Trying to lose weight but not succeeding? Do you feel like you are constantly on a diet without any results? Perhaps you are making one of the many mistakes that people tend to make when they want to lose weight, but which end up being a hindrance rather than a help. Let's review the 10 mistakes not to make when you want to lose weight.

1. Wanting quick results

There is no need to lose weight quickly. One thing is for sure: the sooner you lose it, the sooner it will be back. Losing weight, especially fat, is not a sprint but rather a marathon. It sounds time consuming and daunting but if you want lasting results, take your time.

Change your habits one by one, gradually, while making sure that these small changes become new habits themselves. Remember that your body considers what it knows and practices regularly to be its "comfort zone. By changing your habits, your body is in an uncomfortable position because you are forcing it out of that comfort zone. Give him time to get used to all these changes because at the slightest "stress", he will hasten to make you return to this comfort zone and all your efforts will have been in vain.

2. Going on a diet

Dieting is never a positive step. It is synonymous with frustration, deprivation, diet, zero pleasure, ... Therefore, in most cases, it is doomed to failure. On the other hand, if you tell yourself that you are going to change your eating habits and lifestyle to move towards a healthier, more body-friendly lifestyle, you are on a positive path. And when you have a positive approach, the chances of success are much greater.

3. Skipping meals

It is quite tempting, when you want to lose weight, to "skip" meals.

"It can only do me good to save a few calories". Well, you should know that the opposite is true. Your body needs regular nutritional intake to provide it with the energy it needs and if you deprive it of this intake, it will trigger a defense mechanism of its own: storage. This storage mechanism will not kick in if you occasionally skip a meal. On the other hand, if you regularly skip meals, the body will, during the other meals, store a maximum of carbohydrates and fats so as not to lack them throughout the day. This is how some people end up eating very little, but storing a lot. So goodbye to your weight loss goals.

4. Look only at the calories

Obviously, you have to be careful about the amount you eat when you want to lose weight. It is important to ensure that the energy balance is balanced, i.e. a good balance between energy intake and physical expenditure. But you can't just pay attention to quantity. It is important to look at the quality of your food. It is sometimes better to eat a richer food but whose nutrients your body will be able to use for its functioning, than an "empty" food, that is to say that it brings no or few calories but whose nutrients cannot be used for the good functioning of your body.

Let's not forget that we don't eat just to fill our bellies and appease our hunger, but to allow our bodies to function optimally.

5. Ban fat

In the 1980s, a major diet awareness campaign pointed the finger at "fat" making it responsible for all obesity problems. Following this, consumer behavior changed and people started to "hunt fat", thinking that only this was responsible for their weight problems. Now the fatty acids play an essential role in our metabolism and excluding them completely can have serious repercussions on our health, and especially on our cardiovascular health. On the other hand, it is important to distinguish between saturated fatty acids, whose consumption must be limited, and unsaturated fatty acids, which are too often lacking. 

Beware of the sugarwhich is much more harmful to our health and which, if not used as fuel during physical exercise, will be stored by our body as fat.

6. Being too strict

There is no point in trying to be too strict in your weight loss journey. Allow yourself some cracking moments. These will be much more moderate. Don't wait for certain desires to become obsessions. You don't have to be perfect to lose weight, you just have to be in balance. Gaps are part of our life. The trick is not to let them take over our balanced lifestyle. As long as they remain occasional, they will not hinder your weight loss goals.

7. Eating "sensibly" without indulging

It's all very well to eat "sensibly", but if you don't include the notion of "pleasure" in your diet, you won't keep your good resolutions in the long term! Who says healthy eating has to be bland and dry? Eating should remain a pleasure for everyone, whatever your goals. Check out the healthy recipe blogs, the internet is full of them. They are gold mines! You'll discover foods, cooking methods and recipes you've never heard of, but which are rich in flavor!

8. Thinking: "I work out so I can eat whatever I want.

In addition to the reflex to decrease caloric intake, it is often the case that when people want to lose weight, they choose to increase their physical activity. This is great! As mentioned above, the ideal is to achieve the right balance between intake and expenditure. On the other hand, doing sports to give yourself a "good conscience" and eating poorly at the same time can in no way be beneficial for your body. Not only will you run out of energy during your workout, but you may also injure yourself. You may lose weight, but chances are you have lost muscle mass, malnourished, and gained fat. In conclusion, sport, YES, but by eating properly.

Remember this: 80% of weight loss is due to nutrition and 20% to physical activity.

9. Focus on "light" or "0%" products

Always beware of the claims "light", "less ...", "0%", ... They are there to attract your attention and often they hide what manufacturers do not want us to see. When it says "lean" or "0% fat", always check the nutrition chart to find out the carbohydrate content. You may be surprised. Let's also remember that the mention "light" often hides sweeteners, the most famous of which, aspartame, has proven to be a real danger for our health. 

Remember, these claims are used to get you to buy the products.

10. Believing in miracle diets

Last but not least, don't believe in miracle diets.

Without changing your habits, you will not notice any changes in your body and you are the only ones in control of these changes. Many diets sold as "miraculous" have been found, much later, to be harmful to health, sometimes with serious repercussions.

Focus on yourself and change your way of thinking. Your food is your body's fuel. While you would never willingly put the wrong fuel in your car, why do you do it all the time in your body? Because unlike your car, which is replaceable, your body is not. It is therefore important to take care of it.