You try again and again to lose a few unwanted pounds, but all to no avail.
Before you give up completely on your weight loss goals check if you’re guilty of the following habits that will sabotage any diet and exercise plan.
1) You’re convinced that going on a diet will help you lose weight
This sounds sort of paradoxical, it’s true. Diets are just temporary measures you take to lose some extra weight, but experts know that an abrupt cut in calorie intake slows down your metabolism because your body thinks you’re starving. Plus, weight loss from dieting usually returns in one to five years.
The only way to lose and keep off unwanted pounds is to change your lifestyle. Make it a habit to always have breakfast, move more and choose the right restaurants. These changes are not just quick fixes. You should follow these new rules for the rest of your life.
What’s nice is that you don’t have to make all the changes at once. Give yourself some time to get used to one of them and then keep going.
2) You’re into dressings and sauces
Quite a number of people who are trying to lose weight decide to really kick up their veggie and salad intake.
But sadly, the delicious dressings and sauces they love to smother healthy foods in have tons of calories and this isn’t just about mayonnaise and olive oil, even healthy dips like hummus contain a shocking number of calories. That’s why dipping veggies into a sauce, even a healthy one, can significantly ruin your diet. Luckily there’s a simple way out – just add those calories to your food diary and don’t forget to count them in your daily allotted intake.
3)You punish yourself for eating prohibited food
Obviously if you want to bring your weight down you try to eat healthy so you start categorizing different foods into ones that are allowed and those that are strictly prohibited but we all still have cravings and anyone who’s ever been on a diet knows the irresistible temptation of having that doughnut and the crushing feeling of guilt that comes after eating it.
Be assured that there’s nothing tragic about giving in to your food temptations and if you punish yourself every time you eat something wrong, you risk falling into an eating habit in response to your failure and gaining all the weight back, so don’t completely exclude burgers or yummy cupcakes from your diet. If you want it, go for it. Just know your limits.
4) You’re afraid of being hungry
Lots of people don’t like the sensation of hunger in their bellies, but it’s actually really good for you. And no, we’re not talking about the extreme feeling of starvation after going days without food.
It’s the feeling you have when your body uses up all the calories you’ve taken in and asks you for some more. According to a Nutrition Consultant, Mary Vance, letting your body get to this point has lots of health benefits.
It stimulates cell renewal, improves digestion and even regulates your blood sugar. Plus, when you’re hungry your body produces ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates your memory and helps fight depression. If it does all that for you, then what’s there to fear about feeling of being a little hungry?
Check back next week for some more every day habits that may be sabotaging your weight loss.
