As you lose weight, you need to adjust your workout routine and diet accordingly, else you will keep on losing more. You’ve likely heard a million weight loss “do’s” but what about Weight Loss Don’ts? If you seriously want to lose weight, you need to focus on weight loss don’ts just as much as weight loss do’s, because they can seriously jeopardize your weight loss efforts! Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
Almost 70% of the American population is considered to be overweight or obese. Additionally, 1 out of every 3 American children are overweight or obese.
Sadly, this generation is the first in history that is expected to die younger than their parents.
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The thing is, we can change this. We just need to make the appropriate lifestyle changes. “Eat healthy and exercise is the classic advice” but while it’s true, it’s not always that easy.
Sometimes you might feel like you’re making healthy lifestyle choices, yet you’re still not getting the results you want.
Before I get into the Weight Loss Don’ts, let’s talk about expert help. Because sometimes, as much as you try to go it alone, let’s face it – losing weight is damn hard.
Need Some Extra Guidance On Weight Loss Don’ts?
Probably the best program that I’ve come across for promoting long lasting weight loss is PlateJoy.
PlateJoy is a unique meal planning service that provides custom meal plans for all dietary requirements, including:
- Vegetarian,
- Paleo,
- Clean eating,
- Pescatarian,
- Gluten free,
- Kid friendly and more.
You choose your goal – “weight loss” or “basic plan” and then your dietary requirement.
PlateJoy will then send you customized meal plans and a shopping list. Which you can sync with Instacart so it’s all delivered straight to your house – can’t get more convenient than that, right?
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15 Weight Loss Don’ts To Watch Out For
1. Skipping Breakfast
I’m sure you’ve heard it before:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Eating a healthy, nutritious breakfast will help to restore our glucose levels, provide energy for the day, and reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
In addition to this, a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese.
However, eating breakfast won’t provide any of these health benefits if it’s full of junky carbs and trans-fats, and loaded with sugar. (Doughnuts, unfortunately, fall under this category.)
2. Starving Yourself: Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
One of the absolute worst things you can do to lose weight is starve yourself.
When you drastically reduce the amount of food you eat, you’re missing out on vital nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.
Females need a minimum of 1200 calories/day and males need 1500 calories/day just to function (that means breathe, pump blood around your body, repair cells, etc.)
Anything below this seriously jeopardizes your health, and long-term, can cause organ failure and even death.
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Starving yourself will also put your body into starvation mode, which means that the body stores fat and starts breaking down muscle for fuel. This is the exact opposite of what you want your body to be doing.
And while you may initially lose a couple of pounds, you will immediately gain them back when you start eating again.
In a nutshell, starving yourself is an incredibly bad idea.
Instead, eat a diet consisting of fresh, whole foods, with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein – food that fuels your body.
3. Drinking Your Calories
In a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was reported that the energy (i.e.) calorie intake from beverages “represents 21% of of total daily energy intake in the general American population.”
What exactly does this mean?
This means that 21% of the calories that you’re consuming every day are coming not from the food you’re eating, but the drinks you’re consuming.
And a large amount of this is from artificially sweetened beverages like soda, fruit juices, energy drinks, and alcohol.
These types of drinks contain no nutrients and provide next-to-no satiety, meaning that you are left feeling hungry, despite consuming a large amount of calories.
So, what should your beverage of choice be?
Water. If you’re not a fan of the taste of water, try flavoring it with lemon, fresh berries, or cucumber. You can get this infusion water bottle for cheap on Amazon.
4. Eating Hidden Sugar
Sugar is one of those nasty guys that is lurking around every corner, using a variety of different aliases – 257, in fact!
Yep, that’s right. There are 257 names for sugar. Insane, right?
(If you want to read them all, Dr Alan Christianson has them listed here.)
You’re probably doing a great job at avoiding the obvious sugar-bombs, like cakes, candy bars, pop tarts, etc. But what you might not realize is that almost every processed, pre-packaged food you buy probably has added sugar in it.
Some common foods that contain high-levels of hidden sugar are:
- Soda
- Bread
- Fruit juice
- Pasta sauce
- Granola bars
- Salad dressing
- Non-fat fruit yoghurt
- Condiments like BBQ sauce and ketchup
- Flavored coffee drinks (the type you buy at Starbucks)
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Here are some healthier alternatives to those sugar-bombs:
- Water
- Mustard
- Olive oil, avocado oil
- Homemade pasta sauce
- Black coffee or herbal tea
- Sugar-free 100% whole grain bread
- Greek yoghurt sweetened with fresh berries
- Fruit (contains natural sugars, but also contains fiber)
- Water, flavored with berries, lime, lemon, cucumber or mint
5. Not Lifting Weights: Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
Performing resistance training can greatly promote weight loss.
Studies show lifting weights is one of the most effective exercise strategies for gaining muscle and increasing metabolic rate. It also improves strength and physical function and may help increase belly fat loss
In fact, a review of 32 studies including more than 4,700 people with obesity found the best strategy for reducing fat appears to be combined aerobic exercise and weightlifting.
Weightlifting or resistance training can help boost metabolic rate, increase muscle mass, and promote fat loss.
6. Not Getting Enough Sleep: Major Weight Loss Don’ts
Experts recommend for optimal cognitive function, adults should get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
But a 2013 Gallup poll found that 40% of Americans get less than 7 hours sleep, with the average amount of shut-eye being just 6.8 hours.
In addition to impaired cognitive function, a lack of sleep can also contribute to weight gain.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when participants were sleep-deprived, they consumed more calories (but expended the same amount) than when they received 9 hours of sleep.
A lack of sleep can also slow digestive function and increase cortisol levels, which can lead to overeating.
Here are some tips for getting a good nights sleep:
- Set a reasonable time to go to bed, and stick to it
- Unplug – don’t lay in bed on your iPhone or laptop
- Meditate – meditation has proven relaxation benefits and a wonderful way to wind down before bed
- Set the room temperature to 60-67 degrees, which is considered optimal for sleeping
- Make sure you have a good, supportive mattress and pillow
If you’re unsure of the quality of your sleep. Then I recommend investing in a sleep tracker like this one, which monitors how long and how well you sleep.
Check Amazon
7. Not Eating Enough Protein: Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
Getting enough protein is important if you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, protein has been shown to help with weight loss in several ways.
- Reduce appetite
- Increase feelings of fullness
- Maintain or increase metabolic rate
- Lower the amount of weight regained
- Protect muscle mass during weight loss
A review also found that higher protein diets, containing 0.6–0.8 grams of protein per lb (1.2–1.6 g/kg), may benefit appetite control and change body composition
To help with weight loss, try to make sure each of your meals contains a high protein food. Keep in mind your choice of protein isn’t limited to meat or dairy.
Beans, legumes, quinoa and flaxseeds are also great and affordable options.
8. Not Having A Big Enough Motivator
Like most goals in life, it’s important to have a “why” that’s bigger than your “why not” if you want to be successful at losing weight.
This will help to ensure that your excuses don’t stop you from getting in that early morning gym session or evening run.
Money has been proven to be a simple yet powerful and effective motivator.
Think about it – it’s what makes you keep on showing up to work each day even if you’d rather just stay in bed!
HealthyWage is an awesome company that has partnered with the likes of Kobe Bryant to encourage people to lose weight by providing a financial reward when they achieve their weight loss goals.
You can complete a personal weight loss challenge or get a group together and compete as a team. Here are 11 common habits that might be jeopardizing your ability to lose weight.
9. Not Eating Enough Fiber: Weight Loss Don’ts
A low fiber diet may be hurting your weight loss efforts, along with your overall health
Studies show a type of soluble fiber known as viscous fiber helps reduce appetite by forming a gel that holds water. This gel moves slowly through your digestive tract, making you feel full.
Research suggests that all types of fiber may promote weight loss. However, a review of several studies found that viscous fiber reduced weight and waist circumference even without a calorie-restricted diet.
While studies are ongoing, research indicates that fiber may also interact with gut microbes, producing hormones that help you feel full.
Additionally, fiber may reduce your risk of some chronic conditions and improve digestion.
10. Not Drinking Enough Water
Our bodies are composed of 60% water – almost every single cell in the human body requires water to function.
Additionally, water contains exactly zero calories.
By replacing one Starbucks frappucino with a bottle of water, you’ll save around 480 calories and avoid 70 grams of sugar (which is almost THREE DAYS worth of the recommended daily sugar intake for a female.)
Drinking water flushes toxins from your body, can help to boost your metabolism, increase your energy output (cold water is especially good for this) and help to transport nutrients around your body.
11. Too Much Cardio, Not Enough Weight-Training
Regular cardio is important for weight-loss and essential for building a healthy heart, lungs, and cardiovascular system. Cardio also helps to boost your metabolism, which aids in weight loss.
But there can be too much of a good thing. Spending hours and hours sweating it out on the treadmill does not a lean, fat-burning body make.
In fact, overdoing it on the cardio can actually have the opposite effect. Too much cardio can cause your body to start using your lean muscle mass as a source of fuel (NOT a good thing!)
Less lean muscle mass = lower metabolism and less fat burning.
It’s incredibly important to not only maintain the lean muscle mass that you have, but to also increase your lean muscle mass.
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This can be done by making sure you don’t overdo it on the cardio and by incorporating weight-training in to your exercise regime.
Regular weight training will help to build lean muscle mass which means that your calorie burning will increase, even when you’re not exercising.
A personal trainer can help you with setting up a weight training routine, but if that’s not in your budget, check out Aaptiv.
I love Aaptiv because it’s like having your own personal trainer with you 24/7, at a fraction of the cost.
There are so many excellent workouts, so whether you’re into weights, yoga, running, cycling, elliptical etc., then Aaptiv will likely have an awesome routine!
12. Weekend Bingeing: Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
While it’s usually ok to have the occasional treat, all of your weekday progress can be completely thrown out of the window if you binge over the weekend.
A study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that the typical non-chain restaurant meal contained 1205 calories.
American, Italian and Chinese cuisine fared even worse, with the average meal containing 1495 calories.
The amount of calories you need to consume varies based on age, gender, activity level and weight-related goals.
However, it’s generally recommended that the average female consume about 2000 calories to maintain weight and 1500 calories if weight-loss is the goal.
A 1495 calorie meal leaves just 5 calories for the entire day, which is neither healthy, nor realistic.
13. You don’t cook: Another Weight Loss Don’ts
Sometimes it is important to take your health in your own hands, like literally.
You cannot be at the expense of someone else, especially if you are trying to follow a healthy diet plan.
You may be eating a healthy bowl of poha but if you don’t know how it is prepared, in terms of the oil used to the spices, you are losing the game somewhere.
14. Going “fat-free”
Fat has long been considered the devil when it comes to weight loss. Walk down any aisle in the grocery store and you’ll see “fat-free” advertised on everything from milk to mayonnaise.
But not all fats are created equal. While you definitely want to be avoiding hydrogenated fats, other fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat are both beneficial to overall health and can contribute to weight loss.
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Healthy saturated fats such as what’s found in coconut oil is also beneficial for weight loss.
Monounsaturated fats help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease while the polyunsaturated fats found in avocado’s contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, and may lower your risk of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes.
And because fat is highly satiating, it keeps you feeling full for longer, making you less likely to snack on empty calories.
15. Avoiding Carbs
There’s a common belief that carbs are the devil when it comes to weight loss. This is simply untrue.
Carbohydrates are not the devil – simple, “junky” carbohydrates are the devil.
Our bodies need carbohydrates to function properly – they’re the bodies main source of fuel. The key is to make sure you don’t overeat carbohydrates and that the carbs you do eat are the right kind, not the junky kind.
There are two types of carbohydrates:
- Simple carbohydrates are sugars, and they’re the type you want to avoid.
Simple carbs are low in fiber and rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream which can causes major spikes in blood sugar levels.
Some examples of simple carbohydrates that you should avoid are candy, refined white bread, pasta, and white rice, soda and sugar.
- Complex carbohydrates are “good carbs” – they type you want to eat more of.
Unlike simple or “junky” carbs, complex carbohydrates contain fiber and they take longer for the body to break down. Complex carbs provide more sustained energy for the body and don’t cause rapid spikes in blood sugar.
16. Don’t: Give up: Weight Loss Don’ts
While sticking to a healthy routine of healthy eating, exercise, and proper hydration can be tough, it’s far from impossible.
The beginning of your weight-loss journey may be challenging, so don’t be too hard on yourself if (and when) you slip up.
No one is perfect at meal planning, swapping for healthier options, or getting to the gym on time right away.
Stay persistent, make a plan, and get help from group fitness classes or wellness coaches when you need it. These can help you find a community that encourages you to adopt new habits in a healthy way.
Losing weight the right way will help you feel your best!
As you start or continue your weight-loss journey, consider these do’s and don’ts to help you make safe, healthy choices so you can work toward your goals and live a life you love.
What’s The Best Diet For Healthy Weight Loss?
Pick up any diet book and it will claim to hold all the answers to successfully losing all the weight you want—and keeping it off.
Some claim the key is to eat less and exercise more, others that low fat is the only way to go, while others prescribe cutting out carbs. So, what should you believe?
The truth is there is no “one size fits all” solution to permanent healthy weight loss.
What works for one person may not work for you. Since our bodies respond differently to different foods, depending on genetics and other health factors.
To find the method of weight loss that’s right for you will likely take time and require patience. Commitment, and some experimentation with different foods and diets.
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While some people respond well to counting calories or similar restrictive methods. Others respond better to having more freedom in planning their weight-loss programs.
Being free to simply avoid fried foods or cut back on refined carbs can set them up for success. So, don’t get too discouraged if a diet that worked for somebody else doesn’t work for you.
And don’t beat yourself up if a diet proves too restrictive for you to stick with. Ultimately, a diet is only right for you if it’s one you can stick with over time.
Remember: while there’s no easy fix to losing weight. There are plenty of steps you can take to develop a healthier relationship with food. Curb emotional triggers to overeating, and achieve a healthy weight. 15 Weight Loss Don’ts – Stop Doing To Lose Weight
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