8 biggest mistakes we make when losing weight

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Because of this, you cannot lose weight and maintain the result.

1. Creating a large calorie deficit

The human body is perfectly adapted for existence in conditions of hunger. Therefore, when you drastically reduce the caloric content of the diet, the body immediately adjusts to the new conditions and begins to save energy.

A 2009 study found that severe calorie restriction (890 kilocalories per day) lowers the body's energy expenditure. Three months after the end of the diet, study participants spent 431 calories less per day than the control group, and after six months - 240 calories less.

A 2006 four-day study found that limiting calories to 1,114 kcal per day lowered basal metabolism by 13%, and to 1,462 kcal per day by 6%.

A 2015 study found that three weeks on a strict, half-calorie-restricted diet reduced resting energy expenditure by 266 kcal per day and walking energy expenditure by 22%.

When you achieve your weight loss goals and switch to a regular diet, the body, tuned to save energy, consumes calories at the same rate, and is very reluctant to spend. As a result, you quickly gain the lost pounds.

How to fix

Do not limit your diet to more than 25% of the required calorie intake, taking into account your weight, age, gender and lifestyle. How quickly you can lose weight without harming your health, Lifehacker talked about in this article.

2. Skipping meals

Many people find that skipping meals will speed up weight loss. For example, a person skips breakfast or is left without lunch at work, but at the same time eats a very plentiful and high-calorie dinner.

This weight loss strategy does not bring good results. First, after a whole day without food, severe hunger will cause you to eat much more than usual. Second, skipping meals can negatively affect blood sugar, metabolism, and energy levels.

A 2003 study suggested dietary habits were to blame for weight gain. The results showed that four meals a day reduced the risk of obesity compared to three or fewer meals a day. In addition, obesity was much more common among participants who skipped breakfast, as well as among people who did not have breakfast or dinner at home.

How to fix

Try to eat at regular intervals from the moment you feel hungry. For example, if you are hungry upon waking up, or you know you will be hungry at 10-11 o'clock, prepare a nutritious breakfast, and divide further meals into lunch, snack and dinner. If the first signs of hunger appear closer to lunchtime, leave lunch, a small snack and dinner, but try to arrange meals at the same time.

3. Lack of protein in the diet

Protein provides satiety, lowers calorie intake, and plays a key role in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss.

A 2014 study found that a high-protein breakfast (35 and 13 grams of protein) reduced cravings for sugary and salty foods between meals.

A 2010 study found that for the same daily calorie intake, a high protein intake (138 grams per day) provides a greater feeling of fullness than a normal intake (71 grams).

Feeling satiated directly affects your calorie intake throughout the day. A 12-day study found that people consuming 30% of their daily calories from protein ate 575 fewer calories on average than those consuming 15% of their calories from protein.

In the process of losing weight, along with fat, you inevitably lose muscle mass. Protein helps to protect the body from this unpleasant effect of the diet. A 2013 study found that high protein intake (2.1 grams per kilogram of body weight) while on a low-calorie diet can help maintain muscle mass, increase resting energy expenditure, and lower blood pressure.

How to fix

Aim for 30% of your daily calories from protein. You can get it from these products.

4. Liquid diets

Often people who want to lose weight with minimal effort prefer liquid diets. However, fruit or vegetable juices will not provide your body with enough fiber and protein, key nutrients needed to feel full.

A 2000 study found that fiber helps control calorie intake and reduces the risk of obesity.

These findings were confirmed by a 2011 study. Scientists have found that dietary fiber high in pectin (apples, citrus fruits) and beta-glucan (oats, barley) reduces appetite, which leads to lower calorie intake.

How to fix

Don't go on liquid diets, get enough protein and fiber.

5. Elimination of fats

Fats are essential for healthy skin, joints, good vision, memory and mood. In addition, without enough fat, vitamins A, D, K and E are not absorbed in the body, which can lead to vitamin deficiency and health problems.

For weight loss, it is more important to reduce the amount of carbohydrates, rather than fat. Although fat contains about 9 kilocalories per gram, and carbohydrates and proteins only 4 kilocalories, various studies show that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets.

For example, a 2003 study found that in six months of a low-carb diet, participants lost three times as many pounds as people who limited their fat intake.

In another 2003 study, participants lost 2.4 times more pounds over 12 weeks of a low-carb diet than people on a low-fat diet.

A review of 53 scientific studies found that low-carb diets lead to better weight-loss results than low-fat diets.

How to fix

It is not necessary to greatly reduce the amount of fat in the diet, but it is advisable to give preference to unsaturated fats, which are found in fish, avocados, nuts and vegetable oils.

6. Physical activity without diet

Exercise is essential for the health and maintenance of muscle mass while losing weight. However, without changing your eating habits, exercise will not lead to significant weight loss.

People often overestimate the amount of calories burned during exercise. For example, if a girl weighing 60 kilograms runs for 30 minutes at an average speed of 8.5 km / h, she will burn only 250 kilocalories. For an unprepared overweight person, 30 minutes of running is unrealistic. At the same time, just four to five chocolate chip cookies or one can of beer will replenish all energy costs.

Another problem with this approach to weight loss is the increased calorie intake after exercise. Often, after physical activity, people allow themselves to eat whatever they want, including sugary and fatty foods.

A 2015 study found that when people perceive physical activity as a necessity, they are more likely to consume tasty snacks after exercise than when the activity is fun.

How to fix

Exercise, but remember that it won't help you lose weight without dieting. Make both exercise and nutrition a part of your life and see exercise as fun and enjoyable. Otherwise, you will not last long and will reward yourself for your efforts with high-calorie food.

7. Uniformity in training

The same exercises cause a quick adaptation of the body, so that your body will very soon begin to spend fewer calories for the same activity. As a result, your weight loss will slow down or stop altogether.

In addition, monotony kills interest in activities, which can completely exclude physical activity from your life.

A 2012 study found that a greater variety of moderate to high intensity exercise can help maintain and lose weight successfully.

How to fix

Vary your workout and intensity, try out unusual exercises, and complement them with high-intensity interval training. Any load that is unusual for the body increases calorie expenditure and speeds up the metabolism for some time after training.

8. Expectation of quick results that will last for a long time

Most dieters gain weight again within a year. Losing weight quickly changes hormonal balance, slows down metabolism and increases hunger. When people return to their normal eating habits, these changes cause them to get better quickly.

And since willpower is a very limited resource, it is very difficult to maintain a strict diet for a long time. You can completely give up sugar, fatty foods, fast food and halve your calorie intake, but one night you will wake up near the refrigerator, washing down a chocolate bar with borscht.

Italian researchers analyzed the results of several 12-month weight loss programs. It turned out that more than half of the women dropped out of the program before graduation. Scientists found that these participants had higher expectations for weight loss. It was concluded that the more kilograms a person expects to lose, the higher the risk of quitting a long-term diet, moreover, in the first six months.

Andy Bellatti is a Las Vegas nutritionist, founder of the Society for Professional Integrity in Dietitians

Nine out of ten people who prefer slow change and know how to set achievable goals are still successful three years after they start. I know many people who go on some kind of strict diet, lose a lot of kilograms in a week, and after a few months return to where they started.

How to fix

The most winning strategy is slow incremental changes. Bellati advises her clients to set their minds on long-term change over a period of 2-4 years. Don't try to lose weight quickly. Instead, rethink your lifestyle: more healthy eating, activity and quality sleep, less processed and sugary foods, stress and bedtime weekends.

This approach will help you lose extra pounds in a few years, forget about exhausting and unhealthy diets, and never gain excess weight again.