Healthy living has become a priority in our daily lives with people watching what they eat and exercising and dieting or just cutting out some types of foods. We are becoming more cautious about the type of food we ingest with a lot of people going sugar-free, gluten-free vegan or something.
A lot of attention has been brought into food consumption with the US first lady Michelle Obama taking a stand against obesity and promoting healthy eating and exercise. At one point or another people do try to live healthier and adopt healthier lifestyle but often fail and revert to their sedentary lifestyle.
While some people do succeed at weight loss, a lot of people often fail repeatedly before they achieving their desired weight or health goal. Often people focus on weight loss instead of achieving their best health status which could probably mean maybe drinking more water than you currently are or simply becoming more physically active.
Some of the more common mistakes people often make are listed below.
Having unrealistic Goals
When starting the weight loss journey you have a target weight in mind. Maybe you intend to lose 50 pounds which could be appropriate for you. But then you want to lose all of it in a matter of three months which is practically impossible and even unhealthy. While setting the goal of the amount of weight you intend to lose is admirable it is important to remember that it is a lifestyle change as well as a weight loss mission. Getting healthy is the goal.
Over exercising
The first few days after starting out your journey you will be excited and you will hit the gym hard however the excitement will wear off and burn out will set in. all this not forgetting to mention the strain and pain of hard exercise. For better endurance start of slow with fun and familiar exercises like skipping or cycling or even speed walking before you start running the treadmill at the gym. This way you give your body time to adjust. Breaks in between work out days are also recommended.
Obsession with weight and the scale
Constantly weighing yourself or checking the weighing scale for a change in the weight will only lead you to frustration. Stay away from the scale. You do not need to weigh yourself daily, or even weekly. Do it once a month or better yet, only when taking fat readings.
Routine change-up
A lot of people are guilty of this. We start on an exercise and diet plan and then after a month or so we come across another plan and we think this new plan will work better and so we adopt it. Then a little way down the line we change it up again. When starting a diet and exercise plan consider its application to you and even better yet get professional opinion. There are expert who do this for a living. They create a diet and work out plan specifically suited for you and your health goals.
Focusing only on the external
So you start your new weight loss program and a month down the line you do not see any shift in the weighing scale. This will undoubtedly demoralize you but then you need to look at other factors. You are probably drinking more water than you used to. Or maybe your skin is clearer than it was. Or maybe you are simply more energetic than before.
Just because it does not reflect on the weighing scale does not mean it’s not working. Be patient. Give it time. It’s all about getting healthier isn’t it?
Counting calories and micronutrients ratios
In the beginning, worrying about the calories you eat can do you absolutely no good. At the start, focus on getting active and on the quality of your diet. Ensure you are getting all nutrient required. Once you have the exercise and physical fitness bit controlled then you can start cutting down on the calories. You will have a higher success rate if you try it this way because you will be focusing on one challenge at a time.
Over time with a better physical fitness state you will find yourself choosing healthier foods and consuming less junk and processed foods.
Over doing cheat meals
At the start of our weight loss process we will often indulge in a cheat meal, our ‘reward’ for working out so hard. While this is often the case in many situations it is important to not let this one meal derail us of our progress. It should be a controlled portion of what we want to eat and we should not binge on it entirely as it has the potential to undo a week’s progress or worse.
Cutting out major food groups
People often decide to ‘quit sugar’ as a way to lose weight faster. While too much sugar is a problem when it comes to weight loss, our bodies do require a portion of carbohydrates for energy. To help achieve your weight loss goals more effectively it is best to learn to eat a balanced diet and in the appropriate rations. It will also help you avoid binge eating cheat meals.
While weight loss could be viewed as a way to just lose some fat from the body it is actually more than that because you do end up living healthier and you will ultimately see a change in lifestyle starting by less alcohol consumption and more energy for sport and other physical activities.
