How to avoid Diet Pitfalls and Achieve long lasting Weight loss Success?

Believe it or not, it’s not that easy to get in shape. In fact, losing unwanted fat and redefining your body muscles is a lot more difficult than meets the eye. To attain your goals, you must dedicate and commit. There are lots of misconceptions about dieting, as well as all sorts of consequences that may lead to severe health issues if you’re not being careful. Why is losing weight so difficult, and how come we can’t shed away pounds even if we work out?

Gradual weight loss vs. crash dieting

In general, crash diets fail to work long term and they’re extremely unhealthy, too. That’s because you’re depriving your body from essential nutrients and you’re restricting the number of calories it needs on a daily basis to function properly. Nearly all crash diets only offer short-term results. They’re dangerous because nutritionally unbalanced and they feature unpleasant side effects – weakened heart, shortage of breath, fatigue, excessive tiredness, and more. The simplest way of losing weight is to avoid diet pitfalls. This means adhering to a balanced diet and shedding weight gradually.

Don’t skip breakfast

Many people believe that if they skip breakfast they cut more calories and they lose weight. Sadly, by not eating in the morning you end up suffering from insatiable hunger throughout the rest of the day; eventually, you’ll start munching on unhealthy snacks and super-sized meals in the evening. Nutritionists point out that when you don’t have breakfast your body starves up to the point it can’t function any more. And since many people can’t perform their daily duties on an empty stomach, they eventually order take-out food, which in 80% of cases is junk-food. A healthy breakfast prepares the body for the day by fuelling with energy, so under no means skip it if your purpose is to lose weight.

Too many snacks

There’s no point in counting calories if you eat too many snacks between main meals. We’re not saying that snacks are bad for your diet; but they must be included with moderation into your diet. Of course, we’re particularly referring to healthy snacks like nuts and fruits; sweets are out of the question and they have to be excluded completely from your regime if you want to lose weight the healthy way – although you can treat your body once a week with something delicious, like ice-cream or chocolate for example.

Low-fat products won’t help you lose weight

Low-fat products have a special role in the diet of a person who’s trying to get back in shape. However, let’s not confuse low-fat with low-calorie because they’re not the same thing. Over the years, studies have proven that fat controls inflammation, brain development, blood clotting, healthy skin, energy, vitamin absorption (K, A, E, and D). There are 3 forms of fat: unsaturated, saturated and trans-fat. As opposite to saturated fat (butter, cream, chicken skin, margarine), unsaturated fat (olive oil, avocado, fish, algae omega 3) is healthier. To keep your body on the right track, you must adhere to a meal plan that includes unsaturated fats in proportion of about 30%.

 Watch out for drinks with too many calories

We’re used to counting calories when we eat food, but what about drinks? Fancy beverages such as alcoholic cocktails and coffees with lots of cream, syrups and sugar contain more than 500 calories – which is a lot. One glass of fruit juice has about 50k cal; but if you drink 10 glasses a day, that’s an extra amount of 500k cal. It’s equally important to know that vitamin drinks have even more calories; they might do you some good, but they have to be combined with an active workout routine, too.

Long-lasting weight loss success is achieved gradually. The body shouldn’t be deprived of food because it won’t be able to function anymore. Eventually, it will collapse, and even if you lose 10 pounds in 1 week, the fat will immediately deposit back when you return to your regular lifestyle. Last but not least, you have to work out constantly to see results; exercise is not just good for the body, but also for the brain. Be realistic and have patience if you want to get back in shape. Provided that you abide by a healthy regime you have the highest chances of achieving weight loss success.

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