1. You Don’t Stick to Your Exercise Regime and Eating Plan
By sticking to your exercise regime and eating plan you will have far better results.
The first week is hard, but once you adapt to your new diet it becomes easier and easier.
The days you mess up are the ones that will set you back the most, as they can easily have you back in your old bad eating habits and you won’t feel like working out anymore.
It can be as simple as walking 30 minutes a day and cutting out that latte for lunch that will have you losing weight if you stay consistent.
2. You Don’t Eat Enough Healthy Fats
Lots of people will quickly get rid of all the fat in their diet without realizing that healthy fats are vital!
Nuts such as almonds contain healthy monounsaturated fats which not only make you feel better but have been proven to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Without enough fat in your diet, you will not only feel bad but will be more likely to relapse into bad eating habits.
3. You Focus on Eating Lots of Meals Without Taking Overall Calories Into Consideration
When eating five to six small meals a day you must make sure they are small meals!
If your overall calorie intake is greater than the number of calories you are burning you will gain weight.
It’s not about just eating more often; it’s about eating smaller meals more often.
4. You Are Setting Yourself Unrealistic and Potentially Dangerous Goals
You need to make sure you aren’t starving yourself and know what a healthy body weight is for your size.
You can do this easily by calculating your body mass index (BMI) and you can use this calculator to do so.
Any BMI higher than 26 is considered to be over your body’s healthy weight.
5. You Are Overestimating the Serving Sizes of Your Food
Serving sizes vary for all different foods; make sure you read the nutritional information carefully!
Here are some of the common serving sizes for different food:
- Breads: 2 slices = 1 serving
- Pasta/Rice (cooked): 1 cup = 1 serving
- Milk: 1 cup (250ml) = 1 serving
- Meat (cooked): 65-100g = 1 serving
- Fish (cooked): 80-120g = 1 serving
- Eggs (small): 2 eggs = 1 serving
- Fruit (medium): 1 piece = 1 serving
- Fruit (small): 2 piece = 1 serving
- Sultanas/Raisins: 1.5 tbsp. = 1 serving
- Cheese: 40g = 1 serving
- Green Leafy Vegetables: ½ cup = 1 serving
- Legumes: ½ cup = 1 serving
6. You Are Keeping Bad Foods in the Pantry and Fridge
Studies have shown that by having bad foods around your house you are more likely to relapse into bad eating habits.
If it is unavoidable, try to put them in plain non-clear containers so that you do not have to be tempted every time you go to grab something to eat.
7. You Are Using Artificial Sweeteners
Research has shown that even no-calorie artificial sweeteners have the opposite effect of what people use them for.
Other than people with diabetes who need a sugar substitute, most people use these sweeteners to avoid extra calories while cutting sugars out of their diet.
Sadly, this does not work.
When people substitute sugars with artificial sweeteners it increases sugar cravings immensely, which leads to people into binge eating sugary foods.
You have to cut sugars out of your diet and allow your body to adapt, it will be bad at first but it gets much, much easier over time.
8. You Think That Just a Little Bit of Alcohol Will Be Okay
Alcohol is one of the least nutritional calories on the planet.
Your body gains absolutely nothing from it, it dehydrates you and it takes your brain over a week to recover from it.
Simply removing alcohol from your diet can lead to some quite dramatic weight loss!
9. You Are Eating Too Much Processed Food
I’ll admit that you can lose weight while eating processed foods – but you won’t feel too great while doing it.
Making sure to have a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit in your diet is important, especially since this is a lifestyle change and not a short term change.
You will still lose weight but will feel a lot healthier.
10. You Aren’t Reading About What You’re Eating
Studies have shown that over 70% of healthy people check to see what the healthiest option available to them is before digging in.
This is in contrast to only 30% of obese people.
Simply reading nutritional information or picking the healthier option when purchasing food can help a lot!