Weight Loss Tips: Common Mistakes People Make When Losing Weight

Introduction

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50% of Americans attempted to lose weight between 2013-2016.

What this means is that if you’re in the process of trying to slim down, you’re certainly not alone. The biggest strategies for weight loss are exercising and dieting.

According to StartwithReal.com, although there are many different ways to approach each of these strategies, it’s not uncommon for individuals to become overwhelmed with the concept of weight loss.

With so much information available online, many people who embark on their weight loss missions may begin to feel option paralysis. This can lead to many mistakes during the weight loss journey.

Remember, weight loss is a process that does not occur overnight. You need patience and sheer determination to achieve your goal.

However, once you’re actually done toning your body and have completed your weight loss journey attaining your ideal weight, you’ll realize that all the hustle was well worth the effort.

However, many people have gone through the bad experience with weight loss where they have worked with full sincerity but still haven’t lost weight or seen any tangible outcome from their hard work.

Obviously, if you cut on calories and eat healthy and clean, your body will for sure shed the extra weight and fat but if it isn’t doing so, there might be many reasons or things you might be doing wrong without actually considering them “wrong.”

With that in mind, here are seven common mistakes that people make when losing weight and reasons why you might not be losing weight.

Seven Common Mistakes People Make When Losing Weight

Focusing on Diet Foods

Beginners who go on a weight loss journey may end up focusing on highly marketed “diet” foods. But the fact is, many diet or low fat foods are loaded with sugar to balance out the taste. For example, it’s not uncommon for a simple cup of low-fat yogurt to have several grams of sugar, concentrated into such a small amount. Instead of turning to these types of food, focus on fruits and veggies, and nutritious snacks that are unprocessed.

Emphasizing the Scale

Paying too much attention to the scale can quickly discourage you, and this is why so many diets, like the Whole 30 diet, recommend that you don’t look at the scale at all during your dieting attempts. One of the main reasons why this can be discouraging is because the number on the scale doesn’t always reflect your progress, particularly during early stages. For example, you might be losing fat mass but still holding onto water weight. And on any given day, you could be fluctuating as much as four pounds throughout the day.

Ignoring Weights

For many people, weights may hold a certain stigma with images of bodybuilders and frequent gym-goers. However, skipping out on the weights could be a big mistake in the long run. This is because using weights creates resistance training. And studies have found that using weights is one of the most effective and increases your metabolic rate. To increase your chances of success, combine some form of aerobic exercise with weight lifting.

Leaving Out the Protein

When you’re trying to lose weight, keeping protein in your diet is more important than you might think. And there are several ways that protein plays a critical role in the weightloss process. Protein decreases calorie intake, helps protect muscle mass during weight loss, increases your feelings of being full, and reduces your appetite.

Drinking Sugar

Part of losing weight is cutting back on sugar consumption; doing so presents a slew of health benefits. While many people understand the implications of sugar on a diet, they may not realize how much sugar exists in some of the more common everyday products, like drinks.

And it’s not just about soft drinks and other sweetened products; fruit juice—even when it’s 100% juice—is also stacked with sugar. For instance, unsweetened apple juice can contain even more sugar than coca cola. And when you’re drinking juice made from concentrate, the juice can be even more hazardous to your weight loss goals.

Ignoring Nutrition Labels

With sugar in mind, it’s important to note that you should always be reading the nutrition labels of your packaged items. As you can see, even food products like low fat yogurt or fruit juice can easily be infused with sugar and other items that you don’t want. Even foods that claim to be healthy can present a false level of security.

Not Tracking Your Eating Patterns

How and what you eat is an important part of weight loss. But when you don’t have a process for tracking what you eat, you may be unintentionally eating more calories than you need to or missing out on key elements to your diet, like protein or carbs. When you have a tracking system, you’re able to hold yourself accountable for your diet, and to provide yourself with a high-level overview of your nutrient consumption. There are plenty of websites and mobile apps that help you track your food habits seamlessly.

Why You Might Not Be Losing Weight Despite Dieting and Working Out

It might be frustrating and you might think something is wrong with your body. However, there is not. Many people consider that it is their fate to have an unhealthy/obese body which is actually a misconception.

It can be really depressing to work so hard and see no results. If you have had the distasteful experience and are totally disappointed, then gear up your courage and go through the list of some surprising reasons of why you might not lose weight despite being on a diet and working out.

These reasons will put light on the things you might be unintentionally doing wrong during your weight loss journey and in turn, those wrong things might be inhibiting weight loss.

You don’t include enough protein in your diet

Now this is a common problem with many. You might be eating less, but the less might be unhealthy or simply might not be including a sufficient amount of protein.

It is highly suggested to consume a protein rich breakfast which will make you feel fuller throughout the day. A protein rich diet is said to boost the metabolism by about 100-120 calories. Moreover, it can help prevent the body from re-gaining additional weight or fat.

Protein intake is a staple for people who intend on losing weight. Protein helps build up the muscles in your body which can help balance it out and tone it up.

You don’t lift enough weights

You might be doing exercise, but not necessarily the right type of exercise. Your exercise might not include weight lifting. One might be going for a walk and all, but weights are important. Resistance training is highly essential during weight loss.

Lifting weight is known to put a stop to slow metabolic system which can cause a blockage to weight loss. So if you do not lift weights, consider doing it because it might be one of the reason why your weight loss journey is so slow or none at all.

A well structured exercise program with both cardio and strength training is a faster way to achieve your weight loss and overall body goals.

You don’t get enough sleep

Well, we all know that people have limited their sleep cycles which is one of the reason why they don’t feel energetic right after they wake up. You might have heard your parents tell you the famous phrase, ‘’early to bed, early to rise, keeps a man healthy, wealthy and wise’’, and well, they did not lie especially when it came to health. Adults who do not have the sufficient sleeping hours have about a 50% chance of getting obese and the kids who do not sleep enough, have 90% chances. So if you think dieting and working out is enough, then know it is not.

You don’t drink enough water

People now a days, don’t give importance to the proper water intake. Staying hydrated is the key. The body’s metabolism suddenly boosts if one drink sufficient amount of water. Moreover, the water soluble fat such as the facial fat, is lost through proper water intake which makes the face look much more sculpted and toned.

In one 12-week weight reduction contemplate, individuals who drank a large portion of a liter (17 ounces) of water 30 minutes before dinners lost 44% more load than the individuals who did not. This research was pretty much self-explanatory of how water and weight loss are related.

You don’t move your body enough

One very big factor might be your low activity level. Going to the gym but hanging out on the mat using your phone or doing a few squats and heading home just won’t cut it. If you have a desk job which consumes all of your day, then it is common not to lose weight. Basically, you are not physically active enough and whatever you consume might be turning right into fat which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose your existing weight. The least you can do is get up every hour and move around, so you don’t stay in one spot all day long. The best you can do is pair this with a solid exercise program when you get off work or before you start your day, depending on what your schedule permits. Some prefer the morning because it stimulates them for the day ahead and others prefer an after work workout to release the days stress.

A Helpful Tool to Help You Lose Weight

Purpose of the Calculator

The weight loss calculator discussed here can be used at the calculators.tech

This calculator has been developed with the sole purpose of providing you the initial and basic information that every individual requires before starting their weight loss journey.

The calculator provides you with the information about the amount of calories one needs per day to lose weight in the given amount of time along with how much weight you will lose on weekly basis if you continue to take the specific amount of calories that have been calculated by the calculator.

How to Use the Calculator

The calculator requires the basic information, which is all simple and clear. It is not hard at all to use the calculator.

The boxes present on the left corner ask for the information that is required by the calculator to come up with the desired value (as can be seen from the interface provided below).

The calculator asks you about your activity level, the amount of days that you have to attain your goal, what your current weight and goal is and your gender. Through this information, the calculator calculates all the values that are to be filled in the boxes present on the right side of the screenshot below. It is very helpful, easy and absolutely free to use.

Conclusion

Losing weight is a unique journey and it differs for just about everyone. However, the fundamentals are essentially the same in that exercise, diet, and an overall healthier lifestyle will be required.

If you’re not seeing results, it’s quite possible that you need to change things up to reach your goals.  The tips in this guide are a great starting point if you aren’t seeing the results you desire. Your lack of results could be due to a number of factors.

Of course, if these tips don’t help, be sure to consult your doctor to determine if you have an underlying cause preventing your from losing weight. For example, you could have a hormone imbalance that needs to be addressed.

At the end of the day, everyone is capable of losing weight. With the right approach and dedication, your goals are not far away. Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

About Shannon Clark

Shannon holds a degree in Exercise Science and is a certified personal trainer and fitness writer with over 10 years of industry experience.