Losing weight is one thing but losing inches in a healthy and sustainable way is a completely different process. Many a times, in our urge to lose weight fast, we fall for fad diets, adopt extreme calorie deficits or worse resort to using supplements and steroids. These may help you to remove a few kilos from the body quickly but of course the results will not be sustainable in the long run.
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To lose weight and manage it holistically, the importance of adopting healthy practices like making lifestyle changes, altering food choices and changing sleeping patterns cannot be overstated. Importantly, there are a few things you should avoid if you’re ready to lose weight and here’s a list of our top picks:
1) Going Fat-Free
A fat-free diet may sound tempting for those looking to lose weight, but sadly, it is one of the most common mistakes people make in their weight loss journey. Fats, along with carbohydrates and proteins, are counted among the macronutrients that our body requires for its proper functioning. In addition, our bodies need fat to absorb many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, K, and D. Now as you can easily imagine in the case of a completely fat-free diet, you will deprive yourself of not only energy but also essential vitamins and micronutrients. In addition, fat-free diets are often high in sugar and make you feel hungry again very quickly, leading to the consumption of more calories than the body needs.
2) Gluten Free Diet
A gluten-free diet helps ease the symptoms of celiac disease, although no scientific evidence proves that a gluten-free diet helps with weight loss. In fact, marketers have taken advantage of the craze by launching a range of snack, cake and chocolate bar options, which although are gluten-free but loaded with added sugar and salt. These products have a high glycemic index and cause an immediate rise in blood sugar levels in the body. Plus, these products are loaded with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and dyes—all of which come together to make these gluten-free products a strict no-no for weight watchers.
3) extreme starvation
Not only is it harmful to physical well-being but depriving your body of starvation can also lead to mental anxiety and disordered eating behavior in humans. This method for weight loss is not sustainable and if it is adopted over a period of time, it can lead to serious issues like anorexia nervosa, fear of food choices and psychological issues among others. Excessive starvation can also cause permanent changes in the digestive system, slow your metabolism, and cause a loss of energy, which can hinder your ability to perform well in daily routine tasks. both physically and mentally.
4) Lack of balanced diet
A balanced diet includes both macronutrients and micronutrients that are well distributed in graded proportions. While macronutrients act as fuel for the body, micronutrients are essential for the healthy development of the body and the prevention of diseases for the overall well-being of the body and mind. Many people avoid carbs in their quest to lose weight, although limiting intake of this important macronutrient can lead to a severe lack of energy, headaches and fatigue, among many other issues. Remember, there is no shortcut to weight loss and if you want to maintain a healthy weight throughout your life, you cannot get away with a balanced diet.
5) Unrealistic expectations
Setting over-ambitious goals such as losing 10% of weight in a week can work against you. We believe that challenging goals inspire and motivate but keep in mind that expectations should not weigh you down. Studies have found that missing weight loss goals can lead to dissatisfaction and make it difficult for people to stick to their commitments. Instead, it would be wise if you set a goal like losing 1-2 kg in a fortnight. This will help you achieve your goal and motivate you to achieve even more impressive results in the times to come.
It is important to understand that everything that is worthwhile in life comes at a cost. There are no shortcuts to success and the same applies to the weight loss journey. The challenge here is not to go to one extreme or the other, but to strike a middle path by making lifestyle changes and developing good eating patterns and sleeping habits. It is only when all these things come together that clearly lasting results in the weight loss journey can be experienced by the users.
Author Bio: Dietitian Mack, Co-Founder and CMO at Fitelo
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