Perhaps your program has been smooth sailing since the beginning and you’ve been surprised with better than expected results each week. Or more likely, some weeks go well while others are more frustrating. You feel like you’re doing everything right, but the scale is moving slowly or sometimes not at all. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone.
There are common mistakes people on a weight loss journey tend to make. Being aware of these mistakes—and making small physical and mental changes to avoid them—will help you lose the weight and keep it off for good.
1. Slower is Better
The first mistake dieters make is having unrealistic weight loss expectations. Studies show that individuals who rapidly lose weight are more likely to gain it back. So if you’ve lost a few pounds this month—excellent! Don’t discount that because you see someone on T.V. losing 15 pounds in two weeks.
2. Everyone is Different
While some people lose a lot of weight in the first few weeks, others might not lose any weight right away. Although this can be frustrating when you’re doing everything right, it’s not a reason to give up. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to see the results of your hard work reflected on the scale. Remember, eating right and exercising regularly have positive impacts on your health in many other ways, such as more energy, less stress, better sleep, and reduced risk of many diseases. You’ll receive those benefits—regardless of the number on the scale.
3. Weight Loss is Rarely Constant from Week to Week
Many people lose a lot in the first few weeks, and then their weight loss slows down considerably. It’s totally normal to have weeks when you lose more than expected, and weeks when your weight remains the same despite your consistent efforts. Our bodies are very complicated and don’t always cooperate with the estimates of how much we should expect to lose. People rarely lose a consistent amount of weight each week. Measuring your weight loss on a monthly basis can be a more accurate gauge of how well you are doing.
4. Weight Loss is Not Immediate
Cutting calories today (through diet and exercise) will not necessarily show up on the scale at the end of the day or even by tomorrow. Your weight can fluctuate from day-to-day for reasons that have nothing to do with your diet and exercise program. Much of this fluctuation is due to water and food intake. While your scale may show changes throughout the day, fluctuations that could be due to food and water alone are not permanent weight losses or gains.
Weighing yourself immediately after wearing a "sweat" suit, getting into a sauna or finishing an intense workout might (or might not) show a loss on the scale. But that is temporary water loss that will come back after you rehydrate yourself by drinking. Remember, you’re trying to lose fat, not simply "weight" or water weight. This is a good reason to not weigh yourself more than once a week.
5. Setbacks Are Normal
No one is perfect. You can expect to hit some bumps in the road, no matter how hard you’re trying. The important thing is not to let those bumps get you totally off track, but to learn from them and move forward.
6. Eating Less Isn’t Always Better
A lot of people assume that the less you eat, the faster you will lose. One of the biggest mistakes dieters make, though, is not eating enough. The PeopleOne Health calorie range you’ve been given is based on your current weight, goal weight and how aggressive your goal is (whether you want to lose weight quickly or slowly.) Your recommended calorie range might seem like a lot of food—especially if you are accustomed to fad or restrictive diets. But if your body is not getting enough nutrients and calories (especially if you eat less than your recommended calorie range), your metabolism will slow down and weight loss slows or stops completely.
Instead of beating yourself up over weight loss mistakes, learn from them and move forward. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is a journey, but if you take your time and recognize there will be ups and downs, you’ll establish habits that will continue for the rest of your life.
