Diets: don’t try to starve yourself thin!

Diets can be dangerous! Watch out for some of the pitfalls you might come across in your quest to lose weight. If you’re  not paying close attention you might easily step into a minefield of confusion about what’s the right thing to do, and that can ultimately lead to dietary failure.

For example, you might be cutting back too strictly on the amount of calories you consume. Yes, you need to control your calorie intake in order to lose weight, but if you cut back too drastically your body will go into starvation mode; it will act as though you are in the midst of a famine and it will stubbornly hang on to every ounce of fat available. They’ll be seen as valuable energy stores (which they are, in fact), and you’ll find yourself in a fat-loss plateau, unable to shift even a moderate amount of weight.

So yes, cut back on your calorie intake, but do it sensibly. There’s no benefit in trying to prove to yourself that you can be strong and determined even to the point of almost starving yourself. All you’ll achieve going down that route is a feeling of determination and self-righteousness, oh, and a feeling of perpetual hunger … and of course a feeling of disappointment as yet another attempt at losing weight fails miserably.

Many diets are lacking in sufficient protein

Many diets you might come across are sadly lacking in one of the most enjoyable and satisfying dietary constituents – protein. Protein sometimes gets a bad press, diet-wise, but it’s absolutely essential to your general health. Your body needs a certain amount of protein to function properly and you’d be wise to make sure it gets it.

Protein is also a very satisfying part of a healthy diet, in that it takes longer than anything else to break down into its constituents. That’s why it’s enjoyable to eat, and that enjoyment lasts longer – it satisfies your hunger and leaves you feeling well-fed longer.

Don’t be misled that you need to eat a huge amount of meat to get your protein though; there’s plenty of protein in eggs, lentils, chia seeds, yogurt, chickpeas, tuna, and milk, and that’s just for starters! Even just a couple of tablespoonfuls of peanut butter packs quite a protein punch. Black beans are one of the richest sources of anti-oxidants and one of the healthiest choices of all the beans, and quinoa, a seed-like grain rich in magnesium, anti-oxidants and fibre, can be used in dozens of different ways.

You could be missing out on the fibre you need

Many diets are not just low in protein but low in fibre too, because they encourage you to eat lots of vegetables (which is fine), but discourage you from eating fruit (which is generally high in fibre). It’s a mistake to demonise fruit; sure, over-consumption of fruit can work against you, but fruits provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements … and of course, that essential fibre.

They’re among the original fast foods, and don’t contain any of the garbage almost all modern fast foods contain.

You might be striving for perfection!

This one really is a dangerous mine to step on – it can blow your weight-loss plans clear out of the water! The diet you’re following might require you to eat certain foods that are difficult for you to find (or even afford), or certain meals that are awkward for you to prepare. If you try to stick to a diet like that you’ll end up feeling like a failure every time you fail to meet the precise guidelines of that diet.

Or you might be expecting to achieve an unfeasibly high weight loss each and every week. If you do that you’re setting yourself up for failure. Fail to meet your targets a few times and you’ll probably feel so despondent that you’ll end up ditching the whole diet.

You might be forgetting the importance of water

It’s easy to ignore the health benefits of water. It’s such a simple and basic requirement that we do tend to pay it less attention than anything else. The truth, though, is that without sufficient water we are much more likely to suffer all kinds of problems. Virtually every bodily function is enabled by water, and if you go without it for even a few hours you’ll feel deprived.

You’ll not only feel thirsty, you might well have problems with your digestion, you might suffer muscle cramps or joint pains, and other people might well notice that you look drawn and unhealthy. It will even make it difficult for you to think straight or make sensible decisions, since your brain requires a copious amount of water to stay in top condition. Lack of water probably accounts for more headaches than anything else.

You don’t need to drink a ridiculous amount of water, just a steady intake all day. Keeping a water bottle handy at your desk, or in your backpack can make all the difference. Small amounts, and often, is easy to arrange, and a simple way to ensure that you don’t blindly slip into a state of dehydration.

Read about some of the health benefits of water and start to take your hydration seriously!

You might be trying to stay completely off the ‘bad’ foods

An occasional biscuit or a square of chocolate isn’t going to make you gain a pound! It’s not going to shatter your diet goals either. If you struggle to completely cut out the foods you crave you’ll be left feeling depressed and unmotivated. It won’t take long feeling like that to fall off the wagon! If you particularly like a certain treat, indulge yourself occasionally, but remain alert. Don’t get carried away and slip headlong into the bad eating habits that got into this state in the first place.

You might think the diet-only approach is enough

You can have the best diet in the world, but pair it with a reasonable amount of physical activity and you’ll have a fat-burning machine going on! Ignore the need for exercise and you’re once again trusting to blind luck.

You might lose weight, but chances are you’ll end up not looking the way you envisioned. Drop some of that unwanted weight by dieting, and at the same time match your diet with some suitable exercise and your body will regain a healthy, lean look, the kind of look you were probably hoping for.