BeFIT Resources

5 Habits of Unsuccessful Dieters

Bad Habit #1: Going “on a diet” in the first place.

The word diet implies restriction, limitation, and a short-lived effort to get some quick results and then return to a “normal” way of eating. 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.
Fix: Focus on creating a healthy lifestyle based on nutritious foods and small changes that you can live with for the long term.

Bad Habit #2: Overhauling your eating habits overnight.
How often have you decided to suddenly clean out your kitchen, throw away all the “junk” and then shop for only healthy food? How’s that working for you? 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.
Fix: To be successful, you have to implement small and realistic changes to your diet. Next week, swap that 2% milk for 1%, and switch out your usual bread for a healthy whole-grain variety. Set a small goal like eating one serving of fresh fruits or vegetables each day.

Bad Habit #3: 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 inches, get fitter, gain lean muscle mass, drop body fat, become better hydrated, look better and feel more energized without the pounds budging at all.
Fix: Remember that the scale tells you only one thing: the total mass of all your body parts at a given moment. Don’t put too much stock into it. Weigh yourself less frequently (about once every 1-2 weeks), and track all the other signs like how you feel and how your clothes fit ven if the scale doesn’t move.

Bad Habit #4: Only dieting and not exercising.
This may be one of the most common reasons your weight loss is stalling. Yes, you can lose weight through diet alone, but it will be a lot harder. You can only cut so many calories without feeling overly hungry, lethargic or miserable. 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.
Fix: Add exercise to your weight-loss plan. It doesn’t have to be boring, strenuous, or time-consuming either. Even 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your results.

Bad Habit #5: Unrealistic expectations.
These days with news stories, weight loss advertisements, and reality shows are touting fast and extreme weight loss as the norm, it can be easy to think that you are capable of those kinds of results, too. But in truth, these are extreme abnormal results that most people cannot expect to replicate.
Fix: Change your expectations and your mindset. If you expect to lose 10 pounds in one week, then losing 1 pound is a major letdown. But if you expect to lose 1 pound and you did, you feel successful and inspired to keep working toward your goals. Losing 1-2 pounds per week—even half a pound—is major progress that should be commended. This is a healthy and realistic rate of weight loss that you can expect if you’re sticking to your nutrition and fitness goals.