Weight loss tips and strategies...

1. Lose weight: 33 sneaky “saboteurs” who waste
your e orts
Aubrey Walker Follow
Oct 10 · 19 min read
You are trying to lose weight… without being able to do so? One of these sneaky
saboteurs may be preventing you from losing weight for good.
Everyone on the diet is faced with this problem: after a week of hard work, you
climb on the scale to realize that the needle has not moved one iota. Sometimes the
reasons are obvious, for example if you have been overdoing it at a birthday party or
skipping a few exercise sessions. However, we often do not know why we have not
lost weight despite our best efforts.
Don’t feel guilty about a few diet discrepancies. “Cheat” by losing weight with
these easy tricks.
Unexpected saboteurs could interfere with your efforts to maintain a healthy
weight or lose unnecessary pounds. To achieve your slimming goal, read on and

2. take advantage of the latest scientific research!
Your weight fluctuates throughout the day
It is normal for your weight to fluctuate by more or less a kilo over the course of a
day. To assess the effectiveness of a slimming diet, it is therefore better to measure
the results over a period of time. You shouldn’t be discouraged if you haven’t lost
weight, and may even have gained weight, in a day or even a week. This transient
anomaly will resolve quickly if you stay on course.
Solution: To avoid weight fluctuations beyond your control, always weigh yourself
at the same time and wear the same clothes. Ideally, you should climb on the scale in
the morning, before eating and dressing.

3. The important thing is not to get discouraged. Check out these 50 facts to know
about weight loss to regain your motivation.
You can’t lose weight because you’re doing water retention
If your period is approaching or have eaten a salty dish at dinner, you could gain
500 grams or a kilo. In both cases, it is water retention. However, this water not
eliminated by your body adds up to your weight, giving you the feeling that the diet
you have just started is not very effective, even if in fact it works.
Solution: To get around this problem, avoid salty foods and make sure you drink
enough water every day.
These 10 medical explanations may justify your sudden weight gain.

4. Your weight has reached a level
During a diet, the weight can reach a level and not change for a few weeks. Even if
these levels put our morale to the test, it doesn’t mean that your efforts are useless.
Above all, don’t give up! This is a temporary step, not a failure.
Solution: You must persevere! Try to make some changes to your habits, such as
having a healthy snack in the middle of the afternoon to avoid having an appetite in
your heels at the end of your work day, or change your exercise schedule to do a
little more.
Find more tips to maintain your weight loss.
You can’t lose weight because you’ve forgotten the little extras

5. When you have been on a diet for some time, you sometimes relax your alertness.
You may have picked up some bad habits: for example, you spread a layer of thick
butter on your toast, snack while cooking, or have a dessert every night. However,
these little things can provide enough extra calories to prevent you from losing
weight.
Solution: To help you, keep a food diary for a few days, which will help you stay
aware of what you are really eating. Researchers have shown that dieters who rated
everything they ate significantly increased their chances of success.
Keeping a diary is one of the simple habits of thin people.
You weighed yourselfon Monday
You may only weigh yourself on Fridays or Saturdays. But this time you climbed on
the scale on Monday, the worst day to do it. Most people eat more on weekends than
on weekdays. In fact, researchers at the University of Washington School of
Medicine in St. Louis found that dieters lose weight on weekdays, but not on
weekends.
Solution: By planning your healthy meals from the weekend in advance, you’ll put
the odds on your side for weight loss and resist temptation better over the weekend;
also continue to monitor your portions, especially when eating out. Follow our tips
for making healthy choices at the restaurant.

6. You can’t lose weight because you’re overdoing it over the
weekend
To combat weekend excesses, pay attention to portion sizes, weigh yourself every
day (or Friday and Monday only) and monitor your alcohol intake, which provides
empty calories and decreases your dietary inhibitions.
The researchers found that people don’t realize they eat much more on weekends,
especially on Saturdays, when they tend to eat more fatty foods. Extra calories
taken on weekends slow down weight loss.
Adopt these tips to reduce your portions without depriving yourself.

7. You don’t eat‘good’ fat
Eating foods high in unsaturated fats, such as nuts, avocados and olive oil can help
you eat less generally, by sending a satiety signal to the brain. It seems that these
fats trigger the production of a compound in the small intestine called
oleoylethanolamide. It reaches the nerve endings that transmit messages to the
brain, thus curbing hunger and activating a brain circuit that produces a feeling of
satiety.
Solution: To avoid the weight gain caused by good fats, limit your intake to two to
three tablespoons (30–45 ml) per day, i.e. a handful of nuts or one-sixth of an
avocado.
Make sure you know where to find the right fats and how to avoid the worst fats.
You don’t eat enough calcium

8. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you consume enough calcium in your
diet. You need at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day from supplements or
foods, including one cup of milk (250 ml), one cup of yogurt and one cube of cheese
(42 g). For overweight women who are calcium deficient, increased intake can
promote weight loss, according to a 2009 study by the British Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers at Laval University in Quebec City conducted a study of 63 overweight
or obese women who consumed 600 milligrams or less of calcium per day, about half
the recommended amount. For 15 weeks, these women followed a low-calorie diet
and took either a placebo, or 1,200 mg of elemental calcium plus vitamin D, every
day. Women who gained calcium lost six times more weight than those who did not,
thirteen pounds versus two pounds.
According to the researchers, the brain probably detects the lack of calcium and
tries to compensate by increasing appetite to increase intake.

9. You’re abusing small-format treats
If you are unable to stop after eating a mini serving of chips or cookies, separate
them so that you have a treat in the car, at the office and in the gym bag.
In a Dutch study, 59 students received 9 small bags of chips (45 g) or 2 large bags
(200 g), to eat while watching television. Participants who were encouraged to pay
attention to calories were almost twice as likely to eat chips from small bags, and to
consume twice as many as those who snacked on chips from large bags. “These little
bags seem innocent: people may be less careful and don’t monitor the amount
consumed,” says researcher Rik Pieters, a professor of marketing at the University
of Tilburg.
Replace your chips with these tasty snacks to lose weight.

10. You consume an amount ofcarbohydrates that is not adequate
Eating foods that contain a small amount of calories from carbohydrates can help
maintain a healthy body weight. A study by the Journal of the American Dietetic
Association found that people who consumed 47–64% (290 to 310 g) of their daily
carbohydrate calories were less likely to be overweight or obese than those who
consumed a lower percentage of carbohydrates.
Diets that are too low or too high in carbohydrates are harder to follow to the end,
says Anwar Merchant, a researcher and associate professor of epidemiology at the
University of South Carolina. “You need to include all important food groups,
including carbohydrates,” advises nutritionist Aviva Allen. Complex carbohydrates
such as whole grains, legumes and vegetables are important sources of fibre, which
are essential in maintaining the regularity of digestive function and in the process
of eliminating excess cholesterol and fat from our body.”
These tips will help you eat more whole grains.
You are 40years ofage or older and your metabolism is declining

11. “The older we get, the more we lose lean muscle mass; so our metabolism slows
down, especially if we don’t exercise every day,” says Larry Tucker, professor of
exercise science at Brigham Young University in Utah. In a recent study of 192
middle-aged women, Larry Tucker found that women who had adopted stricter
eating habits were 2.4 times less likely to gain 6 pounds or more over a three-year
period than those who had paid less attention. On average, women with stricter
eating habits consumed about 200 fewer calories per day than women in the second
group.
Solution: Exercise when you’re on a diet and make sure you eat enough protein.
Your body will burn your fat reserves rather than your muscle mass. Aerobic
exercise is a good way to increase your metabolic rate. Check out these other ways
to speed up your metabolism, even at rest!
You can’t lose weight because you’re on a diet that’s toosevere
In order to avoid excessive consumption of bad food due to permanent deprivation,
it is important to occasionally afford a treat, such as a good dessert.
At least that’s what a study in the Journal of Consumer Research on the differences
between dietary temptations supports. As part of this research, when women were
exposed to candy but were asked not to eat candy, they were able to show greater
self-control when the same candy was offered to them again. On the other hand,

12. women who had been shown advertisements or images of sweets were less able to
resist the appeal of real candy.
Solution: To successfully lose weight in the longer term, a small dessert from time to
time will not make you miss your diet. Occasionally, allow yourself a hitch. Just pay
attention to the portions… and the number of times you’ll allow yourself to cheat!
If you feel the urge to cheat, prepare one of these guilt-free cookie recipes.
You see your diet as something fleeting
You may have managed to lose weight in the past, for example, for a special
occasion. But then you inevitably go back to your old eating habits and regain all
the pounds you lost. You see your diet as a short-term solution rather than a
permanent change that will allow you to live healthier lives.
Solution: Use your diet as an excuse to try all kinds of new foods. It’s your tastes
that need to change eventually, so you’ll love eating healthily and don’t want to go
back to your old ways.

13. You’re trying tolose weight tooquickly
Would you like to lose weight in the blink of an eye? Is losing half a kilo or a week
not enough for you? After all, you keep hearing about these people who
miraculously lost 10 or 15 kilos in a month, why not you? After a few weeks, you give
up, convinced that your failure comes from the way you don’t lose weight quickly
enough.
Solution: Keep in mind that it took months or even years to accumulate those extra
pounds. It is quite normal that it will take you a while to lose some. Also, remember
that people who lose weight gradually are usually those who manage to maintain
their healthy weight in the long term.
These habits will allow you to maintain a healthy weight in a sustainable way.

14. You give in tothe“all or nothing”discourse as part ofyour weight
loss process
One day, almost without realizing it, you take chocolate at your coffee break. When
you become aware of it, you decree that your diet is missed. On which, instead of
having the dinner you had thought of, you eat pizza at the local restaurant and, at
the end of the day, you bring home fried chicken for dinner. You might as well drop
your diet for the week, think.
Solution: Tell yourself that a biscuit will not cause your diet to fail. A bad day doesn’t
have to turn into a bad week or a bad month. Focus on ‘good’ food choices rather
than ‘perfect’ choices.
You skip meals tocut calories
“Skipping meals can have a negative impact on your metabolism,” says nutritionist
Aviva Allen. Your body will start storing excess fat in anticipation of a possible lack
of food. Worse, if you’re too hungry for the next meal, you may make poor food
choices or eat too large portions.

15. Instead of abstaining from eating, eat small portions of nutrient-rich foods or
snacks frequently (ideally every three hours). In addition, eating regularly
increases your chances of success while skipping meals is not a realistic way to
achieve it in the longer term.
You run the same training routine everyday
Trying to lose weight? Running the same workout routine day after day is morale
and may discourage you. In his book 5-Factor Fitness, Harley Pasternak
recommends a different workout for each day of the week, each aimed at a specific
part of the body.
Solution: Increase repetitions, change the order of exercises, no matter what type of
changes you make to training, the main thing is to vary your routine enough so you
don’t get tired. Better yet, your body will benefit from these routine changes, as it
will not get used to your training and will benefit more from your workouts.
Try these effective workouts to lose weight.

16. You followthe latest fashion diet
Fashionable diets, those that require the purchase of specific foods and whose plan
excludes certain food groups, yield only temporary results. You end up regaining the
lost weight.
“You have to avoid playing yoyo with your weight at all costs, because in the long
run, your metabolism will take a hit and it will be harder for you to lose weight,”
explains Joey Shulman, a nutrition specialist. It’s about choosing a diet that fits into
your lifestyle, a diet that you can follow even after you’ve reached your weight loss
goals.

17. Your favorite drinks mayprevent you from losing weight
If you’re trying to lose weight, here’s a good reason to write down the drinks you
consume every day in your food diary. Soft drinks, alcohol, commercially sweet
coffees and fruity drinks may be too much of your daily caloric intake.
In the 18-month study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
subjects took more than 350 of their daily calories as beverages, or about 20% of
their daily calorie intake.
Scientists and dietitians seem to think that consuming less of these beverages
makes it easier to lose weight. Study subjects who eliminated only one sugary
beverage per day lost about half a kilo in six months and three-quarters of a kilo in
18 months. In addition, participants who consumed fewer calories in the form of
beverages lost more weight than when they decreased their calorie intake from
solid foods on an equal amount.
How do you explain that? Researchers believe that the absence of chewing and
faster evacuation of fluids than stomach solids may weaken the signal of satiety
that the body sends to the brain. Water is the best alternative liquid, experts say. In
fact, explains dietitian Kate Comeau. “Most of the liquid you absorb should be in the
form of water. In addition to water, I recommend drinking milk or a milk substitute,
such as soy milk or fortified rice,” she concludes.
Cut calories by applying these tips for drinking less alcohol.

18. You eat toomuch healthyfood
Start by beware of these 17 “healthy” foods that are actually more caloric or low-
nutrient. Even if you have to choose healthy foods, you can’t eat as much as you
want. “My patients often say that they often eat low-carb, high-protein foods such
as quinoa, leafy vegetables and berries, but they eat too much,” says Dr. Gillian
Goddard, an endocrinologist and registered clinician in New York. What makes
some foods healthy is their nutrient content. That doesn’t mean you can eat them in
unlimited quantities.” For example, 80 g (1/2 cup) of quinoa contains 111 calories.
“Most people use between 320 and 480 grams (2 to 3 cups) of quinoa, which means
absorbing between 400 and 600 calories. And that doesn’t include the cheese and
olive oil they add,” says Dr. Goddard.
You see weight loss as a punishment
Finding the will to lose pounds is quite difficult. If you consider your weight loss
efforts as a punishment, you will start to resent your diet, especially when you are in
a social context. “You can’t get your eyes off the bread basket or you think you could
afford a dessert,” says fitness instructor Jenna Bergen Southerland in an article in
the journal Prevention.

19. You may end up thinking that everyone eats it… Except for you! For Jenna
Southerland, this should not be seen as a deprivation. “Eating is a necessity. But a
brownie? The next time your brain whispers such a thought to you, take a step back
and ask yourself two questions. 1: Do I really deprive myself of something that is
necessary? And 2: If I don’t change my eating habits, what exactly am I depriving
myself of? The answer: A healthier and happier life. Keep that in mind and you’ll be
happy to give up junk food.”
To avoid temptations, train your brain to hate junk food.
You mismanage your cravings
They’re not easy to manage, but you can still control them with these seven
strategies. Julia Ross, author of The Craving Cure: Identify Your Craving Type to
Activate Your Natural Appetite Control, says that when it comes to eating, the
brain’s guidelines are all powerful. Unfortunately, she says, the brain mostly
commands us to eat sweets, fried foods, pasta and bread rich in starchy foods.
Instead, she advises strategies on eating and making better choices. “Increase your
protein intake at every meal and add red meat, poultry and fish. Eaten regularly,
this type of protein is the most effective way to eliminate sugar cravings, Ross says.

20. You don’t monitor liquid calories
And it’s not just about sodas — but you should still stop drinking sodas, even if they
have zero calories. Even healthy drinks like fruit juices or smoothies contain tons of
calories and sugar. These drinks may seem like a good substitute when trying to lose
weight, but they can seriously destroy your chances of success if you drink too
much, says Yvonne Sanders, chief operating officer of Slimming World, an online
weight loss optimization platform based in Dallas.
Learn more about the hidden calories of “healthy” beverages.

21. You don’t manage your snacks well
If you space your meals for more than three hours, then you may feel hungry and
throw yourself on anything that falls under your fork, warns Dafna Chazin, a
dietitian in New Jersey. “Most people need two well-spaced, high-protein afternoon
snacks to curb hunger and reduce food impulsivity.” Good snack choices include
Greek yogurt, hard-boiled egg, cottage cheese, fruit and nuts, she says.
Here are some other great snack ideas to tame your hunger for a while.
You reduce your fat intake
To say that fat makes you fat is so 90s. “You need it to calm your hunger for hours,
to think clearly to make good decisions and to function throughout the day,” says
Lindsey Smith. In addition, the majority of foods that claim to be “low in fat” are
usually packed with sugar or other chemicals to compensate for the loss of flavor,
which can actually make you gain more weight.” She also advises incorporating
healthy choices such as avocados, coconut oil, fish, nuts and seeds.
Make sure you know where to find the right fats and how to avoid the worst fats.
You limit yourselftothe calorie count

22. Many diet experts still claim that a calorie is a calorie, period. Nothing is more false.
“A 100-calorie packet of cookies doesn’t have the same nutritional value as a green
smoothie,” says Lindsey Smith, author of Eat Your Feelings: The Food Mood Girl’s
Guide to Transforming Your Emotional Eating. While the green smoothie may
contain more calories, it also contains many more nutrients that can help your body
lose weight, not take it, and feel good mentally and physically.”
Cut 200 calories every day with these simple tricks.
You reward exercise byeating
Many people overestimate the number of calories they burned during exercise, and
they use this as an excuse to reward themselves, Bowerman says. “Assess the
number of calories you spend when you exercise (you’ll find plenty of resources
online to help you do it) and compare it to the number of calories you’d be tempted
to absorb afterwards. Also, keep a record of the type of exercise you do and the
amount of time you spend on it. This logbook will allow you to take note of what you
absorb and what you burn.
Also beware of those sneaky saboteurs who waste your efforts to lose weight.

23. You talk negativelyabout yourself
Don’t be so yourself, suggests Susan Bowerman. “If you think you have to be perfect
— you’re going to exercise every morning or never eat treats again — then you’re
setting the bar too high,” she says. It is important here to have a positive discourse.
“Give yourself the same support you would to a friend. Would you say to your friend
who is struggling to lose weight: “You have no will. I guess you’re going to be fat for
the rest of your life”? Not! So why would you tell yourself?” Practice talking to each
other nicely. “Give yourself support. Instead of saying, “It’s too hard, “ think, “I can
do it,”” advises Susan Bowerman.
Build your confidence by taking these 20 daily actions.

24. You don’t drink enough water
Many people don’t drink enough water, which can seriously alter the weight loss
process, says Sean McCaffrey, a chiropractor in Springfield, Illinois, where he offers
a weight loss clinic. “Water helps you feel full, which limits appetite,” he says. It is
also essential for digestion and the prevention of dehydration. And the body needs
water to burn fat. “We recommend six to eight drinks, but some people need more or
less, depending on the climate they live in, their overall health and the amount of
exercise they do,” McCaffery says.
Check out these other few reasons to drink more water.
You take a break on weekends
It’s easy to ruin all the effort you make during the week to eat well by allowing you a
few little fantasies during the weekend. “You won’t lose weight if you constantly
take two steps forward and two steps back,” says Susan Bowerman. To stay on
track, weigh yourself on Friday morning rather than Monday.

25. “If you’ve had a good week, it will be reflected on the scales, which will help you stay
motivated throughout the weekend. You can also “save” a few calories during the
week that you can “spend” on weekends, says Susan Bowerman. But be careful and
know how many calories do the little treats you give yourself. A margarita and a
basket of chips could cause you to take several hundred calories.”
Avoid these traps on weekends to lose weight more easily.
You eat toomuch protein
Although protein is an important part of a healthy diet, eating too much can affect
the success of your diet. “If it runs, jumps, swims or flies, it’s probably a good
protein,” McCaffery says. It advises 22 people with protein powders and beverages.
“They often contain a lot of sugar and other additives. This may be appropriate in
some circumstances, but it is easy for most people to get the protein they need in
their diet,” he continues.
Check how much protein you should consume on a daily basis.

26. You’re sleep-savers
Rebecca Lewis, a dietician at HelloFresh, says that a single bad night’s sleep can
make you hungrier than usual the next day. “Make sure you sleep seven to eight
hours a night. Start turning off lights and electronic devices about an hour before
bedtime, she says.
Enjoy a restful sleep by following our advice.
You’re eating toofast

27. Eat slower because it takes time for your brain to get the signal you just ate from
your stomach, says Rebecca Lewis. “Without this signal, we tend to continue to eat
until we are satisfied… and we end up overeating. Instead, slow down: rest your
fork between each bite, try to stretch your meal to last about 20 minutes, and stop
eating when you feel relatively full,” continues Rebecca Lewis.
Experience mindful eating.
Weight Loss Weight Loss Tips
About Help Legal
Get the Medium app