5 mistakes to avoid while on a weight loss diet

Losing the extra flab requires more than just healthy diets and exercises. Many people have a lot of misconceptions about the relation between the consumption of calories and body weight. Due to these misconceptions, they make dietary choices that do not help their weight loss regime. Here are a few common mistakes people make when they are going through a weight-loss diet program.

• Skipping breakfast or meals : Many people who take up weight loss diets have a misconception that skipping breakfast, or any other meal helps to cut calorie consumption. However, this is not true. Breakfast is the most essential meal of the day. It gives a good start to the body’s metabolism and helps in preventing unnecessary cravings. It has been observed that missing out on breakfast leads to the consumption of additional calories over the day. For effective weight loss, a protein-rich breakfast is often recommended.
• Avoiding foods containing fats : Most weight loss diets reduce the intake of carbohydrates. This is because carbohydrates affect the levels of insulin in the body. Insulin causes the body to use energy from the food as fuel. When the intake of carbohydrates is reduced, the body starts using stored fats as a source of energy. This leads to substantial loss of body weight. Hence, it is necessary to add healthy fats (such as almonds, coconut oil, and olive oil) to the diet, instead of avoiding them completely. Contrary to popular belief, fats (except unhealthy fats like those from junk food) are an essential part of weight loss diets.
• Large portions or overeating : One of the basic rules of all weight loss programs is to have small and controlled portions of meals. Indulging in large portions of healthy food might not seem like a problem. It may seem alright to overeat healthy food since it is packed with nutrition. However, overeating is not recommended, whether the food is nutritious or not. Overeating affects appetite and metabolism, which will throw the weight loss regime completely out of gear. Eating too much will also lead to health problems related to digestion and bowel movements.
• Starving : The opposite of overeating is starving. Many people have the notion that the intake of calories is directly related to body weight. If the number of calories consumed is more, the body weight will be higher. Hence, they tend to starve themselves to deprive their bodies of calories. However, the human body requires a certain number of calories to maintain an optimum level of metabolism. Starving leads to a slower rate of calorie burning, which does not help in weight loss at all.
• Having excessive liquid calories : Another weight loss diet mistake that people tend to make is increase the intake of liquid calories by drinking too many beverages. This is due to the misconception that solid foods have more calories than liquid foods. However, sodas, teas, juices with sugar, and coffee lead to weight gain. A can of soda has more calories than a small bowl of green salad. Also, consuming beverages does not really satiate hunger pangs. This may lead to a decreased metabolism rate which is unhealthy for the body.

Tags: weight loss diet, a healthy diet