Dieting Mistakes
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Mistakes Can Prove Costly, Particularly When One is Dieting
Let's look at the most common mistakes dieters make.
Opting for Quick Weight Loss Rather Than Permanent
- Misconception of quick weight loss.
Weight loss in itself is about the best motivation that one can find for weight loss, so when weight comes off swiftly - the dieter is super motivated.
What can be considered as quick weight loss? About 2 pounds per week.
Unfortunately, although most dieters drop two or more pounds per week, many expect much better results from their diet plan.
The most successful dieter is the realistic dieter who understands that losing weight is going to take time and patience. Expecting too much from a diet plan is a formula for weight loss disappointment rather than weight loss success.
The Individual Lacks a PLAN to Lose Pounds
- No diet plan. Think about this...
Marge lives in Canada, right above Washington State and she is wanting to visit Florida. She plans to arrive there tomorrow by car.
Really? It's impossible unless Marge is some super-sonic speed demon. She'd have to pull a few g's in order to make this happen.
But this is a mirror of the rapid dieter. They want to lose 10 pounds in three days. For those having less than 75 to lose, that's just not going to happen.
Keep in mind that if Dieter Danny needs to lose 150 pounds - then sure, if he went on a doctor-supervised weight loss plan, he might be able to accomplish a rate of ten pounds in three days.
But for Dieter Cindy who needs to lose 20 pounds - it's not going to safely happen.
A Pattern is Helpful When Dieting. A good pattern will include healthy menus, an activity plan and a back-up plan should the diet fail to produce desirable results.
- A diet without a diet plan is like taking a trip without a map.
If you have started a new weight loss plan and you're sitting there with an olive, a boiled egg, a sliced cucumber, a stalk of celery with the stings removed - and one-half of a grapefruit, then obviously - you're not sure where to go from here.
Seriously, how long do you think that your diet plan will last with a poor looking meal plate that doesn't contain enough energy (calories) to keep a Texas gnat alive?
Time for the meal plate to become a part of your daily diet. You'll need to fill it with foods from all of the official food groups.
Breakfast is a no-brainer - a serving of cold or hot cereal, a serving of fruit which you can slice and put into your cereal - or if raisins, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries are on the menu, then no slicing necessary.
You'll also want to add a serving of reduced fat milk and a slice of whole grain toast.
A lunch or dinner meal plate will also contain all five food groups (dairy, vegetable, protein, fruit and grain).
Note that the breakfast was lacking in one food group: vegetables. It's difficult to get vegetables in amid the morning meal unless one packs them into an omelet or quiche. Therefore, when dinner and lunch arrives, you'll want to double-up during at least one of the meals.
You'll also want to add more grains to the meal plate as six servings is the minimal amount necessary for optimum nutrition.
You'll need a minimum of three vegetable servings per day, two dairy servings, two protein servings and two fruit group servings.
An example of the meal plate for lunch or dinner is: 3 ounces of extra lean ground beef cooked into a patty, 1 cup of boiled carrots, 1 cup of green beans, one slice of whole grain bread, one cup of reduced fat milk and one cup of whole strawberries. Reduced fat margarine should be the fat source.
The beef patty should start out at four ounces because it will cook down to three ounces; we advise an inexpensive weighing scale that can generally be purchased at a dollar store so that foods can be accurately weighed. It's just too easy for the new dieter to over or underestimate.
The patty is the protein on the meal plate, the carrots and green beans, the vegetables, the bread is the grain source, the milk - the dairy and the strawberries, the fruit group.
Causes for Diet to Fail
No backup diet plan.
A diet without a diet backup plan is like taking a trip without a spare tire....unless you're Marge.
Incorrect calorie allotment.
Too few calories slows down the metabolism as well as energy levels. Too many calories slows down weight loss. How to Determine Calorie Needs
And these are just a few examples why dieting isn't a piece of cake.
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