26 weight loss mistakes beginners often make
Losing weight and keeping it off is probably not something you will get right the first time you try.
This is because losing weight is a very personal journey and even though the fundamentals remain the same, everybody’s body is different.
Especially for beginners, there are some practices that we assume to be correct simply because we have heard of them all the time or we just assume that is how things are.
We can also make such mistakes because we are following the wrong weight loss guru, plan, etc.
Today, we will be discussing common mistakes that people make that is sabotaging their weight loss plan. Those of us seasoned in losing weight are probably still making one or two of these mistakes
Let’s begin:
1. Making too many changes at once – This usually happens at the beginning of your weight loss journey when you are excited to begin and shed all the fat. However, this will overwhelm you and make you less likely to stick to your plan in the long run.
2. Making drastic changes to their diet and lifestyle – Even if the changes are not many, but if they are too drastic, it is almost guaranteed to fail such as from enjoying your sweet snacks everyday to eliminating sugar completely from your diet. Changes to your diet and lifestyle should be gradual
3. Cooking ugly recipes – Dieting recipes are known to be terrible but they don’t have to be. There are some delicious or at least good recipes that are healthy. You can find them on Pinterest
4. Using fad diets as a sustainable weight loss plan – If you got motivated to begin making efforts to lose weight because of the trendy diet of the moment, you are probably not losing weight the healthy way and these fad diets are not sustainable.
Weight loss is supposed to be healthy and sustainable for the long haul.
5. Making the weight loss plan strict – Being hard on yourself more than you need to be is actually detrimental to your success. Weight loss is not supposed to be tough, stressful, or too restrictive.
6. Yo-yo dieting – This is when you lose weight too fast. Anything more than losing 2 pounds in a weak is moving into the yo-yo dieting category and science has shown that you will probably regain all the weight back and some more once you stop.
7. Doing cardio only – Exercises like running, jogging, cycling, etc. are – for most people – not sufficient to lose weight fast. You need to include strength training
8. Not reframing and having a healthy relationship with food – This is especially common for those that do emotional eating or use food as a coping mechanism. Before trying to lose weight, you need to stop such habits. Get help from a therapist if you need to.
9. Focus is on executing the weight loss plan – Your focus should be on forming new habits and improving your lifestyle and relationship with food not diets.
10. . Not preparing healthy foods on hand to substitute for unhealthy ones – Find out healthy alternatives to the unhealthy foods you love. It will make your journey easier.
11. Still storing unhealthy foods – Only buy what you should eat -it should be for your cheat days only -and finish them at the moment. Don’t buy stock for next week’s cheat day and keep them in the house or at your desk, in the car, etc. You will end up eating them before the next cheat day
12. Not doing enough research – Even if you trust the weight loss plan creators, do your own basic research so that you will know what is best for you and what you should be looking for.
13. Giving up when your weight plateaus – A weight loss plateau is almost inevitable and is one of the major milestones that will determine your success or failure. Remember a weight loss plateau will not last forever unless you give up
14. Being too focused on a number and not a healthy body and mind – When the scale is the ultimate judge of your success or failure, you might not lose the weight and keep it off long term. You need to have a more holistic understanding of weight loss success.
15. Not understanding the fundamentals of weight loss – You need to get a basic understanding of the equation of what is weight loss, the difference between weight loss and fat loss, how weight loss happens, etc.
16. Underestimating the role of stress in weight loss – Stress is a major trigger and contributor to weight gain and also difficulty in losing weight. Try and eliminate both physical and mental stress from your life
17. Doing the same workout routine all the time – Throughout your weight loss journey, you need to have a rich combination of exercises. You should not stick to one routine because before long, it will stop working because your body got used to it.
18. Not making a plan and sticking with it – A successful weight loss happens through following a plan that is backed by science and not just winged depending on the mood
19. Mindless eating – Only eat when you are ready to concentrate on it. Do not eat while chatting, watching tv, reading, etc. You will end up eating more than you should.
21. Eating too fast – It takes some 10-15 minutes for the satiety hormone to signal that you have eaten enough. It is easy to overeat when you eat too fast.
22. Your plates are still the same size – You will probably need to get smaller plates that help you in eating smaller portions without it looking too small. This tip really works. I tried it myself
23. Not chewing well – Chewing foods roughly leads to poor nutrient absorption during digestion. You might end up with indigestion and some deficiencies even though you are eating enough nutrients
24. Underestimating the calories in drinks or liquid foods – Shakes, drinks can pack some significant calories and if care is not taken, you might be taking more calories than you should.
25. Trusting fat-free, sugar-free, and other -free labels – Processed and packed foods are almost never as they are labeled which is why it is important that they are eliminated as much s possible from your diet
26. Not knowing the cause of weight gain – Sometimes we need to stop assuming the cause of the weight gain. It might be caused by medications, environmental factors, diet, family history, etc.
Knowing the cause of your weight gain will make it easier for you to know which weight loss methods will be best for you it will help you in setting realistic goals.
Final thoughts
As a beginner, you will make mistakes as we all did but the more you try many methods of weight loss, do some research and self-examination, you will be able to select the weight loss method that works for you best
These are just some of the mistakes that beginners make hopefully by reading the post, you can prevent or avoid them from happening to you.
I wish you the best. Thank you for coming over.
