Losing weight is not easy and to be successful life-long changes in eating habits must be established. This involves cutting back on calories while still making sure the body gets the nutrients it needs. While there are many programs and products on the market that offer to help, it is important to become an educated consumer and understand the common diet mistakes that are made. This will help lead to weight-loss success and just as importantly, keeping the weight off.
Not Eating Enough Calories
Weight loss or gain is determined by how many calories are consumed, and it is rare that a slow metabolism is the true cause of inability to lose weight, according to the Mayo Clinic. In addition, enough calories need to be eaten in order to fuel the body's basic needs.
Approximately 60 to 75 percent of the daily calories eaten are used for metabolism. If not enough calories are consumed, the body will compensate by slowing the metabolism, so that less calories are needed for survival. Starvation diets can also rob the body of the calcium it needs and the body may take calcium deposits from the bones to compensate. Muscles may be broken down for protein and there can be serious complications when following a very low calorie diet. Instead the focus should be on eating a healthy amount of calories from a wide variety of foods and then using exercise to boost metabolism naturally.
Severe Restriction of Carbohydrates
The body needs carbohydrates to function properly and no matter what type of food is eaten, whether carbs, fats or proteins, they are all eventually broken down into glucose which the body uses for fuel. Low-carbohydrate diets work on the belief that if carbs are restricted, the body will burn fat for energy which can lead to weight loss.
However, when the body breaks down fat it can also release ketones which can be dangerous to health. In addition, some sources of carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains are healthy and need to be part of the daily diet to meet nutritional needs.
Instead of eliminating carbs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests going for healthy carbs. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide vitamins and minerals and they are high in fiber. Fiber is hard to digest which creates feelings of fullness, which in turn may lead to eating less calories.
When cutting back on carbs reduce consumption of baked goods, cookies and white flour. These types of carbs are digested quickly and tend to raise blood sugar levels. This leaves the body feeling hungry which may lead to overeating.
Unrealistic Expectations
There are many diet programs on the market that advertise fast weight loss, often claiming that 10 lbs. or more can be lost in a week. Diets that claim a quick fix should be avoided.
Successful weight loss and keeping the weight off means developing life-long healthy-eating habits, versus just following a special diet for days or weeks. While there may be some initial weight loss, once old habits and behaviors return so does the weight. If a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Unless under a doctor's care, healthy weight loss is about 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Watch out for diets that restrict a food group or advocate eating just one type of food such as grapefruit. The goal is to learn to eat correct portion sizes including foods from all of the food groups.
Relying on Diet Pills
There are also many pills on the market that claim to speed weight loss. Diet pills, whether over the counter or prescription strength, work by either speeding up metabolism, blocking the absorption of fat or by suppressing the appetite. However, what they do not do is address the underlying behaviors that lead to overeating.
However, the Weight-control Information Network website, recommends only using diet pills when body mass index is higher than 30 or when the body mass is more than 27 and there are several risk factors for chronic disease. Because of their effect on the body, diet pills are not recommended for long-term use and they must be combined with calorie reduction, exercise and behavior modification. They may help to provide a jump start to weight loss, but they are not a substitution for healthy lifestyle choices.
Some of these products can also have serious side effects and interact with other medications being taken. Given this, weight-loss pills should only be used by the obese and under a doctor's supervision.
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