“Losing weight and keeping it off is easy,” said nobody, ever. Whether you’re just trying to shed a few stubborn pounds or have a lot of weight to lose, it can be a hard thing.
One of the biggest obstacles that people trying to lose weight face is the fact that a small slip up can make a big difference. It hardly seems fair.
So many other goals have room for a few mistakes, but when it comes to weight loss, a few small slips can get rid of days’ worth of progress.
Some mistakes are clear to see. Eating a big slice of chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream is a good thing to avoid doing.
But there are other weight loss mistakes that are common that you may not even know that you’re making. If you’re struggling with slimming down, check to see whether you’ve fallen into one or more of these traps.
4 Most Common Weight Loss Mistakes
1. Calling what you’re doing “Dieting”
The word “diet” automatically creates a start and a finish to your shift in eating habits.
Stop thinking of what you’re doing as something that you have to go through and get to the other side.
Instead, commit yourself to a lifestyle adjustment and changing your eating habits forever.
2. Piling Greens into a Bowl and Calling it a “Salad”
Do you know what the Oxford Dictionary says that a salad is? It’s worth knowing.
It’s “A cold dish of various mixtures of raw or cooked vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing and sometimes accompanied by meat, fish, or other ingredients.”
If that’s not what your salad consists of, then you’re leaving yourself hungry and nutritionally deprived.
Make sure that you are including a protein, a healthy fat, and lots of crunchy vegetables, like in this yummy Chicken Fiesta salad, to hold you over ‘til your next meal.
Also, you might think skipping the dressing is a good idea but it's not.
3. Just ‘cause it’s Healthy doesn’t Mean You Should Eat a Ton of it
Ever hear the phrase “too much of a good thing?”
That applies to healthy, clean-eating staples like avocado, peanut butter, and nuts.
Eating nutritious foods is a good thing, but they still can add up and add weight if you’re not conscious of how much you’re consuming.
4. Keeping Yourself from your Favorite Foods
There’s a huge difference between eating that previously-mentioned big slice of chocolate cake with ice cream and letting yourself have a bite or two of cake when you’re at a birthday celebration.
Even the whole slice is fine as long as it's not every week or even every month. After all, your birthday comes but once a year 🙂
When you start restricting yourself too much, you invite the risk of binging on the foods you love or creating cravings that lead to weight loss ruin.
Find a healthier way to have the same flavors, like this high fiber chocolate mousse made with avocado!
There are tons of ways to make your favorite unhealthy foods healthier.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse (Makes 3 servings)
1 avocados, peeled and cut
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
3 Tbsp… raw honey
1 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch sea saltPlace all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill in refrigerator.
Yours in health and happiness,
Danette
P.S. Pass this along to your loved ones who can relate to the struggle and I welcome your comments below. Any of these mistakes sound familiar?
