5 Common Diet Mistakes You're Making
Trying to slim down and feeling frustrated? Is all that hard work you put into your diet getting you nowhere? If you're giving it your all but the number on the scale still isn't budging, you may be sabotaging yourself in spite of your best intentions. But, no worries. You're not alone. Most of us are guilty of a few little diet missteps that keep you from reaching your fitness goals.
Never EVER trust a fad fast diet for weight loss. Crash diets may work in the short term, but it will hinder weight loss in the long run. When you finish the diet, your body will be used to running on fewer calories, making weight gain more likely once you're back to consuming your recommended amount.
The healthiest way to lose weight is slowly. Don't make it a diet, make it a way of life.
First of all, when you wake up in the morning, you have been fasting for many hours. Your body is starving for nutrients. When you don't give it any, it starts breaking down muscle for energy.
In addition, while skipping a meal will reduce your calorie intake, you will be much hungrier later on. And you're more likely to overeat to compensate. People who eat breakfast tend to have healthier weights, so start the day right by making time for a morning meal.
The health authorities recommend to drink at least eight 8oz glasses, which equals about 2 liters of water a day. In fact, studies show that people who drank two glasses of water before eating a meal consumed up to 90 fewer calories.
Thirst and dehydration can manifest as hunger. When you eat to hydrate yourself, this can cause unnecessary weight gain. Next time you are hungry after a meall, drink a couple glasses of water. If the hunger goes away you'll know you just needed to increase your fluid intake. Water is also a great cleansing agent, since it helps eliminate toxins from your body
Lack of sleep is an often overlooked factor. If you are doing everything right, but still can't lose those pounds, take a look at your sleeping patterns.
You should sleep around 8 hours a night. If you don't get enough sleep, you will consume about 300 calories a day more than if you are well-rested. Exhaustion often tempts us to snack more and decrease our physical activity. Make sure you give your body time to rest.
Unfortunately a lot of us eat bigger portions than we need, even when we're dieting and eating healthily. When preparing your meals, you should use your hand to measure your food intake. Proteins, should be the size of your palm. A single serving of carbohydrates should be a handful and vegetables and salads should fit into two closely cupped hands. Easy!
Now that you know that you were doing wrong, go get that summer body you've been working for. Check out our Pinterest for more heath and fitness tips.