The 3 biggest mistakes that dieters make
Everyone's weight loss journey is individual, but there are three common mistakes that repeatedly surface.
Mistake number 1 – Mentality
The first and most common weight loss mistake is not having a fail forward mentality. What does that mean? That you have an all-or-nothing-attitude that will lead to problems! Those trying to lose weight might have a great two weeks, sticking to their plan, doing all the right things. But then an unexpected event pops into your day - you feel stressed or emotions start to take over, or you enjoy a cupcake at a kids party and think ‘oh well, I’m off plan now… might as well write the day off!' With this mentality, you say either healthy eating is all completely turned on, or it's all turned off. Accepting that it's all turned off turns into a couple of days, or a week and before you know it you are back to old habits. This black and white thinking is the number one problem that derails so many weight loss efforts.
What to do about it
Accept the idea that there is a sliding scale in life and each tiny step in the right direction contributes to your success. Don't throw the whole achievement out because of one mistake. Reject the idea of 'all or nothing', because life is never like that. When the logical part of your brain that deals with accountability calls a 'fail'. Make sure you acknowledge it but turn it into 'fail forward'. Think of it this way and program your mentality to support you: "OK, I felt really stressed and grabbed a large portion of comfort food, but to use this fail as a forward step I'm going to sort out two comfort replacements that are not food based and have them in an easy to get to place." Doing this, you've programmed your motivation to learn from the mistake and benefit your health next time the same trigger appears, by choosing something different and sticking to your plan. You're now back in the success laneway!
Mistake number 2 - Preparation
The second mistake that people make on their weight loss journey comes from not being prepared - life comes with unexpected turns. We have weeks where we feel organised and others where we’re lucky to remember to put our shoes on. Having a plan in place with prepped meals, snacks and a safeguard mentality that allows you to always think on your feet to make the best decision will without a doubt help you to succeed. How does this look in the real world? You have healthy food options in the fridge at home, but find yourself working late and feeling really tired. There's nothing suitable in the desk drawer, or in the car after work, so you take the golden arches drive- through option and order everything on the list.
What to do about it
Be prepared! Switch the logic circuits on - this is not the first time this has ever happened and it won't be the last time you have to work late. So when you have more energy at the weekend, focus some of it toward grabbing those lidded plastic containers from the back of the cupboard and zip seal bags in the third draw down (no, we don't have surveillance on you, everyone has them!). Remember good portion size (palm of your hand) and fill them with nuts, protein balls from our recipe list or other snacks and treats on our site that support your wellbeing. Fill several clean drinking bottles with water and store in your desk drawer, car glove box or centre console. You are now completely prepared for working late and have a security safe guard in place to keep you in the success lane. Drive past the golden arches while enjoying your walnuts, coconut protein balls and filtered water!
Mistake number 3 - weight loss maths
The third mistake is not doing the math properly! Overestimating how much energy you burn and consume and thinking it's OK to top up on treats because one replaces the other. A lot of people overestimate how many calories they burn over the course of a day, workout or long walk. With positive feelings post-workout you can be pretty proud of yourself thinking you’ve put in a great effort (which you probably have) and therefore you can sneak in dessert or some sort of treat, because it won't matter. What a lot of people don’t realise is that many people don’t burn enough calories in one session to allow room for extra treats and still be able to lose weight for the day.
What to do about it
With weight loss as your goal, the best course of action is to skip the discretionary foods (like biscuits, chocolate, ice-cream or cakes) and refuel with nutrient dense foods (protein-based... like eggs, fish, meat, tofu, nuts) that will restore your glycogen levels and replenish your body with optimal fuel for recovery and a leaner body. If you prefer to turn it into a mathematical exercise...consider that mars bar that you thought about grabbing at the end of the walk - this little gem houses more sugar than your total recommended daily allowance and will see you having to add an additional 5,356 steps to walk it off.
The suitcase of other common mistakes
Open the lid of this suitcase and take a look inside at what research tells us are the other common mistakes people make on their weight loss journey that leads them to putting back on all of the weight they originally lost:
Skipping meals, underestimating hydration, not having a good support system, not believing in yourself, not monitoring or tracking your progress, replacing meals with liquids, taking the weekend off from healthy eating, not allowing yourself a treat once a week, over-doing it on cheat days, eating too many healthy foods i.e smoothies. That's one layer of the suitcase!
If you dig further down you find these problems lurking...Not having a positive mindset (so you see weight loss as a diet rather than a lifestyle change), going it alone - not having social support; not keeping track of everything that is consumed and of all exercise/steps taken on a daily basis; not eating enough vegetables, missing breakfast, not getting enough sleep, eating portion sizes that are too big, not snacking at all (to keep metabolism up and working), not drinking enough water, not liking to cook and relying on processed meals and eating in front of the TV - so as the show gets more intense, so does the amount of food you start shovelling in so that your emotions can deal with the drama!
