Dieting Mistakes
There are many dieting mistakes that can sabotage even the best diet and weight loss program.
By Donovan Baldwin
A few of these dieting mistakes can be pretty profound, but, many can also be small. The problem with small errors is that they tend to add up.
However, as with so many things in life, knowing what to expect, and watch out for, is usually 90% of the battle.
Give Yourself Some Space
One of the worst, and most common, of dieting mistakes, is the belief that you've got to have an "all or nothing" attitude.
If you cannot be a human being, enjoy the occasional treat, or go off the rails once in a while, and still have a positive effect on your weight, then you need a lot more help than just a diet. Also, if that is you, once you lose the weight by dieting, if you lose it, you will not be able to sustain that sort of diet, and the weight will just come back.
So, if you feel you have to dump everything that may be pleasureable out of the fridge, and never eat anything but cardboard and sawdust, you are already in trouble. If you feel that you can never again indulge in a piece of pie, or ice cold beer, then you are not going to be successful with your weight loss program...and, you will not stay on it anyway!
The secret is to eat the best you can each day, get the exercise you need, and forgive yourself when you slip. Realize that ingesting a few extra calories at a meal does not derail your diet plan. It may make your carriage sway a bit, but, the train can keep on rolling.
Boredom Breeds Failure
Ever hear of the cabbage soup diet?
Even if it worked, can you imagine eating something like cabbage soup every day...at almost every meal?
Yuck!
There are many healthy foods that can be prepared and presented in many different tasty and appealing forms. Why eat crap day after day in hopes of losing weight?
Of all the dieting mistakes people make, this is the hardest one for me to understand. Anyone knows that they cannot eat the same boring thing day after day for the rest of their lives.
Sure, you need to change what you eat and the way you eat, and, maybe even the way you view food, but, you don't have to give up the pleasure of food just because you are on a diet.
The Golden Mean
No matter what you can or cannot eat on a diet, one of the common dieting mistakes is to go to the extreme in either direction.
You don't want to overdo on anything.
Everything in moderation, or, almost everything, is a good rule of thumb. A piece of pie is okay. Two pieces are not. They put serving sizes on most foods these days. Take a look, and you may be surprised at what a "serving" is for most people.
Ever hear of the "French paradox"?
The French eat some of th richest foods in the world, yet, they tend to have less weight problems, weight-related health problems.
The "secret" is that, although French food is high in calories, it is served in reasonable sized portions.
There are other factors, of course, but, good old portion control means that you can eat a lot of the foods you are normally told to avoid...if you eat them in moderation.
Goals Are Nice, But.....
In almost any endeavor, it is a good idea to set goals.
This is true when it comes to losing weight as well.
However, weight loss, is not a steadily obtainable thing, like driving from the east coast to the west coast on Interstate 40. You can pretty much guarantee how far and how fast you can go on a trip like that, but, on your weight loss journey, you need to realize that there will be a lot of variables which can affect your progress.
So, another of the several dieting mistakes you can make is to hold your feet to the fire when it comes to your weight loss goals. Maybe it's better to concentrate on being healthier and enjoying life more and let the weight wind up wherever it does.
Don't Compare Yourself to Others
One of the most damaging of the possible dieting mistakes is comparison with others.
There are simply so many factors involved in what happens to OUR bodies, and those of OTHERS, that it simply is not practical to compare yourself with others.
You've heard of comparing apples and oranges?
Comparing your weight loss results to someone else's is more like comparing apples to lobsters!
Too many variables. Don't even try it.
Never Give Up - It's the Effort, Not the Result That Matters
Maybe the saddest of all dieting mistakes is giving up.
If you are eating properly, and getting regular, moderate exercise, your body will make adjustments in a positive direction.
Also, what you ARE doing at the moment may NOT be what you need to do eventually. I compared weight loss to a journey. You cannot look at where you are right now and have a knowledge of where you will be next month...or next year.
There are plenty other dieting mistakes you can make, but, don't ever give up. The effort to keep your body healthy and strong will pay you back a thousand times over.Web Page Copyright 2022 by Donovan Baldwin
Dieting Mistakes - An Article
Page Updated 10:50 AM Saturday, September 17, 2022
