10 Habits of unsuccessful dieters

10 habits of unsuccessful dieters might include the following:

Bad Habit 1: Going "on a diet" in the first place

The word itself implies restriction, limitation, and a short-lived effort to get some quick results and then return to a "normal" way of eating. Surveys have shown that people who consider themselves to be "dieting" lose less weight and encounter more problems (such as plateaus and a lack of motivation) than people who are trying to lose weight by creating a lasting healthy lifestyle.

Solution: Ditch the diets for good and focus on creating a healthy lifestyle based on nutritious foods and small, realistic changes that you can live with for the long term.

Bad Habit 2: Overhauling your eating habits overnight

No one can expect to change a lifetime of eating habits overnight. To lose weight successfully and keep it off, you have to adopt a way of eating that you can stick with for the rest of your life.

Solution: Eating healthily isn't about taking food away; it's about eating MORE of the things that are good for you. To be successful, you have to implement small and realistic changes to your diet. Next week, try switching your usual bread for a healthy whole-grain variety. Once you get used to that, you can set a small goal like eating one serving of fresh fruits or vegetables each day. The point is to start small with changes that fit into your lifestyle.

Bad Habit 3: Giving up certain foods altogether

A truly healthy diet that you can stick with forever will include all the foods you love. Unless you plan to give up ice cream or bread forever, then don't cut anything out temporarily. Generally, people can give up foods like that for a while and see some weight loss success. But as soon as that food is let back into your life, the weight tends to come back with it.

Solution: All things in moderation. Instead of focusing on the foods you can't have, set goals to eat more of the foods that you know are good for you.

Bad Habit 4: Only caring about calories

Calories are key to weight loss. In fact, balancing your calorie equation (what you eat and what you burn) is what results in successful weight management. However, there is more to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle than calories alone. Some foods that may be higher in calories per serving are actually healthier for you than foods that may be lower in calories (think a heart-healthy avocado vs. a processed 100-calorie pack of pretzels). So while calories count, nutrition matters, too.

Solution: While tracking your calories, don't forget to look at other key nutrients like protein and healthy fats (both of which can keep you full) and key vitamins and minerals that are important for your overall health.

Bad Habit 5: Focusing on the scale

Weight is an easy way to measure your progress, but it doesn't tell you the whole story. Even if the scale isn't budging, that does not mean that you're not making major progress toward losing weight and getting healthier. You can lose centimetres, get fitter, gain lean muscle mass, drop body fat, become better hydrated, look better and feel more energised without the kilograms budging at all.

Solution: Remember that the scale tells you only one thing: the total mass of all your body parts at a given moment. Weigh yourself less frequently and track all the other signs that are amazing changes that are happening in your body even if the scale doesn't move. This is the best way to stay motivated for the long haul.

Bad Habit 6: Only dieting and not exercising

This may be one of the most common reasons your weight loss is stalling. You can lose weight through diet alone, but it will be a lot harder. Yet by exercising along with making dietary changes, you can eat more (and feel more satisfied) and still lose weight. Plus, you'll get all the amazing physical and mental benefits that come from exercising, including improved appearance, better muscle tone and a healthier body overall.

Solution: Add exercise to your weight-loss plan.

Bad Habit 7: Trying to eat as little as possible

You need to eat a certain calorie level to function optimally and get all the essential nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Eating much less than that can cause serious problems in the long term and damage your metabolism, making weight loss even harder.

Solution: You have to eat to lose!

Bad Habit 8: Giving up too easily

No person who ever lost weight successfully reached that goal because they were perfect all the time. Setbacks happen to everyone, even the most successful people. We've all had days where we made a poor food decision during a meal - or even for an entire day. We've all missed workouts, forgot the lunch we packed, or been too busy to cook a diet-friendly meal at home. But those who continue dropping the kilograms pick themselves up, forgive themselves from their mistakes, learn from their slipups, and just keep right on going.

Solution: Remember that perfection has no place in a weight loss plan. When you do make a mistake or feel like you're not making enough progress, don't give up. Change requires time and old habits die hard. When you feel yourself ready to give up, reach out for some support, and don't wait until next week or next month to get back on the wagon.

Bad Habit 9: Confusing "healthy" with "low-calorie"

Research shows that when shoppers see "healthy" buzz words or claims on food packages (think: gluten-free, organic, all-natural, sugar-free, low-fat, etc.), they automatically assume the food is low in calories. This couldn't be further from the truth. Food manufacturers will plaster all sorts of enticing lingo onto their packages, knowing that you'll think exactly that. But none of these words really tell you much about the healthfulness of a product; and none of them actually have any affect on a food's calories.

Solution: Read front-of-package labels with a discerning eye, and always turn over the package and look at the nutrition facts (and ingredients) to get a full picture of what a food is really like.

Bad Habit 10: Unrealistic expectations

If you're expecting to drop a lot of weight fast and to do so consistently, these unrealistic expectations could be setting you up for failure. There's nothing worse than expecting to lose 10 kilograms in your first week, but then to only lose one.

Solution: Change your expectations and your mindset and be realistic.

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