You might not want to hear this, but there are 10 sure-fire ways to blow your diet. Check the list for pitfalls that can make or break your weight loss efforts.
No matter how much weight you need to lose, you simply must face any emotional eating issues you have. This may be as simple as identifying alternative activities or as intensive as seeking professional help.
When diets rely on one type of food or cut out entire food groups, they’re too difficult to stick to for any length of time. Ask anyone who tried the grapefruit diet.
Calories in, calories out -- the key to weight loss. But cut too many and you won't lose weight at all thanks to the metabolism's "starvation" mode.
We all need someone to talk to about the dilemmas that losing weight brings us. Whether online or in the real world, create a support system that will help you through the rough patches.
The old adage is true: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It will get your metabolism going and help you from getting too hungry and overeating.
How can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been? To get a real grasp on what, how much, and why you’re eating, keep an honest food diary for at least 10 days.
Avoid setting goals that even the most devoted dieter couldn’t meet. Can you really cut out all sodas if you’re used to downing a 2-liter a day? Is making it three times around the track doable when you just started walking last week?
Weighing in daily is a sure-fire way to give up on a diet before you’ve given it a chance. Weight fluctuates from day to day for reasons that have little to do with your efforts.
Overdoing it will lead you to burnout and risk overuse injuries whether it be exercising more intensely or for too lengthy a duration. (A few minutes every other day is an excellent way to begin if you’ve been sedentary.)
Swearing off your favorite foods is a definite pitfall. Doing so sets you up for binges and may leave you so frustrated, you give up your diet completely. All things in moderation (Have treats occasionally and in controlled portions!) will keep those cravings at bay.
