INTRODUCTION
When people are dieting we have found that some make a few very common Diet mistakes. Which can slow down or stop their progress. Sometimes making them gain weight instead of losing weight. In this article, we are going to go over 5 diet mistakes that people regularly make and how you can avoid them.
These diet mistakes will cover everything, from food to workouts and even social life in general. You might read through this and find that you actually do some of these and that could be affecting your progress and holding you back. So why don’t we get into the first one, and one of the most popular ones that people fall victim off!
NOT TRACKING SAUCES
This is one of the ones that a lot of people fall for. They are tracking their calories but still can’t seem to lose anybody fat. Well, they are not tracking sauces. This may seem like it is only a small thing and shouldn’t matter, and this is why a lot of people don’t track them. Even I have fallen for this.
However, when you think that the average bbq sauce serving is 25 calories, also consider that most people will be adding 2-3 servings. You can see where the issue arises. You can easily add 25 to 100 calories each meal. Say you add sauces to 2 meals. That is around 50-200 calories extra that you aren’t counting for. Work that out over the week and you will see why you might still be in a calorie surplus.
The way to get around this is to not eat your food dry and bland but to go for sugar-free or calorie-free sauces. Check out brands like Skinny Food Co, they have a huge range of calorie-free (around 2 calories per serving) sauces. We have even put together a review on some of them (Give it a read here). This is a great option to keep your food tasting great but keep the calories down.
LIQUID CALORIES
This is an expansion on the point we made above. You want to make sure that you aren’t drinking your calories. Drinking calories is great if you are trying to “bulk” up or put on size. However, if you are trying to keep calories on the down-low then you want to avoid drinking calories Drinks like sports drinks and soda’s, while they might taste nice they can contain extra calories (most of the time these will come from sugar). If you are after the extra calories or need some fast-acting carbs during your workout these drinks are perfect. However, if you are looking to lose weight I would swap to a sugar-free option. Most soda’s and sports drinks have a sugar free option.
Now we don’t mean cutting them out. Completely. For example, it is still ok to have the occasional drink, or milkshake, as we always say, you don’t want to ruin your social life. Just be aware of when you drink extra calories and remember that every calorie that goes into you will count towards your intake.
Drinking high-calorie drinks is an easy way to start building up calories that you don’t need, plus won’t fill you up or give you any nutritional value.
EATING FOOD THEY DON’T ENJOY
This one is slowly fading out but still, hear about people that do it. Eating food that they don’t enjoy or eating foods they don’t even like. it isn’t surprising that people fall off their plans and diets if they are eating foods they don’t want to eat. One of the main things that make up the perfect diet is eating foods that you enjoy. This is why we go on about counting calories so much, It allows you to eat the foods you love and still lose weight.
Also, cutting out your favourite foods will eventually lead to cravings and then lead to overeating. The idea of a diet (Especially one that allows you to eat your favourite foods) is to stop cravings and overeating. Making it feel like it isn’t a diet at all, It should be more like a lifestyle over a diet. You want to be able to eat all the foods you enjoy and as much of them as you can and still be able to lose weight. Speaking of which that leads us nicely into our next point. Under Eating.
UNDER EATING
“If I eat as little as possible, then I will lose weight faster”. This is a phrase a lot of people say and think. While this is strictly true, it is by far the worse way to think. While you do eat less to lose weight, food also helps you with your energy and performance in many aspects (As well as other bodily functions). Cutting your calories too much can leave you feeling drained and tired, meaning your workouts suffer.
Increasing your calories, to a point that you are still in a deficit will allow you to get the maximum performance out of your body, while still keeping on track with your goals. Also, it will let you eat more. Which obviously will stop you getting hungry and stop you overeating. People who under eat tend to end up overeating. They end up having huge cravings, being hungry all the time and don’t enjoy their diets.
The best thing you can do is if you feel like you aren’t eating enough, increase your calories slightly (100-200) then give it a few weeks and see how your body adjusts. If you feel like you are eating too much then cut the calories back. You will get to know your body rather well and be able to feel if you are eating too much or too little.
CANCELLING SOCAIL PLANS
Another huge diet mistake people make is that they end up cancelling all their social plans. They become afraid to go out with friends, family meals or work lunches. it can ruin their social life and they end up letting their diets take over their life. The advantage of counting your macros or calories is that you can still go out for meals with friends and family.
Obviously, there will be cases when you won’t be able to get what you what. You will have to make some sacrifices but you will be surprised at what you can still eat. With a few minor changes to your meals, you will be able to fit 90% of the menu in. If you want to know how you can get your calories down in meals check out the blog post we put together here. It contains several tips and tricks to help lower calories.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, these diet mistakes has helped you understand why you might not be losing weight. Now, this blog isn’t meant to scare you into counting and tracking every single calorie that enters your body, this might not always be the case, there are times when every calorie matters (Contest Prep etc). However, it is aimed at making you aware that the little things do add up. There is a lot of tip like this so I think we will be making another post, a part 2!
If there are any diet mistakes that you have found yourself doing, then please let us know over on our Instagram here! We would love to hear your thoughts and tips.
Remember if you are after some amazing workouts and helpful features then download our free application! The Sets & Reps workout application contain loads of workouts, loads of features and also access to everything we have to offer. You can download it here or click the icon below!
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.
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