories that you burn.
Placing too much focus on calories can be detrimental to your weight management goals. Instead, focus on eating appropriate portions of healthy and natural whole foods (avoid processed foods with added sugars) and increase your activity level.
In Conclusion
The relationship between food, your body, and your weight is very complex. If you're trying to lose weight, you may have heard some of these weight loss traps. Maybe you've even believed some of them, as they’re hard to avoid.
If you're interested in a weight management program that's focused on evidence-based changes and sustainable results, message me and we can discuss the nutrition and lifestyle system that meets YOUR needs. Click Here
Resources:
WebMD: Diets Don't Work Long Term
Healthline: 9 Tips To Measure And Control Portion Sizes