Five Dieting Mistakes That Are Keeping Your From Losing Weight

1. Failure To Create An Adequate Calorie Deficit

The only real way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit. Unfortunately, many diets do not provide appropriate details that will help you achieve the right amount of deficit in terms of daily caloric intake to ensure weight loss can be possible. The first step would be to calculate your basal metabolic rate, also called your BMR. You need to determine how many calories your body needs on a daily basis to survive. This is done by taking your age, gender, height, and weight all into account. Once you have your basal metabolic rate’s caloric requirements, you can create a caloric deficit. Your current weight will help you determine how much you should reduce your daily caloric intake to lose weight effectively. It is, however, important not to go overboard and restrict your calories too much, as this would end up slowing down your metabolism – which is really bad for weight loss in general. 

2. Opting For Low-Fat Food Options

Another common mistake that a lot of people tend to make when it comes to dieting is to think that “low-fat” food options are better for them than the full-fat varieties. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, in fact. When fat is reduced in products like yogurt, for example, it causes the taste of the food to be reduced too. In order to improve the taste of these foods, the manufacturer would then add sugar to the food – whether it is yogurt or a chocolate bar that is promoted as a “low-fat” dieting option. In one report, researchers explain that a single cup of low-fat yogurt can contain as much as 47 grams sugar. This does not only mean blood glucose spikes, but also an increased chance that you will binge eat later in the day when your blood glucose levels start to decline again. You are also more likely to gain more weight when you choose these foods. 

3. Inadequate Protein Intake

Protein is a type of macronutrient that the body requires for many functions. Even though many people tend to associate protein with muscles – yes, it is true that protein can help to enhance muscle synthesis and growth – the macronutrient does much more than that. This is another area where you might be making a huge mistake – not having enough protein in your diet. Protein has many benefits when it comes to weight loss in particular. In one study, researchers found that the addition of adequate protein to a diet can significantly reduce daily caloric intake. In fact, the average reduction was 575 when the amount of protein included in the diet of participants was double the amount of the control group. 

4. Inadequate Fiber Intake

Another type of compound found in food that you need to focus on when trying to lose weight is fiber. Fiber helps to keep your digestive system working properly – but can also help to keep you feeling fuller for a longer period compared to having a meal without enough fiber. Viscous fiber is an especially important type of fiber that you want to include in your diet. One study explains that the intake of viscous fiber can effectively reduce appetite. In turn, this helps to reduce daily calorie intake. With this in mind, creating and maintaining a calorie deficit becomes much easier. 

5. Expecting Results Too Soon

Another issue that we have to take a look at here is unrealistic expectations that a lot of people tend to have when they are following a diet with the goal of reducing their body weight. It is important to understand that weight loss is not something that will happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and a lot of patience for you to lose weight effectively. These unrealistic expectations are some of the most common reasons why people often tend to drop out from a weight loss program or quit a diet. You need to realize that it will take time for you to achieve real results. You need to keep going and continue following your diet. Give it a few months for real results to be visible – when getting onto the scale and when standing in front of the mirror. 

Conclusion

Dieting can be beneficial for reducing body weight and even when trying to achieve other goals, such as increasing lean muscle mass. The problem, however, is that most people tend to fail to achieve real results when they diet. We shared some important mistakes that people often make when they diet in this post – if you are making any of these mistakes, then it might be time to relook your strategy and rethink the way that you are currently dieting.