Top 10 Diet Mistakes And Their Solutions

Diet mistake #10

Jennifer gained weight after she got married, and was determined to do something about it.

The mistake:

Thinking you can just cut back the calories to lose weight.

The solution:

Don't make this weight loss mistake. Get some fun activities that get you moving again. It doesn't have to be a lot at first. But as the pounds come off you'll want to push yourself a little more.

Diet mistake #9

Alexis hoped to lose some weight with the cabbage soup diet.

The mistake:

Falling for the hype.

The solution:

Don't just jump at a diet that promises it will work for you. This is one of the most common diet mistakes. You have a right to expect some proof.

Ask around a bit. And don't just rely on the web site or book where you first heard of the program. Of course they'll tell you it's wonderful. But what do other people say?

Diet mistake #8

Bree wanted to lose weight for her sister's wedding. At the time the Atkins Diet was the craze.

The mistake

Not enough carbohydrates.

The solution

There are carbohydrates and then there are carbohydrates. Make sure you get enough fibrous carbohydrates (string beans and celery) as well as enough starchy carbohydrates (yams and potatoes.)

Just make sure that you don't overdo the super-sweet snacks. An occasional Coke or a reasonable-sized piece of cake at a party is fine. But everyday? Do that and you'll never be able to lose weight.

Diet mistake #7

Kimberly Garrison is a well-known fitness trainer and television personality. Here's some advice she gives:

The mistake

Not having enough patience.

The solution

Of all the diet mistakes, this is probably the downfall of most people. To solve it, set targets for yourself. What does that mean? It means that you figure out how much you want to lose and when you want to lose it.

And then you put it in writing. How? Use a graph. Put your current weight today's date. Put your goal weight and goal date on the graph. Draw a line between the two.

From now on, any time you weigh yourself you'll be able to see at a glance if you are above or below your goal weight for that date.

Diet mistake #6

Billy Beck III offers this guidance:

The mistake

Lack of focus.

The solution

Have a well-defined goal. Make a clear-cut plan. And then work toward that plan with determination and self-confidence.

Diet mistake #5

Nancy is discouraged because she is having trouble losing weight. She is not getting "older"; she is only 22, and yet she can't lose weight as easily as she could when she was a teenager.

The mistake

Not allowing for changes in your body and activity levels that occur over time.

The solution

This is one of the diet mistakes that tends to creep up on you. Get ahead of the changes. Don't wait until you have a gained a lot of weight and gotten hopelessly overweight and out of shape.

You will need to recognize a couple of things. One, each year after you reach your full growth, you will need fewer calories for energy each year. So you need to adjust your diet to account for this.

Two, your muscles will tend to atrophy, particularly if you do work where you sit a lot. Who would that include? Almost everyone.

If you're a circus acrobat, you're in luck. But if you do anything except heavy physical work all day, you need a regular program that you follow to keep your muscles in top condition.

Mistake # 4

Trev found that overeating and drinking beer were causing him problems with his weight.

The mistake

Lack of priorities.

The solution

If beer and cheese dip are your priority, then you'll have a beer-and-cheese-dip body. That's one of the most common diet mistakes. But if you make your health and fitness a priority you can make progress.

Give it some thought before you go out. Maybe you can have as much fun with one light beer as you could with half a dozen.

And maybe you can make it to the gym instead of looking at reruns of Gilligan's Island. It's all a matter of priorities.

Mistake #3

Peggy was able to lose her extra weight, and she credits her success in part to the support that she received.

The mistake

No support system.

The solution

You can get some support somewhere. It could be a friend or family member that you start your new program with. Or look around and make a new friend that you can walk or bike with.

You will do better if you have someone there to encourage you when it gets tough and to applaud your successes. And it's easier to keep on track today if you know that "weigh-in is next Tuesday."

Mistake #2

Laura was in a hurry to lose weight. Because of this, she always went for the "miracle" diet.

The mistake

Lack of balance.

The solution

Your body cannot tolerate the shock of an extreme diet or a prolonged low-calorie diet. It rebels. You feel sick and get cravings. Your metabolism gets ruined.

If you are overweight you are already out of balance. Fad diets just make it worse. This is one of the most troublesome diet mistakes.

The solution is to adopt a program that will strengthen and nourish your body. This means losing weight while getting enough calories, and it means high quality, nutrient rich foods.

Diet mistake #1

To say that Cam had a bad experience with a diet would be an understatement.

The mistake

Starving yourself.

The solution

Get enough to eat. There are two extremes. One is feeling "full" all the time. Feeling full -- if by full you mean stuffed full of food -- is an unnatural and unhealthy condition. You shouldn't have to fill your stomach to the breaking point every time you eat.

The other extreme is starving. If you feel starved you are not going to be able to stick with the diet. So obviously, that will get you nowhere.

There is a place in the middle. It includes enough high-quality food with plenty of vitamins and minerals to do all those things a healthy body needs to do.

At times you should feel a little hungry. It is at those times that your body is breaking down the fat. So that's a good sign.

But don't starve yourself. That is the road to nowhere.

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