5 Dieting Mistakes That Might Be Stopping You From Losing Weight

Dieting can be a complicated. You might think you’re doing everything by the book and doing exactly what you’re supposed to and yet you’re still not losing weight. It can be demoralising and you might think that you’re unable to shed those pounds.

It’s true that some people find it easier to lose weight than others, but if you’re finding it particularly difficult to slim down, it could be because you’re making one of these dieting mistakes…

Not getting enough sleep

Not sleeping properly has lots of negative side effects – you’re less alert, your concentration is worse, it makes you irritable, and other less than desirable issues. It can also make it harder to lose weight. This happens for a couple of main reasons. The first is that if your tired, your body craves sugary and fatty foods for energy.

The second reason is that when you don’t have enough sleep, hormone production is impacted, specifically the hormones that make you feel full and those that make you feel hungry.

Always aim to get between 7-9 hours sleep per night and try and stick to a routine so that you’re going to sleep and getting up at a similar time each day.

Not drinking enough water

Drinking the right amount of water each day is essential if you want to lose weight effectively. Men should drink 2.5 litres each day, while women need to drink 2 litres per day. Drink little and often throughout the day, and if you find water a bit boring, then you can try herbal teas, our tasty water flavourings, decaf tea or coffee, and diet drinks (the latter two both in moderation).

Read more about drinking the right amount of water.

Comparing yourself to others

Dieting is different for everyone, and everyone loses weight at their own pace. For that reason, it can be problematic if you compare yourself to other people also losing weight. This can be tough when we spend half our lives on Facebook and Instagram, but if we see others doing better than us, it can be demoralising and even cause stress and anxiety, which can actually prevent you from losing weight. Remember that you’re losing weight on your own timetable and you’re doing brilliantly!

Only focusing on scale weight

It’s always wonderful to see those numbers between your feet tumble when you stand on the scales, but if you’re not seeing much movement then it can be pretty gutting. However, only focusing on scale weight isn’t always that productive, which is why you should also use your body measurements as an indicator of how you’re getting on. You can often lose inches without losing lbs!

Using fat free products

Eating fat free foods sounds like a great idea in principle, but it’s not always as easy as that. Yes, we should be limiting the amount of fat we consume, but a lot of these products that brag about not containing any fat often replace that with an abundance of sugar to improve the taste. So just be careful next time you pop some fat free products in your trolley that they’re not laden with sugar.