Weight loss mistakes are so common that many of us think they’re normal. Here’s how to avoid five big ones and improve your chance of weight loss success
By A. Dermot

Weight Loss Mistake #3. Eliminating an Entire Food Group
Ah, yes, the popular no carbs, no dairy, and no fat diets. Many dieters continue to ignore the numerous health warnings about eliminating entire food groups from their diet because they’re desperate to lose weight.

Think of the human body as an engine — if you take away oil or coolant, it’s not going to work as efficiently; in fact, it will break down. Each food group provides certain benefits in the body and can’t always be substituted with another. You’ll miss out on vital nutrients such as calcium, fiber, essential fatty acids, iron, and vitamins. While some people such as vegans and vegetarians learn to make appropriate food substitutions, most people don’t, putting their health at risk.

The other problem with elimination diets is that they’re usually only short term. It’s highly likely you’ll return to eating the banned food and you’ll soon gain back any weight you lost.

Weight Loss Mistake #4. Listening to Friends
While one study suggests a friend can carry the burden of weight loss, there’s other evidence that contradicts this. A 2007 study found that people are much more likely to become obese if they have friends or a family member who was also obese.

Also, a USA Today/ Discovery Health Gallup Poll revealed that one in four people believed that family and friends had hindered their weight loss. More than 34 percent of respondents reported that friends or family had teased them about their food, urged them to cheat on diets or tried to talk them out of exercising.

The moral of the story? When it comes to weight loss, keep your own counsel. It’s natural to want to get feedback, opinions and advice from your loved ones, but the info they pass on may not be suitable for your situation. Also, friends are often eager to rope each other into fad diets, which do not work in the long term.

Or, some family and friends may be secretly reluctant to give you weight loss support because they’re comfortable with you as a fat person and think your relationship may change if you become a fitness goddess. For the best results, gather your own research from reputable sources, or seek weight loss counselling from a dietitian or diet coach.

Weight Loss Mistake #5. Not Exercising
While research shows that cutting calories is the quickest way to lose weight, it’s exercise that makes a difference to long term weight loss success. Exercise helps you to burn calories, and it also increases your metabolism and builds muscle, so you burn more calories.

But it’s not just about losing weight. Exercise can help you avoid complications of being overweight such as high cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and osteoarthritis. It can alleviate depression (many people struggling with weight issues suffer from depression, and depression may contribute to weight gain). Exercise also helps to relieve asthma symptoms and prevent it; people who are overweight have a 50 percent higher risk of becoming asthmatic.

Still not convinced? You may be more inspired to get moving for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week if you remember that exercise provides positive weight loss results much more quickly than if you’re only cutting calories.

If you’ve been making any of these weight loss mistakes, try eliminating at least one each week and track your weight loss success.

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REFERENCES
Journal: The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 357 No. 4 pp. 370-379, July 26, 2007
Study: “The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years,”
Authors: Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., and James H. Fowler, Ph.D)

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/370

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