Tips for Reaching Your Goals!
- Cutting Calories Too Low. If you eat too few calories it could lead to muscle loss which ultimately would lead to a decreased resting energy expenditure (REE) making it harder to lose weight. And since your heart is a muscle, it could also weaken your heart as well as lead to low energy. Eating too little can also make it harder to maintain your diet, leading to higher cravings, and setting you up for overeating.
- Using diet pills. Diet pills that lead to long-term weight loss do NOT exist! For weight loss and good health, it is best to focus on goals you can see yourself maintaining for over 1 year. Diet pills are also dangerous! Many diet pills contain hidden ingredients that may pose significant health risks. The FDA recently released a warning about weight loss products sold online on sites like Amazon and eBay. Out of 26 supplements they purchased from Amazon and 25 they purchased from eBay, 100% of the Amazon and 80% of the eBay supplements had undeclared active ingredients with many of these ingredients identified as restricted to use under the supervision of licensed health care professionals. Many diet pills have awful side effects as well including nausea, agitation, dizziness, high blood pressure, and difficulty sleeping.
- Fad diets. Trendy diets often lure people in with the idea that they have unlocked the secrets of weight loss and make a long list of promises. These diets come and go but never seem to stick. They often do lead to weight loss due to a series of food rules and a list of things to avoid but are not realistic or maintainable over the long term. Oftentimes they cut out large amounts of food which may lead to an unbalanced diet, lacking important vitamins and minerals. They also lead to a dramatic cut in calories being consumed which causes people to lose weight but sets them up for failure. Once someone goes off the fad diet, they have not learned any meaningful lifestyle changes that will help them achieve good health in the long run or help them with transitioning back to normal eating. Remember, eating for weight loss and eating for health should look the same! Most fad diets are not well-balanced diet that is beneficial for your health. Just because something causes weight loss does not mean it is healthy.
- Liquid diets. Similar to fad diets, liquid diets are not maintainable over time. Drinking shakes in place of meals may lead to weight loss due to a decrease in calories but may lead to nutrition deficiencies and untamed hunger. Most of these shakes contain high amounts of sugar and low amounts of fiber. Take that and the fact that liquids leave the stomach sooner than solids and you are setting yourself up to feeling hungry and falling off the diet. Many of these shakes also contain ingredients that may lead to stomach upset, jitters, and poor concentration. Save your money and invest in whole foods and a balanced diet!
- Rapid weight loss. When weight is lost too quickly, it is often muscle and water loss, which is regained quickly. Losing weight too quickly also is a sign that your body is being drastically depleted in nutrition and fluids which is not good for your overall health. Without the proper amount of nutrients, you could experience a decreased immune system, fatigue, hair loss, and weak bones. Losing weight too quickly can also slow down your metabolism which can set you up with a struggle to lose weight in the future and increase the likelihood of weight gain. To lose weight and keep it off, it is important to focus on losing slow and steadily.
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