Weight loss can be tricky. Really tricky. In addition, when it comes to losing weight there are many mistakes that we can make. Some of them seem pretty obvious (Like how about -not- eating a whole pizza today? Oh, sorry I already did that, PMS and all…) and others seem to creep up on us and catch us by surprise.
What are some of the biggest mistakes that women make when trying to lose weight?
Here are 6 of the biggest ones that you may or may not know.
Skipping The Veggies
Vegetables are probably the best thing for anyone to eat, ever. Not just when you are on a diet. Yet for some reason, many female dieters are having a hard time meeting their daily serving suggestion for this vital food group. Health.com says that many people don’t get the recommended 2.5 cups a day of vegetables.
Why?
Well, many of us didn’t grow up eating them or the vegetables we had were simply gross (canned beets anyone?). When cutting calories, we skip this food group because we aren’t used to seeing them on our plates. Time to add them back in!
Eat Real Treats
Prevention Magazine recommends eating real treat just at smaller portions. Choosing fat-free or sugar-free often means you will eat more. This phenomenon is known as the “SnackWell Effect” (named after SnackWell™, the first diet snack manufacturer). For some reason when we see low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, and reduced sugar on a package, our brains tell us it’s ok to eat more of that product.
If you are going to indulge in a treat, get something good. My favorites include:
- Chunky Monkey by Ben and Jerry (single serve mini portion)
- A mini Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen
- A half a slice of my grandma’s apple pie
Cutting Entire Food Groups
You may have seen this dressed up. Paleo, Veganism, Vegetarianism, Atkins, anti breadism, no fishitarianism (I made the last two up). These are the women who, in an attempt to control their eating habits, have cut out entire groups of food.
Self.com notes this is becoming more popular. Cutting out entire food groups is not sustainable and can lead to disordered eating and unbalanced diets.
One of the major symptoms of an eating disorder is having foods that are “unsafe” to eat. Think of those you know who practice these very strict diets. Their obsessive nature about food can turn very quickly into something unhealthy. Try eating a well-rounded diet instead.
Over Focusing On The Scale
LADIES!
Yes, you.
You are more than your weight. Focus on other elements of weight loss other than the number on the scale. Authority Nutrition recommends focusing on how your clothes fit and that you take measurements to see how your body is changing.
Women often quit because their weight doesn’t change, as quickly or in the direction, they want it to. Sometimes when gaining muscle, you will gain weight. Then you will start to burn fat and lose weight. Stop focusing on the scale
Dressing
Eat This says that many women switch to salads, but miss the drop in calories because they start drizzling dressing all over their greens. 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing contain 200 calories. Many people don’t measure their dressings and can put as much as 600 added calories onto the salad they are eating.
Women across the world have switched to salads at lunch only to see the scale go up. This is because all of the dressing you pour on top of those greens. Skip the dressing or go for a light alternative.
No Plan
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is one element that Popsugar says is going to be true in your diet. Hunger is a strong motivator. If you haven’t planned out your meals and you get too hungry, you are going to eat anything.
Ask any woman why she fell off her diet, and chances are she will tell you she got too hungry and “didn’t have anything else to eat.” Prepping healthy meals and snacks ahead of time will help you stay focused on your goals.
Now you know some of the common pitfalls that people experience when trying to lose weight. Have you fallen victim to any of these?
