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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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Some Common Mistakes When Trying to Lose Weight!

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Dr. Tamanna NarangDietitian/Nutritionist • 12 Years Exp.M.Sc - Dietitics / Nutrition (Delhi University)
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Losing weight can seem very tough!

Sometimes you feel like you're doing everything right, yet still not getting results.

Here are few common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight

1. Choosing Low-Fat or "Diet" Foods

Processed low-fat or "diet" foods are often considered good choices for losing weight, but they may actually have the opposite effect.

Many of these products are loaded with sugar to improve their taste.

For instance, one cup (245 grams) of low-fat, fruit-flavored yogurt can contain 47 grams of sugar (nearly 12 teaspoons) .

Rather than keeping you full, low-fat products are likely to make you hungrier, so you end up eating even more.

Instead of low-fat or "diet" foods, choose a combination of nutritious, minimally processed foods.

Bottom line: Fat-free or so called “diet” foods are typically high in sugar & may lead to hunger & higher calorie intake & ultimately no weight loss.

2. Eating Too Many or Too Few Calories

A calorie deficit is required for weight loss. This means you need to burn more calories than you consume.

You may be consuming too many foods that are healthy but also high in calories, such as nuts,seeds and cheese. Watching portion size is the key.

On the other hand, decreasing your calorie intake too much can be counterproductive.

Studies on very low-calorie diets providing less than 1,000 calories per day show they can lead to muscle loss and significantly slow down metabolism .

Bottom Line: Consuming too many calories can stop you from losing weight. On the other hand, too few calories can make you hungry and reduce your metabolism and muscle mass.

3. Not Exercising or Exercising Too Much

During weight loss, you lose some muscle mass as well as fat, although the amount depends on several factors

If you don't exercise at all while restricting calories, you're likely to lose more muscle mass and experience a decrease in metabolic rate.

By contrast, exercising helps minimize the amount of lean mass you lose, boost fat loss and prevent your metabolism from slowing down. The more lean mass you have, the easier it is to lose weight and maintain the weight loss

However, over-exercising can also cause problems.

Studies show excessive exercise is unsustainable in the long term for most people and may lead to stress. In addition, it may impair the production of adrenal hormones that regulate stress response  

Trying to force your body to burn more calories by exercising too much is neither effective nor healthy.

However, lifting weights and doing cardio several times per week is a sustainable strategy for maintaining metabolic rate during weight loss.

Bottom Line:A lack of exercise can lead to loss of muscle mass and lower metabolism.On the other hand, too much exercise is neither healthy nor effective and it may lead to stress.

4. Only Focusing on the Scale Weight

It's very common to feel like you're not losing weight fast enough, despite sticking to your diet.

However, the number on the scale is only one measure of weight change. Weight is influenced by several things, including fluid fluctuations and how much food remains in your system.

In fact, weight can fluctuate by (1.8 kg) over the course of a day, depending on how much food and liquid you've consumed.

If the number on the scale isn't moving, you may very well be losing fat mass but holding on to water. Fortunately, you can do several things to lose water weight.

Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself can reveal you're actually losing fat, even if the scale number doesn't change much.

Bottom Line :

Many factors can affect scale weight like water retention, muscle mass, weight of undigested food,constipation.You may be losing body fat even if the scale reading doesn’t change much

5. Overestimating How Many Calories You Burn During Exercise

Many people believe that exercise "supercharges" their metabolism.

Although exercise increases metabolic rate somewhat, it may actually be less than you think. People burned 200 and 300 calories during exercise sessions. Yet when asked, they estimated they had burned over 800 calories. As a result, they ended up eating more.

Bottom line: One hour of exercise burns 200 -300 calories, but people tend to overestimate & end up eating more calories.

6. Not Eating Enough Protein

Getting enough protein is extremely important if you're trying to lose weight.

In fact, protein has been shown to help with weight loss in several ways.

It can reduce appetite, increase feelings of fullness, decrease calorie intake, increase metabolic rate and protect muscle mass during weight loss .

To optimize weight loss, make sure each of your meals contains a high-protein food like sprouts, eggs, beans,pulses, yoghurt in diet

7. Not Tracking What You Eat in Any Way

Eating nutritious foods is a good weight loss strategy. However, you may still be eating more calories than you need to lose weight.

What's more, you may not be getting the right amount of protein, fiber, carbs and fat to support your weight loss efforts.

Studies show that tracking what you eat can help you get an accurate picture of your calorie and nutrient consumption, as well as provide accountability  

In addition to food, most online tracking sites and apps allow you to enter your daily exercise as well.

Bottom Line: If you are not tracking what you eat, you may be consuming more calories than you realize.

8. Still Drinking Sugar

Many people cut soft drinks and other sweetened beverages out of their diet to lose weight, which is a good thing.

However, drinking fruit juice instead isn't smart.

Even 100% fresh fruit juice is loaded with sugar and may lead to health and weight problems similar to those caused by sugar-sweetened beverages .

What's more, liquid calories don't seem to affect the appetite as it is devoid of fiber. So you end up consuming more calories overall, instead of compensating for the liquid calories by eating less later in the day.

Bottom Line:If you cut out sugar-sweetened beverages but continue drinking fruit juice, you’re still getting a lot of sugar and are likely to take in more calories overall.

9. Not Reading Labels

Failing to accurately read label information can cause you to consume unwanted calories and unhealthy ingredients.

Unfortunately, many foods are labeled with healthy-sounding food claims on the front of the package. These may give you a false sense of security about choosing a certain item

To get to the most important information for weight control, you need to look at the ingredients list and nutrition facts label, which are on the back of the container.

Bottom Line:Food labels provide information on ingredients, calories & nutrients.Make sure you understand how to accurately read labels.

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