07/19/2023
I’ve made a lot of mistakes dieting over the years! Here are my top 6 dumbest dieting mistakes I try to help people avoid 🛑 ✋
1. Not eating enough. You might think you’re doing yourself a favor by skipping meals, but in the long run you’re going to risk losing a greater percentage of lean body mass setting yourself up for rapid weight regain.
2. Following an overly restrictive diet. Trying to completely cut out your favorite foods can actually lead you to crave and binge on them more than you otherwise would have. Try to focus on hitting your protein and fiber goals while still allotting room for smaller portions of your favorite foods.
3. Trying to follow a meal plan I didn’t enjoy. An overly restrictive meal plan can make having a social life next to impossible and leave little room for when life gets in the way. It doesn’t matter what the “perfect” meal plan looks like if you’re unable to stay consistent.
4. Trying to lose weight too fast. Although rapid weight loss is often glamorized in diet culture, losing more than 1 percent of your body weight per week can actually be detrimental for your long-term goals. Rapid weight loss can wreak havoc on your hormones, cause you to lose hard-earned lean body mass, and slow your metabolism making future weight loss more difficult.
5. Wasting money on “cleanses” and “detox” products. Juice cleanses may seem tempting until you realize the majority of the “weight” loss from these short-term ultra low-calorie diets often comes from lean body mass and water mass. Ultimately this is not what will leave you looking or feeling better.
6. All-or-nothing mindset. You don’t need to be “perfect.” You don’t need to start over again tomorrow, or Monday, or after your vacation. Fitness should be a part of your lifestyle. Small, consistent changes will always win over doing too much, too soon, and being unable to remain consistent.
💡 Unfortunately as with anything else, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
