Hey friends! I hope your week is starting off well. I was excited this week to put on a garment that was tight since purchase and now it’s baggy. Yeah for progress. I wanted to list of some mistakes dieters make and include some I have made in the past. I hope they help you on your journey. As stated in every post, talk to your doctor before starting any program.

1. They look for a quick fix. Yes, I said it. Everyone wants results instantly with little effort. Well, anything that comes quickly can be lost quickly. If you jump on the new diet craze and lose tons of weight with little effort, you will probably not sustain those results. If you have weight to lose, it will require work on your part to get it off. 3,500 calories equals 1 pound. So, if you want to lose and keep it off, doctors and experts say a good target it 1-3 pounds per week. People get discouraged if they don’t see results immediately. I say with any program give yourself 6-8 weeks. If you’re not seeing any results in that time frame, then talk with a nutritionist, physician, or endocrinologist. Some people suffer from low thyroid hormones  (hypothyroidism) which will cause you to gain weight and have trouble losing.

2. They measure progress by the scale only. You can lose muscle and water and be light on the scale; that does not mean you are necessarily healthy or more fit. You can lose more inches and not see the scale budge as much as you like. I have an athletic build and therefore my BMI at a size 6 is still higher than it predicts it should be. However, my cholesterol is stellar, I workout 5-6 days a week, and eat pretty clean. I am simply a muscular person. You can be skinny and unhealthy or have more fat than muscle. Measure your waist. Studies have shown that abdominal fat is pretty good indicator of health. “Women with a waist measurement  of more than 35 inches or men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches  may have a higher disease risk than people with smaller waist measurements  because of where their fat lie” http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/tools.htm.

3. They don’t drink water. You must hydrate and flush toxins from your body. If you are working out and eating clean, lack of water will still slow your progress. Your body needs water to run efficiently.

4. They rely solely on diet pills and substances to enhance their metabolism. I am not here to bash anyone’s product. I tried many before. Some worked well and as soon as I stopped taking them, I gained weight and more than I lost. I’ve learned the best way to live is to eat healthy, workout, build muscle, cut out sugar and unhealthy processed foods, and drink water.

5. They want to lose weight while eating unhealthy food and being a couch potato. Fat doesn’t magically melt away. It’s stored energy. If you overeat, you will gain weight. If you’re eating unhealthy food, over-eating, and live a sedentary lifestyle, you will gain weight. Being healthy is a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. If you want to change your life, it’s a lifetime committment to eating healthy and exercising.

6. They over-train and don’t eat enough. Our bodies are temples not machines. If you overwork the body and don’t give it enough fuel, you will sabotage your results. Treat your body like a temple. Take time to rest. Eat clean, train hard, and rest when you need to. If you’ve never worked out, I recommend checking with your doctor and meeting up with a certified fitness trainer.

7. They stick to the same workout routine forever or don’t challenge their body. Once the body adapts to an exercise it gets easier. Programs like P90X are successful because they promote muscle confusion. They switch up the workouts so the body is continually improving. Our bodies are smart. They will adapt to use less energy than before.

8. They starve, then binge eat. We talked about this before. Starving yourself is bad, bad idea. Your body does not like it at all. If you starve the body for long enough time, your metabolism will slow down to use less energy. When you start eating again, your body will hold onto as much as it can.

9. They limit calories but make poor food choices. I was one of those people who ate within the calorie restrictions and still wasnt seeing the results I wanted. Why? The quality of food I ate was poor. Feed your body good food: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, legumes/beans, food with natural vitamins. Most people don’t get enough fiber which helps with blood sugar and weight loss. Add some fiber!

10. They skip meals. I work in a laboratory. Research doesn’t pause so I can eat every 4 hours. So, the lack of regular eating over the years has impacted my body and metabolism. Try to eat every 4 hours at the maximum. 5 to 6 small meals is better than 3 big ones. It’s good for your blood sugar.

11. They make perfection or some airbrushed person in a magazine their target. When I was a teenager I was interested in modeling. I did some print work in college. It’s amazing to see what they can do with computer software. Don’t make a magazine layout or celebrity your target. Each body type is different. Celebrities and models get paid to look good. They often have trainers, nutritionists, and hours of free time to workout. Figure out what your body can look like and make being healthy the goal. Perfection is over-rated and varies from person to person.

12. They aren’t sleeping enough. I wrote about this in a previous post. Lack of sleep will negatively impact your fitness goals.

13. They give up too soon. Like I said before, it takes time to get there. I am still working towards certain goals. It’s a journey! Keep at it and don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day. Every small step in the right direction is better than no steps at all.

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