Losing weight may seem very demanding.

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

You might actually be hindering your progress by following misguided or outdated advice.

Here are 15 common mistakes people make when trying to shed weight.

4 Common Mistakes When Trying to Lose Weight | by Camille Taylor | Medium

1. Just Focusing on the Scale Weight

It’s quite common to feel like you’re not losing weight fast enough, even though faithfully sticking to a diet.

On the other hand, the amount on the scale is simply one measure of weight modification. Weight is affected by various things, including fluid fluctuations and how much food stays in your system.

In fact, weight can vary by up to 4 pounds (1.8 kg) over the duration of a day, based on how much liquid and food you have consumed.

Additionally, higher estrogen levels and other hormonal changes in women can lead to greater water retention, which is reflected in scale weight.

If the amount on the scale is not moving, you may very well be losing weight mass but holding on to water. Fortunately, you can do several things to eliminate water weight.

Additionally, if you have been working out, you may be gaining muscle and losing weight.

While this happens, your clothing might begin to feel looser — especially around the waist — despite a steady scale weight.

Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself can reveal you’re actually losing weight, even when scale number does not change much.

BOTTOM LINE:
Many factors can impact scale weight, such as fluid changes, muscle mass gain and also the weight of food. You might be losing body fat even when the scale reading does not change much.

2. Eating Too Many or Too Few Calories

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

For many decades, it was believed that a decrease of 3,500 calories each week would result in 1 pound (.45 kg) of fat reduction. However, recent research indicates the calorie deficit required varies from person to person.

You will feel as though you are not eating very many calories. But in reality, most of us have an inclination to dismiss and underreport what we eat.

In a two-week study, 10 obese people reported consuming 1,000 calories per day. Laboratory testing showed they were really taking in about 2,000 calories every day.

You may be consuming a lot of foods that are healthful but high in calories, such as nuts and cheese. Watching portion sizes is essential.

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

Studies on very low-calorie diets providing significantly less than 1,000 calories daily show they can result in muscle loss and considerably slow down metabolism.

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Consuming too many calories can block you from losing weight. On the flip side, too few calories may make you ravenously hungry and lower your metabolism and muscle mass.

3. Not Exercising or Exercising Too Much

During weight loss, you inevitably lose some muscle mass as well as fat, even though the amount depends on several factors.

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

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

However, over-exercising can also cause problems.

Studies show excessive exercise is unsustainable in the long term for most individuals and may lead to anxiety. Additionally, it may inhibit the production of adrenal hormones that regulate stress response.

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

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

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A lack of exercise may lead to loss of muscle mass and reduced metabolism. On the flip side, an excessive amount of exercise is neither healthy nor successful, and it may lead to severe stress.

4. Not Heard Weights

Performing resistance training is incredibly important during weight loss.

Studies reveal lifting weights is among the most effective exercise strategies for gaining muscle and muscle increasing metabolic rate. Additionally, it enhances overall body makeup and promotes belly fat loss.

In fact, a review of 15 studies with more than 700 people found the very best strategy for weight loss is apparently combined aerobic exercise and weightlifting.

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Weightlifting or resistance training might help boost metabolic rate, increase muscle mass and encourage fat loss, including belly fat.

5. Choosing Low-Fat or”Diet” Foods

Processed low-fat or “diet” foods are usually considered good choices for losing weight, but they may actually have the opposite impact.

Many of these goods are packed with sugar to improve their taste.

As an example, 1 cup (245 grams) of low fat, fruit-flavored yogurt may contain a whopping 47 g of sugar (almost 12 teaspoons).

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

Rather than low-fat or “diet” foods, choose a blend of nutritious, foods that are processed.

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Fat-free or”diet” foods are generally high in sugar and may lead to hunger and greater calorie consumption.

6. Overestimating Just How Many Calories You Burn During Exercise

Many people believe that exercise “supercharges” their metabolism.

Although exercise increases metabolic rate marginally, it might actually be less than you might imagine.

Studies reveal both normal and overweight people tend to overestimate the amount of calories they burn during exercise, often by a significant number.

In one study, people burned 200 and 300 calories during exercise sessions. However, when requested, they estimated they’d burned over 800 calories. Because of this, they ended up eating more.

That having been said, exercise is still crucial for overall health and can help you lose weight. It is just not as effective at burning calories as some people today think.

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Studies show people tend to overestimate the amount of calories they burn during exercise.

7. Not Eating Enough Protein

Getting enough protein is really important if you are trying to lose weight.

In reality, the protein was demonstrated to help with weight loss in several ways.

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

Within a 12-day study, people ate a diet containing 30% of calories from protein. They ended up consuming an average of 575 fewer calories daily than when they ate 15% of calories from protein.

A review also found that higher-protein diets, containing 0.6–0.8 g of protein per pound (1.2–1.6 g/kg), can gain appetite control and body composition.

To optimize weight loss, make certain all your foods contains a high-protein food.

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High protein intake helps with weight loss by lowering appetite, increasing feelings of fullness and boosting metabolic rate.

8. Not Eating Enough Fiber

A low-fiber diet might be compromising your weight loss attempts.

Studies reveal a type of soluble fiber called viscous fiber helps reduce hunger by forming a gel that holds water.

This gel goes gradually through your digestive tract, making you feel complete.

Research suggests all types of fiber gain weight loss. However, a review of several studies found viscous fiber reduced appetite and calorie intake a whole lot more than other types.

When total fiber consumption is high, a few of the calories from foods in blended foods aren’t absorbed. Researchers estimate that doubling daily fiber intake could lead to around 130 fewer calories being absorbed.

BOTTOM LINE:
Eating enough fiber can help decrease appetite by filling you up so you eat less. It may also help you consume fewer calories from other foods.

9. Eating Too Much Fat on a Low-Carb Diet

Ketogenic and low-fat diets can be very effective for weight reduction.

Studies show they have a tendency to reduce appetite, which often contributes to a spontaneous decrease in calorie intake.

Many low carb and ketogenic diets permit unlimited amounts of fat, presuming that the consequent appetite suppression will keep calories for weight loss.

However, some individuals may not experience a strong enough signal to stop eating. As a result, they may be consuming a lot of calories to achieve a calorie deficit.

If you’re adding considerable quantities of fat into your food or beverages and aren’t losing weight, you may want to reduce the fat.

BOTTOM LINE:
Although low-carb and ketogenic diets decrease appetite and calorie intake, including an excessive amount of fat can slow down or prevent weight loss.

10. Eating Too Often, Even If You’re Not Hungry

For several decades, conventional advice has been to eat every couple of hours so as to stop hunger and also a drop in metabolism.

Sadly, this can result in a lot of calories being consumed within the course of daily. You might also never really feel full.

In one study, blood sugar levels and appetite diminished while metabolic rate and feelings of fullness improved in men who consumed 3 meals versus 14 meals inside a 36-hour timeframe.

The recommendation to eat breakfast every morning, regardless of appetite, also appears to be mistaken.

One study found when individuals skipped breakfast they took in more calories at lunch than when they had consumed a meal. But they have an average of 408 fewer calories for the day complete.

Eating when you’re hungry and only when you’re hungry appears to be key to successful weight reduction.

But, letting yourself get too hungry is also a bad idea. It is better to consume a snack than become ravenously hungry, which may enable you to make poor food choices.

BOTTOM LINE:
Eating too frequently can damage your weight loss attempts. For the best results, it is very important to eat when you’re hungry.

11. Possessing Unrealistic Expectations

Having weight loss and other health goals can help you stay motivated.

However, having unrealistic expectations can really work against you.

Researchers examined information from several weight loss center apps. They reported that the overweight and obese women who expected to eliminate the most weight were the most likely to drop from a program after 6 to 12 months.

Adjust your expectations to a more realistic and modest target, like a 10% fall in weight in one year. This can help keep you from getting discouraged and boost your odds for success.

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Unrealistic expectations can result in frustration and giving up altogether. Make your goals more small to broaden your odds of successful weight reduction.

12. Not Tracking What You Eat in Any Manner

Eating nutritious foods is a good weight-reduction plan. However, you may still be consuming more calories than you need to lose weight.

What’s more, you might not be receiving the right amount of fiber, protein, fat and carbs to encourage your weight loss efforts.

Studies show that monitoring what you eat will help you get an accurate image of your nutrient and calorie intake, in addition to supply liability.

Along with food, most online tracking websites and programs allow you to input your daily exercise as well.

BOTTOM LINE:
If you are not tracking what you eat, then you may be consuming more calories than you understand. You may also be getting more fiber and protein than you think.

13. Still brewed Sugar

A lot of people cut soft drinks and other sweetened drinks out of their diet to eliminate weight, and it is a fantastic thing.

However, drinking fruit juice instead isn’t smart.

Even 100% fruit juice is packed with sugar and may lead to wellness and weight problems very similar to those due to sugar-sweetened beverages.

For instance, 12 oz (320 g ) of unsweetened apple juice includes 36 grams of sugar. That is more than in 12 oz of cola.

What’s more, liquid calories do not seem to affect the appetite centers in mind the same manner calories from solid foods do.

Studies reveal that you wind up consuming more calories instead of compensating for the liquid calories simply by eating less later in the day.

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If you cut out sugar-sweetened beverages but continue drinking fruit juice, you are still getting a great deal of sugar and are very likely to take in more calories overall.

14. Not Reading Labels

Failing to correctly read label information can cause you to consume unwanted carbs and unhealthy ingredients.

Unfortunately, a lot of foods are tagged with healthy-sounding food promises on the front of the bundle. These may provide you a false sense of security about choosing a certain item.

To reach the most significant information for weight control, you need to look at the ingredients list and nutrition facts label, which can be on the back of the container.

BOTTOM LINE:
Food labels provide information on ingredients, calories and nutrients. Make sure you know how to accurately read labels.

15. Not Eating Whole, Single-Ingredient Foods

Among the worst things you can do for weight loss is to eat lots of highly processed foods.

Animal and human studies suggest that processed foods might be an important element in the current epidemic of obesity and other health issues.

Some researchers think this might be attributed to their negative effects on gut health and inflammation.

Additionally, whole foods have a tendency to be self-limiting, meaning they are hard to overconsume. By contrast, it is very easy to overeat processed foods.

When possible, choose whole, single-ingredient foods that are minimally processed.