4 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Trying to Lose Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely important. In addition to helping you live a long life and feel vigorous and strong no matter what challenges you face, it contributes enormously to your self-esteem. Simply knowing that they’re overweight is enough to impact how people feel on a daily basis, and it’s a problem that tends to compound.

If you’re overweight and trying to slim down, then, you’re making a sensible commitment. The trouble is that it’s much easier said than done. Plenty of people set out to lose weight only to make basic (but understandable) mistakes and fall far short of their goals. Some even end up gaining more weight after becoming intensely frustrated.

In this blog post, then, we’ll cover four of the most common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight, and give you some insight into how you can avoid them. Let’s get started.

Cutting back on vital foods

It’s easy to desire extreme dietary action when you’re upset with your weight. After all, the more heavily you reduce your eating, the faster you’ll reach your target weight. Unfortunately, going that route doesn’t tend to work out. While skipping meals or using severe caloric restrictions isn’t nearly as dangerous as people sometimes say (the concept of starvation mode is overblown, and fasting is highly beneficial), it does pose a threat if handled poorly — and it often is.

Remember that you need nutrients for your system to work effectively. If you lack them, you’ll stop functioning properly, leading to you burning fewer calories, having a weaker immune system, and generally feeling awful. That last point is particularly significant here, as people with weight issues often turn to food for comfort when they’re feeling bad.

If you’re going to try a relatively extreme diet, then, make sure you take supplements so you get enough vital vitamins and minerals. You should also look to hit a reasonable level of protein intake, as it’ll assist muscle retention while you’re shedding fat. Alternatively, you can simply take things slower. Speak with a registered dietitian or use a reputable online calculator to determine your daily calorie needs, then create a deficit of around 500 calories per day. This should lead to a healthy weight loss rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week, and be easier to follow.

Relying on fad diets

Fad diets often promise quick and easy weight loss results. They can involve eliminating entire food groups (keto, for instance), severely restricting calories, or consuming specific foods in large quantities (often soups or other liquids, ostensibly due to their so-called cleansing properties). And since they’re often tried and promoted by celebrities and other influencers, they can reliably ensnare plenty of people.

Now, can these diets lead to weight loss? In the short term, sure. Any method that reduces calories will work to some extent. However, they’re typically both unhealthy and ineffective in the long run. Many of them are nutritionally unbalanced and can thus lead to nutrient deficiencies and health problems. Furthermore, they’re very tough to stick to, resulting in people yo-yo dieting (losing weight quickly, putting it back on just as quickly, then repeating the cycle).

To avoid falling prey to fad diets, focus on making sustainable and healthy changes to your eating habits. Include a variety of nutrient-dense foods from all food groups, practice portion control, and listen to your body’s hunger and satiety cues. And if you genuinely feel that conventional tactics won’t work for you, look into medically-reviewed weight loss treatments: they’re far more likely to prove enduringly effective than the latest juice cleanses.

Neglecting strength training

Many people associate weight loss with cardio exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming. It’s easy to see why: they burn a lot of calories and provide broad low-impact workouts, making them suitable for almost everyone. But if you’re only concentrating on cardio, you’re missing a trick, as neglecting strength training can be a critical mistake.

Building your muscles is a worthwhile process. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be, and the more efficiently your body will use calories. It also improves bone density, joint stability, and overall physical performance. For many, it’s also extremely satisfying, with strength exercises proving excellent at reducing stress.

To avoid this mistake, incorporate strength training exercises into your workout routine at least two to three times per week. These can include bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, and planks, or using resistance bands, free weights, or weight machines. Remember to target all major muscle groups, including your chest, back, legs, and core. Also remember to start slowly and work up. You don’t want to injure yourself before you’ve made any progress!

Setting unrealistic goals

As we touched upon earlier, overweight people often want to lose weight quickly, but getting inadequate nutrition isn’t the only problem with that approach. The truth is that setting a lofty goal may be setting yourself up for failure. For example, if you declare that you’re going to lose ten pounds in two weeks but don’t see any loss after a few days of your new routine, you might decide it’s all hopeless and throw in the towel.

Weight loss is a journey, and it’s usually a slow one. It also involves periods during which you’ll seemingly be getting nowhere. What matters the most is staying the course, keeping the faith that your efforts will pay off, and moving towards SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). If you can establish a healthy routine (eating fruits and vegetables, sleeping well, exercising, etc.), you’ll get where you want to go sooner or later.

Instead of trying to lose ten pounds in two weeks, try aiming to lose that much in two months, and plan how you’re going to do it. After a couple of weeks, review your progress. Have you slipped up? Have you actually overperformed? You can then adjust your tactics if necessary. Treat your journey as a scientific experiment, and tweak it until it’s just right for you.

Conclusion

Never forget that weight loss is a journey that requires patience, perseverance, and a commitment to healthy habits. To maximise your chances of success, you need to avoid the four common mistakes we’ve covered here. If you can set SMART goals and make it your top priority to stick to a sustainable diet and exercise routine, you’ll have everything you need to succeed.

And if you find yourself struggling, don’t just give up. We all have false starts before we make progress. Additionally, there are people out there who can help you, whether you’re getting some motivation from a friend or some advice from a registered dietitian, fitness professional, or healthcare provider. You’re not in this alone!