Is your weight loss in trouble? If it is, you’re not alone. A lot of people struggle to get to their goal weight and have numerous stumbles along the way. One technique to move from weight-loss trouble to weight-loss success is to confess to yourself what’s been going on and find a way to reverse course.
Here are six common weight-loss mistakes…and how to fix them.
Not Tracking Food Intake
I often hear clients confess to not keeping track of what they’re eating at all. When this happens, the calorie intake usually increases, sometimes dramatically. This is a problem that if not fixed, will guarantee weight regain.
The Solution: You don’t have to use an app or notebook if you don’t want to, although I do recommend it for consistency and so you have a written record. If you’re honest with yourself and good at math, you can keep track in your head. Just get back into the habit of tracking your food intake in some manner before your weight loss goes completely off the rails.
Self-Sabotaging
I’ve met few people who don’t fess up to some self-sabotaging behaviors when dieting. Sometimes people hide food for later, eat fast food when they swear they’ve given it up, binge on candy, or buy foods they know are hard to control themselves around.
The Solution: Eliminating self-sabotaging behaviors can be difficult. First confess to yourself what’s going on and recommit to your weight-loss program. If you find yourself engaging in self-defeating behaviors, write down the circumstances and think about what triggered the behavior. Over time, you might find (as I did) that the unhelpful behaviors decrease as your weight loss increases.
Looking For a Quick Fix
A common confession is that a dieter is just looking for something quick and easy to fix her weight issues. If this is you, it might mean you are looking to a fad diet or supplements to help you lose weight.
The Solution: Ditch the fad diet. Get rid of weight-loss supplements. Quit trying to get to your goal weight quickly. Instead, realize that weight loss is a process—and sometimes a long one. There’s no prize in life for losing weight quickly. The prize comes when you’re able to live the rest of your life at a healthy weight.
Tired of Dieting
It’s really common to confess to one of your friends or family members that you’re just tired of dieting and you feel hopeless. I get that. But you can’t give up or you will 100 percent never get to your goal weight.
The Solution: Look for non-scale victories that you’ve experienced as motivators. Are your clothes fitting better, do you get less winded when walking, or are you better able to control yourself around food? Rely on these victories as a way to re-motivate yourself; even if your progress is slow, what you’re doing is working.
Eating Just to Eat
Part of having a true lifestyle change when it comes to your weight is not eating just to eat. A lot of people who are overweight confess to eating because the food is there, is free, appeals to them right then, or that they’re just doing it out of habit.
The Solution: Practice mindful eating. Every time you sit down for a meal, think about what you are about to eat, how much you will have, and how each food item fits into your weight-loss goals.
Relying on Exercise Calories Burned
You may as well admit it: You sometimes overestimate the number of calories you burn while walking, jogging, or working out, and then justify your workout as a reason for that second piece of cake or extra helping of potatoes. That’s not a terrible thing to do every once in a while, but consistently doing this will derail your weight-loss effort.
The Solution: Don’t use exercise as an excuse to eat more. Instead, look at exercise as good for your health, your fitness, and as a strategy to lose weight a bit faster.