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If you’re trying to slim down, here’s what NOT to do.
If
“shed some pounds” is on your resolution list for next year, you’re
certainly not the only one. But are you doing all you can to achieve
your goals, or are you inadvertently sabotaging them? Take this recent
finding, for instance: A study from Cornell University researchers
showed that going more than a week without stepping on the scale led to dieters gaining weight, while more frequent weigh-ins were associated with losing weight.
“Often people think they’re
doing the right thing (i.e. not weighing themselves daily) but they may
actually be making a mistake that prevents weight loss,” study author
Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and
author of “Slim By Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life,”
tells Yahoo Health.
Are
you making other weight-loss mistakes without even realizing it? We
asked the experts to share some of the most common diet trip-ups — and
how to avoid them.
Mistake No. 1: Thinking Fat-Free = Automatically Healthy
Foods
touting their fat-free status may be free of, well, fat, but that
doesn’t make them good for your weight-loss efforts. “Many fat-free
foods contain lots of sugar to make up for the taste of the missing fat,
so they can be high in calories,” Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD, adjunct
professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York
University and author of “The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to
Permanent Weight Loss,” tells Yahoo Health.Plus, these foods may not
satisfy your hunger — so you tend to eat more of them. A better bet?
Stick to a small portion of the real thing (with fat) and savor every
bite.
Mistake No. 2: Using Artificial Sweeteners
These
substances — including stevia, saccharin, sugar alcohols, aspartame,
and the like — may seem like a good weight-loss tool because they tend
to be lower in calories than sugar — or free of them completely. “But
they are designed to be excessively sweet — up to hundreds of times
sweeter than table sugar,” Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T, author of
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition and host of the
wellness talk show series “What Would Julieanna Do?,” explains to Yahoo
Health. “This makes your taste buds require a heightened level of
sweetness to fulfill their cravings and perpetuates a sugar addiction.”
Remedy this mistake by switching to whole food sweeteners such as date
paste and pure maple syrup.
Mistake No. 3: Setting Unrealistic Goals
One
of the quintessential New Year’s resolutions is to swear off sweets or
banish bread. But in reality, it’s hard to stick to such black-and-white
rules. “When you set unrealistic goals and don’t achieve them, you end
up putting on extra pounds on top of the ones you wanted to lose in the
first place,” personal trainer Mary Ann Browning, president of
Browning’s Fitness, explains to Yahoo Health. Avoid this by setting
goals around your clothes — not the number on the scale. Or, break big
goals into smaller chunks. For example: Instead of saying you’ll never
eat dessert again, skip sweets during the week and indulge in one or two
treats on the weekend. “Eating healthy is a way of life,” Browning
says, but it’s not a life sentence!
Mistake No. 4: Not Eating Fruit
Not
filling up that fruit bowl is a huge diet no-no. “Many people skip
fruit when they’re trying to lose weight because they think it contains
sugar and is fattening,” says Young. Yes, fruit has sugar, but it’s not
sugar that’s been refined and processed — “it’s natural sugar,” she
adds. Plus, fruit also has fiber — which helps keep you full longer —
and lots of water — which keeps it low-calorie. “I always say, no one
got fat from eating bananas,” says Young.
Mistake No. 5: Looking For A Magic Bullet
If
losing weight were as easy as popping a pill, we’d all look like
Gisele. (OK, maybe not Gisele, but we’d be thin!) Despite what some talk
shows or spam emails claim, there’s simply no magical supplement,
potion, powder, or remedy that will make you lose weight. “Any compound
that takes you away from your own intuitive signals is temporary and can
be dangerous,” says Hever. “I subscribe to the age-old adage that if it
sounds too good to be true, walk away.” The only magic bullet? Good old
exercise and eating well.
Mistake No. 6: Underestimating Portion Size
While there are some foods that are considered good for weight loss,
eating too much of them can sabotage these efforts. For example, a
half-cup to a cup serving of brown rice is full of fiber and healthy
nutrients. But eating three cups in one sitting can rack up the calorie
count. “People don’t pay attention to how much they’re eating and larger
portions are harder to estimate,” says Young. “Dieters may pour what
they think is one cup cereal, but it’s actually more like three cups.”
While it doesn’t help that today’s restaurant portions are bigger than ever, at home, you can measure
out your portions. And after a while, you’ll be able to eyeball them.
“Visuals also help,” adds Young. For example, a 3 ounce serving of meat
is about the size of your palm, or a deck of cards.
Mistake No. 7: Having An All-Or-Nothing Attitude
“When
people make one mistake they feel bad and just eat everything in
sight,” says Browning. “Remember: We’re born as sports cars. Just
because you get a flat tire doesn’t mean you let the car sit and rust
away. You call AAA and get if fixed.” The goal is to treat your body the
same way by getting back on track ASAP. If you over-eat at one meal or
snack, “have a little less at the next meal or do some extra cardio,”
says Browning. Then move on. We all make mistakes; it’s how you recover
from them that matters – and affects your weight-loss.
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