The top 4 dieting mistakes and how to avoid them

One of a dieter’s worst nightmares is having a craving strike and not being able to fight it off. However, most cravings are created when we eat something that evokes them.For instance, when you choose foods that are high in sugar (both real and artificial) or that contain a lot of sodium, it sets your body on a hunt to find more. By choosing to limit these types of foods, you’re allowing your natural hunger cues to work as intended and reducing the amount of cravings that may sideline your progress.Emotions can also play a part in this. You may search for food to comfort, soothe or distract you. In this case, you need to remember that food cannot solve a non-food issue.If you truly want to deal with whatever is bothering you, you need to do something that resolves it directly. If you’re tired, get some sleep. If you’re sad, call a friend. Take care of the issue by addressing it head on.What types of foods should you eat? You’re going to want to focus primarily on lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy. These foods will provide the nutrients your body needs and give you energy in the process.You can’t limit your meal times to once or twice a day and expect to keep your energy levels up. It’s like not putting enough gas in your car and thinking it will just go.When you consume quality foods 5-6 times a day, your body gets the fuel it needs to help you live a full and active life. Of course, the key is to keep the meals smaller since you’ll be eating more frequently.The word “diet” itself signifies restriction. However, if you cut your caloric intake too drastically, your body will go into starvation mode. When this happens, it will hold onto every ounce of fat so tightly that losing weight will become almost impossible.Remember that your body requires a certain number of calories just to survive. It’s constantly at work circulating the blood through your body, digesting the foods you eat and more. If you don’t give it enough energy to do that, it cannot function efficiently.Also, there are specific nutrients your body needs. Therefore, severely limiting your food intake puts you at risk of not getting enough of them. For this reason, most health experts recommend not dropping below 1,200 calories per day.View the list »
Learn how to avoid these common weight loss mistakes

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If you’ve ever been on a diet (who hasn’t?), then you probably realize that there is a huge potential for making a lot of mistakes along the way. You want so much to be totally perfect and lose all the extra fat that sits in large bulges on your belly, thighs and behind; yet you soon find yourself getting further from your goal instead of closer to it. What gives?

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The good news is that you’re not alone. Many people struggle with this very same thing. Losing weight is both a science and a process. It requires knowing some basic information about nutrition and exercise and in involves learning how to put that knowledge to use in a way that helps you reach your health and fitness goals.

With that in mind, here is a list of some of the most common dieting mistakes that a large number of people make when trying to shed those extra pounds and, perhaps more importantly, what you can do to avoid them:

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  • The word “diet” itself signifies restriction. However, if you cut your caloric intake too drastically, your body will go into starvation mode. When this happens, it will hold onto every ounce of fat so tightly that losing weight will become almost impossible.Remember that your body requires a certain number of calories just to survive. It’s constantly at work circulating the blood through your body, digesting the foods you eat and more. If you don’t give it enough energy to do that, it cannot function efficiently.Also, there are specific nutrients your body needs. Therefore, severely limiting your food intake puts you at risk of not getting enough of them. For this reason, most health experts recommend not dropping below 1,200 calories per day.
  • You can’t limit your meal times to once or twice a day and expect to keep your energy levels up. It’s like not putting enough gas in your car and thinking it will just go.When you consume quality foods 5-6 times a day, your body gets the fuel it needs to help you live a full and active life. Of course, the key is to keep the meals smaller since you’ll be eating more frequently.
  • One of a dieter’s worst nightmares is having a craving strike and not being able to fight it off. However, most cravings are created when we eat something that evokes them.For instance, when you choose foods that are high in sugar (both real and artificial) or that contain a lot of sodium, it sets your body on a hunt to find more. By choosing to limit these types of foods, you’re allowing your natural hunger cues to work as intended and reducing the amount of cravings that may sideline your progress.Emotions can also play a part in this. You may search for food to comfort, soothe or distract you. In this case, you need to remember that food cannot solve a non-food issue.If you truly want to deal with whatever is bothering you, you need to do something that resolves it directly. If you’re tired, get some sleep. If you’re sad, call a friend. Take care of the issue by addressing it head on.What types of foods should you eat? You’re going to want to focus primarily on lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy. These foods will provide the nutrients your body needs and give you energy in the process.
  • While you can most certainly lose weight by diet alone, research has found that diet and exercise together hold the most promise of not only getting the weight off quicker, but also keeping it off in the long run.So, if you want permanent weight loss, you’re going to want to find a way to keep your body active. Where a lot of people go wrong in this area is trying to do too much too quickly, but fitness isn’t a race. It’s a slow and gradual process of getting your body stronger than it was before.If you’re a couch potato, start with only 5-10 minutes a day. You can always add to it when you get more fit. And, if you’re slightly active now, kick it up a notch so that your body keeps progressing.
  • Remember that weight loss is a process. It involves some trial and error to figure out what works for your specific body and what doesn’t. As long as you keep trying to find the correct combination to your weight loss box, you will get there in the end.To get articles like this delivered conveniently to your email inbox, just click the subscribe option at the top or bottom of this article. That way, you’ll never miss the tips and tricks that will help you achieve your goals and reach your dreams.
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, Long Beach Weight Loss Examiner

Self-published author of Rock Solid ABBs (Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors) for Weight Loss Success and writer for fitness entities such as ShapeFit.com, Christina McCalla sets out to give people hope, inspiration and motivation to achieve their personal best...one word at a time. "Like" her on...

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