10 'Diet' mistakes women make

June 30, 8:02 PMLA Diets ExaminerLorie Dudley

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We've picked on the guys, but women make mistakes too when it comes to dieting. The diet mistakes men and women make are very different, but truth be told, women make more mistakes than men. Here are the top 10 diet mistakes women make...

1. Eliminating or restricting carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred form of fuel because they can be converted quickly to glucose energy. Small meals which include protein and carbohydrates will slow down the rate at which your body absorbs carbohydrates and will provide longer lasting energy.
2. Over-restricting calories. While a caloric deficit is necessary to lose weight, you don't want to reduce your consumption of food so much that your body is starving, this only lowers your metabolism and makes it harder to lose weight. To lose one pound per week, you only need to reduce your caloric consumption by 500 calories a day, or burn 250 calories and consume 250 calories less than usual.
3. Not eating enough throughout the day. The safest, most effective way to boost your metabolism and lose weight is by eating five to six small meals every two to three hours.
4. Relying on fat-burners and diet pills. Women want instant gratification, so they're often lured by advertisements for quick weight loss, however, these pills are no substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
5. Not tracking calories. How can you possibly know if you're eating too few or too many calories if you're not tracking what you eat? Calculate your daily caloric needs based on your goals and compare it to your journal to find out if your eating too much or too little. Check out the numerous calculators on Caloriesperhour.com.
6. Not getting enough sleep. Recent studies show that sleep deprivation can increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism so that weight loss becomes more difficult.
7. Getting too little exercise. The healthiest way to lose weight is with a combination of diet and exercise. Current guidelines recommend 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity a week for adults.
8. Eating the wrong foods. Nix the sweets, unhealthy snacks, and fried foods and get your butt in the kitchen. Check out the recipes in the best-selling book "Cook Yourself Thin."
9. Punishing yourself. Instead of marinating in guilt or beating yourself up after a slip-up, get over it!
10. Drinking your calories. There's a Starbucks on nearly every corner so there's a lot of temptation out there. The problem is that many of these beverages are extremely high in calories. Take the quiz on CNNHealth.com to find out how many calories you drink. The next time you're tempted to drink your calories, have a small meal that is a combination of carbohydrates and protein instead. You'll feel satisfied longer without guilt.

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