10 Common Weight Loss Mistakes

Welcome to Pick up limes. Now if you have fallen into a weight loss trick or gimmick in the past don’t give yourself a hard time. Most people have at one point or another. I mean, I don’t think it is a billion-dollar industry for no reason. Now although your intentions were pure, I am sure at this point maybe you are feeling a little bit restless and don’t know who or what to believe when it comes to properly losing weight. By reading this article to the end you can at least avoid these twelve very common weight loss mistakes that I see all the time, plus I will give you a few pointers on what you can focus your attention on instead.

1. Following a diet
   Now distinguish between a diet and a lifestyle. A diet is something that we do for a short-term gain, whereas a lifestyle is something that you can see yourself doing truly for the rest of your life, and that is where you want to focus your attention. But if you are trying to lose those 10 pounds or 5 kilos in one week, you might actually be able to do it but it is not going to stay that way. People following crash diets often gain that weight back plus more. But that is probably something you have already heard so the question to really be asking yourself then is Why do I keep jumping from one diet to another or keep trying the same diet over and over again if I am not seeing any results. One thing I am always telling my clients to remind themselves is that if there was a diet out there that really truly worked we would have all already known about it by now and we would all be skinny.
2. Short term gains
   Now anything that promises instant results is a gimmick. This can be diet, this can also be shakes, bars, pills, light therapy, laser therapy, the list goes on. I am sorry to break it to you. But at least this way you can save your money and instead spend your time on focusing on long-term gains. Changes that you can make slowly and strategically to get to the results that you are hoping for.
3. Restricting calories
   Now restricting calories puts our bodies into a state of Ketosis It is called. This is why those paleo diets and those ketogenic diets are all the rage right now. Because ketosis suppresses the appetite. Which obviously means eating less, fewer calories, calorie restriction, weight loss ensues...I mean, why wouldn’t you want to do this, right and we are seeing loads of people with these before-and-after pictures. Two months later, six months later. And you see these ripped bodies and you want that for yourself and I get it. But what you don’t see is these people two years or four years or six years later. Calorie restriction is truly not sustainable in the long term. And as I mentioned before you end up gaining that weight back plus more. The problem here is that calorie restriction slows the metabolism. So your attempts at wanting to lose weight in the future, after calorie restriction is over, tends to be slower or totally impeded. Studies show that even long after calorie restriction is over, people who eat in this way tend to have a very unhealthy relationship with food. So again, we want the focus here not to be calorie restriction, but rather healthy lifestyle changes.
4. Skipping breakfast
   Time and time again studies are showing us people who have breakfast tend to be of a lower weight and are better able to maintain weight loss than those who don’t. Now I get it too, that skipping breakfast can seem like a really easy way to cut calories. But what ends up happening is unplanned snacking, grazing and overeating later on in the day. So most certainly have some breakfast and try to include more fiber in your breakfast. Things like whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds to help keep you full for the entire morning.
5. Losing track of snacks
   Now mindless munching can really add up. I am not saying don’t have a snack. I am just saying watch the grazing and instead maybe have some planned snacks.
6. Sipping calories
   For some people this is the silent culprit. I am all for drinking smoothies and having occasional juices. But I am talking about excess. Excess juices, sodas, alcoholic beverages, or those specialty coffees. You know the ones like from Starbucks that have 500 calories per cup! I mean that is a whole meal in a cup! So stay hydrated. Just sip smart.
7. Drinking too little water
   Now some people don’t realize this, but water really is essential when it comes to burning calories. When you are dehydrated, your metabolism drags, which means slower weight loss. Try getting in the habit of having a water bottle with you at all times and maybe also getting in the habit of having a glass of either water or tea at every meal and snack time.
8. Eating out Drive-throughs and cafeterias
   This will add loads of oil to their foods to keep you coming back for more because of the flavor that it might add. Of course this is going to be a lot higher calorie than if you were just to make it for yourself at home. So certainly eat out on special occasions, or as a treat, but not as a ritual. Maybe you can get in the habit instead of meal prepping or batch making your meals on your evenings off. That way you are going to be spending less time in the kitchen. And it is also going to help you with your weight loss goals. Plus, it will save you some money.
9. Focusing on willpower
   Now studies are showing us time and time again that willpower is a depletable source. It means that if you are going to be focusing on willpower to try to eat better or to exercise more, you are going to maybe find that it is not going to work. And this really leads to frustration for a lot of people and self blame for not being able to stick with something when really, it is not your fault. So what can you do instead? Focus on the why power. And by that I mean ask yourself why is it that you want to eat better or be more active? Write that reason down and reinforce the why instead of the will.
10. Tunnel vision
    Are you focusing on just one thing as being the source of your weight loss? Is only the food changing? Or only the exercise? Food or activity and isolation will certainly help a little but it might not get you entirely or fully to your weight loss goals. You want to be looking at a whole wellness approach to health. So this means adequate hydration, adequate sleep, lack of substances and even a positive emotional state. You may have heard that increased stress levels also increase Cortisol in our body and that can actually cause weight gain and impede any attempts at weight loss.

Alright. So those are the 10 most common weight loss mistakes that I see all the time. I know that it is not necessarily the easiest journey but giving up is not going to make it go by any faster. And going to the extremes is truly not sustainable in the long term. So slow and steady wins the race here. I am going to let you go now so that hopefully you can write down your why power on a little post-it and stick it onto your mirror or your fridge as a daily reminder to keep you going.