Common Weight Loss Mistakes
Do you sometimes feel like your going around in circles? Following one diet to the next and wondering why you still cannot lose weight?
My approach to weight loss is different from the mainstream diet culture narrative. I don't believe in weight loss diets of any kind, because if you want to lose weight long-term diets are not the quick fix.
I use a mixture of eating psychology, EFT and a non-diet approach.
Many women still use diet pills, consuming single foods like apple cider vinegar or lemon to lose weight: slim noodles, shakes, wraps, fasting or skinny coffee.
We are running away from food to lose weight! I see many comments on weight loss pages with women desperate to lose weight, frantic to try anything that works.
Often with the same results, short-term weight loss and massive weight gain once they start to eat food again.
This is where the term yo-yo dieting springs from. Most women spend their entire lives searching for that holy grail of a perfect diet that will fix everything. I have highlighted some weight loss mistakes in this article, but this is not an exhaustive list.
I have included links, recommendations, and tips to help navigate you to sustainable weight loss. I hope you can get something from this article that may help you on your journey.
Appetite suppressants
Which includes skinny teas, coffee, fat burning pills. This is one of the main topics of discussion on weight loss pages that I see on social media. If you're looking for short-term weight loss, these are brilliant ways. Chances ARE you're looking for permanent weight loss. This is not where you should be spending your money ladies.
No scientific studies prove any of these methods work long-term, so I ask why you are still using them. The epitome of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting a different result. Many of the clients I work with have tried all of these gimmicks and gained weight afterwards, proving that they wasted their money.
Diet pills contain appetite suppressants and may contain caffeine, ephedrine or phenylpropanolamine. These chemicals may cause side effects such as heart palpitations, insomnia, nervousness, high blood pressure and nausea.
They may also be addicting. Diet aids such as these may help you lose weight rapidly; however, in addition to their health risks and unpleasant side effects, they do not teach you how to modify your diet and lifestyle to achieve long-lasting, healthy weight loss. Replacing meals with liquids?
"Green juices and smoothies are trendy right now, and many people will use these as meal replacements. Unfortunately, these beverages aren't made up of the right mix of nutrients. Green juices lack fibre and protein, key nutrients in keeping you full and meeting your nutrient recommendations.
Smoothies are typically loaded in sugar from juice, sweeteners, or too much fruit and can be really high in calories from oversized portions of healthy fat sources like nuts and seeds. All these faddy ways to lose weight can actually harm your health, and they don't keep the weight off. What does actually work IS EATING FOOD.
Yes, that's right, running away from food will not make you lose weight!
Eating synthetic and diet-type foods.
When trying to lose weight, many people look for 'low-fat' or 'diet' labels before deciding whether a food is diet-friendly. Such foods, however, may contain abundant fats, hidden calories, and artificial sweeteners. Read here about how detrimental sweeteners are for weight loss.
Eating such foods can cause sugar cravings, reduce energy levels, and lead to weight gain over time. Like low-fat foods are not always the best choice for weight loss, switching to diet drinks is more harmful than good. Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that may trigger your appetite and even inhibit the brain cells that tell you that you are full.
Eating fake and synthetic foods will always lead to cravings and not feeling full. You cannot overeat if you eat real foods as close to nature and unadulterated as possible.
Eating nutritious foods is a good weight loss strategy. Studies show that tracking what you eat can help you accurately understand your calorie and nutrient consumption and provide accountability. When it comes to weight loss, dietary cheaters almost always prosper.
That's because under the right parameters, a weekly "cheat meal" has been proven to boost your metabolism and ward off feelings of deprivation. Improving not only your ability to lose weight but also your ability to stick to your diet plan. If you would like help with what foods you should be eating.
Not drinking enough water & being unprepared.
Please don't roll your eyes. This is a good one, yes yes, I know you hate plain water. It's so boring blah blah blah. Ladies, did you know drinking more water can also make you look younger it gets rid of your wrinkles, plumps up your skin, and reduces eye circles.
Makes us glow, gives us more energy, increases our mood, reduces a hangover, and helps anxiety. It is a natural appetite suppressant to help you lose weight ( obviously, if you are hungry, you need to eat) and flushes out toxins from your body, just a few benefits. If you're looking for a miracle cure, ladies, this is it!!
We are 70% water if we don't hydrate. We are literally wrinkling up like a prune and festering in toxins, making cellulite worse!! If you find it hard to drink water, try infusing it with fruit and herbs like mint. Read this article here for more info on the benefits of water for weight loss.
Not having a solid, realistic plan is a mistake. You should set yourself up for success by coming up with small, challenging, yet attainable action steps to work towards. Start off with a few actionable and specific goals for the first week, like upping your water intake, Always eating a high-quality protein with every meal, and ditching the sugar in your drinks.
Once you master those, keep adding on. Before you know it, those action steps will become lifelong healthy habits. It took me years of learning what works for me and my body. Rome wasn't built in a day, so enjoy the journey rather than follow the all-or-nothing approach.
You can prime your environment for weight loss by not having fatty and tempting foods in the home, and you could always meal plan and prep your food to have healthy food in the fridge. Keep a bowl of fruit handy instead of having the biscuit tin in your kitchen. This is a great article I wrote on how to make healthy habits stick read it here.
Self-sabotage
Self-sabotage lies at the heart of weight loss psychology. It's the "two steps forward, two steps backwards" dance that keeps our weight stuck. And it's not because we're stupid. Most people know what a calorie is and what healthy food is (generally speaking). The problem occurs when we know what action we want to take, and then we do it anyway.
Despite popular belief, self-sabotage isn't a sign of low willpower! It's actually the result of the main psychological block to weight loss: Subconsciously getting a higher positive benefit from staying overweight than losing weight.
This sounds crazy, I know. Most of us that want to lose weight are convinced that we're beyond ready! But often, when self-sabotage is involved, we're actually getting something positive out of the struggle with food.
For example, some women may be holding on to excess weight because it protects them from unwanted attention from men, especially if sexual abuse is a factor. If they become overweight, they are less attractive, and the weight keeps them safe.
Or maybe the excess weight keeps you playing small so that you don't gain the courage to go for that job or follow your dreams.
Most people are afraid of their greatness, and what they could achieve self-sabotage keeps them stuck in the cha-cha of two steps forward and two steps back. Does this sound like you? Then read this article for more information. Within my coaching Self-sabotage and identifying your blocks are one of the areas that I work on.
I use EFT (emotional freedom technique) to eradicate negative behaviours and habits that don't serve you. Contact me here for a free discovery session to see if this is an area you would like help with.
Not addressing your psychological drivers & attachments to food.
There's so much more to weight loss than calories in and calories out. If you overeat when you are stressed, happy or sad, chances are you have emotions that arise that are too uncomfortable for you to deal with, so you numb them with food. When you return to an empty home, do you reach for the biscuit tin?
Chances are you might need a connection because you're lonely. Do you eat when you're in a bad mood? Why do you have that emotional charge? What are your predominant feelings? Do you overeat after an argument? What feelings were bought up? The feelings of powerlessness? Despair, anger?
These emotions are such a beautiful way of starting to peel away the "onion layers", as we say in therapy. If you haven't addressed the psychological drivers of why you are having weight loss issues, you will repeatedly make the same mistakes.
The journey should not be a struggle
It's important to understand that healthy eating looks different for everyone. And when it comes to weight loss as a goal, what works for some people may not work for others. It's crucial to think about your reasons for wanting to lose weight—and whether pursuing weight loss is a healthy decision.
Weight loss is about so much more than counting calories. Your results will depend on getting enough high-quality sleep, limiting your stress levels, being impacted by factors outside your control, like health conditions or hormones, and so much more. The most important tip I can give you is to pay attention to your body, treat yourself well, and be kind to yourself above all.
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