Most people say they’d do anything to lose weight. But many never actually end up doing the things that work, and go for the quick fixes that never do. Your destructive weight loss habits might actually be making you gain weight — and you probably don’t even recognize your mistakes. That doesn’t mean you can’t correct them, and finally reach your goal weight before year’s end.
These are the habits you should let go of if you really want to lose weight, get healthy, and feel better about yourself after every meal.
Snacking on ‘diet foods’
Just because it’s marketed as a healthy (or “healthier”) food doesn’t mean what’s inside the box, bag, or can is actually good for you. Store-bought granola, fat-free desserts, and diet sodas are just a few of the many treats you think you can afford to splurge on when you’re trying to lose weight — but can’t.
The problem with these foods and beverages is that you usually end up eating and drinking more of them, even when you don’t mean to. You’re not doing your scale any favors there.
Shunning all carbs
Think all carbs are the enemy? Did you know that if you stopped eating carbs, you’d probably get sick — or worse? Added sugars are bad. Not all foods classified as carbs have added sugars in them.
Not all carbs are bad carbs. Look at brown rice, for example. It’s both high and fiber and extremely low in sugar, even though it’s a carb. It’s a great food to incorporate into a few meals a week if you want to slim down.
Relying on dietary supplements
To be clear, not all dietary supplements are a waste of money. Many people take them to balance out their iron levels, improve their digestive health, and more.
However, you can’t eat processed food all day, every day, and expect a handful of supplements to make up for your questionable eating habits. The term “supplement” means to add a little more to what’s already there. You have to start with a solid foundation before you can figure out the gaps that need filling, if there even are any.
Depriving yourself of every ‘bad’ food
Have you ever tried to get rid of junk food cravings, only to fail miserably — with an empty bag of cookies to submit as evidence? Maybe depriving yourself of the foods you want isn’t the answer. “Just one cookie” really can mean “just one.”
Why not just eat that one cookie and be done with it, instead of telling yourself you can’t have it over and over until you cave and eat four? Giving in to cravings isn’t always a bad thing.
Spending all your money on diet programs
Most diets do not work — at least, not the popular fad diets celebrities are always o quick to praise. Do some diet programs work for some people? Absolutely. But if you continuously bounce from one failed attempt to the next, that should warn you something isn’t working.
Why aren’t most programs worth your money? Because they’re not tailored to your individual needs. Eating well, to lose weight, is a one-day-at-a-time, slow, but rewarding process. There are no quick fixes that last.
Wasting hours at the gym so you can ‘eat whatever you want’
Sorry to break it to you, but that’s not how weight loss works. You can’t burn 200 calories, eat 200 calories’ worth of junk, and expect both to cancel each other out.
Only eating healthy, or only exercising a lot, is not enough to lose weight and keep it off. You have to implement a little of both to get the long-term results you want. You don’t have to go vegan or pay for a year-long gym membership, but you do have to make multiple small changes over time.
Restricting your calories
Many people take the concept of “eating less to lose weight” a little too far — and they often don’t even realize it.
Aside from the long-term damage you can do to your body, calorie restriction — even 1,500 calories or less, depending on the person — increases your chances of overeating later. Many of us unfortunately know from experience that Overeating While Hungry rarely involves anything remotely healthy. RIP, skinny jeans.
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