Seven Mistakes To Avoid When Trying To Lose Weight

     I went on my first diet about six years ago. Over the past five and a half years my weight fluctuated as I tried virtually every diet and exercise program under the sun. Nothing seemed to work for me. Until six months ago I enrolled in a weight workshop which taught me that I must change the way I look at food. It was then that I understood that I had made many blunders in my quest to lose weight.

In this article I'm going to share with you seven mistakes I made on my pursuit to slim down. I hope by sharing my experiences with others throughout the world via the internet I might be able to help people avoid the mistakes I made. Here are the seven mistakes I made while trying to lose weight.

1. I began to skip breakfast:

Most people trying to shed pounds believe simply eating less and skipping meals helps shed to fat, and breakfast is a real easy meal to skip. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when on a weight loss diet. If you leave the house in the morning on an empty stomach you're much more tempted to eat more at morning break and lunch times. The calories you eat at breakfast time are easily burnt throughout the day.

2. I would eat one day and not the next:

I would actually eat about 2300+ calories one day, feel guilty, and end up eating about 800 calories the following day. If you "starve" yourself throughout the day you're much more likely to eat more in the evenings, which is not going to help you lose weight. You should consume most of your calories in the morning.

3. I purchased diet food items:

When I went shopping I always looked for the foods marked diet, low-fat, healthy etc. This is a good practice to get into, but I was buying these foods for the wrong reason. I bought these foods because in my mind it meant I could eat more. I would totally disregard portion size. If you eat diet foods in large portions you're not doing yourself any favors.

4. I believed I'd always be fat:

This is a state of mind that you must break if you want to lose some significant weight. Sometimes it feels like you're doing the right things and not making any progress, this is totally natural. You need to focus on being healthy and happy and achieving your goals. Try not to get mesmerized in "the big picture".

5. I started eating salads as main meals:

Eating salad is a good way of keeping your calorie intake down right? Yes, a meal of salad has much less calories that a pizza but does it have the satisfaction? When you eat your mind needs to get some satisfaction from what you have just eaten. I found that when I ate salads for meals a few hours later I was back in the cupboard searching for more food. I learned that I was better off eating a balanced meal with slightly more calories than simply eating a salad and snacking afterwards.

6. I started my new diets on Mondays:

When I found a new diet that I decided I was going to try I always started it on a Monday. This suggested I would eat all weekend like I was never going to eat again. Doing this, I was just setting myself up for downfall.

7. I was to embarrassed to visit the gym:

Breaking the ice and joining a gym was among the hardest things I ever did. I was always worried that people in the gym would be staring at me and talking about me. I really thought I was too fat to join. My advice is to join a gym! You'll be glad you did. I anticipate going to the gym now.

There you have it, those are the mistakes I made. I now look at weight loss from a totally different point of view and it has paid off. I now help others with weight management and keeping healthy.

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