By Jessie Gorges
Stepping on the scale and still not liking what you see? It could be that you’re unknowingly making common errors in your new-found diet plan. Check out these four misconceptions that dieters think will help with weight-loss but, in reality, are ineffective and often detrimental.
You avoid the foods you love: Deprivation diets don’t work, at least not for long. You can still eat chocolate and you can still put a slice of cheese on your sandwich. The key to eating these commonly-craved foods is eating them in moderation. Have a couple of fun-size Snickers bars to solve your chocolate craving, and relegate your sandwich to only one slice of cheese instead of two.
You think all fats are bad: Sure, large chocolate-chip cookies and Big Macs contain bad fat. However, almonds and fatty fish, like tuna and salmon, contain healthy fats. Choose a tuna melt over a greasy cheeseburger and opt for a handful of almonds instead of a handful of potato chips.
You think just going to the gym will do the trick: If you’re a personal trainer or professional athlete, this may be true. However, most of us have less than a couple of hours a day to spend at the gym, meaning we have to change our eating habits as well. It could be as simple as eating a little less, or maybe you need to switch out those fast-food meals for something light and healthy.
You’re not sleeping: Lack of sleep makes your body produce cortisol, a fat storing hormone, and your body burns fat while in deep sleep. So be sure to get at least seven hours of quality sleep a night. If you struggle to sleep for various reasons ranging from a worn out mattress to stress from work, you need to find what is keeping you up at night, and correct it.