5 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Dieting

Obesity is a global problem that can affect not only physical health but also mental health. Depending on its severity, obesity may be associated with an increased risk of overall mortality, as well as with a number of organic and metabolic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis (1). In addition, being “overweight” often leads to psychological problems such as sadness, depression, or a loss of motivation (2). In the worst-case scenario, a vicious cycle develops in which these very negative feelings result in yet another trip to the refrigerator. This is referred to as “emotional eating” (3). To make matters worse, on social media you’re bombarded with posts under hashtags like #cleaneating or #fitspiration, which, according to a new study (4), can cause negative feelings about yourself to intensify even further.

If, despite all the challenges, you’ve still managed to successfully lose weight, the real hurdle now awaits you. Studies examining the period following a weight-loss program show that only about 25% of people manage to maintain that weight over the long term (5, 6).

BUT ENOUGH WITH THE NEGATIVE HEADLINES

Successful and lasting weight loss requires not only strong willpower, clear goals, and perseverance, but also a good strategy. The internet is full of smart advice, and yet in my practice, I see the same diet mistakes being made over and over again.

Today, I’m sharing five of these mistakes that I notice time and again in my work as a coach.

BE SMARTER AND AVOID THEM

 

1. Don’t Rely on Your Gut Feeling

A “fundamental law of weight loss” is found in the calorie balance model. While this concept does have major flaws (you’re surely familiar with clever sayings like “all calories are the same” or “as long as you’re in a deficit, you’ll lose weight”), it’s still considered essential for successful weight loss to create a calorie deficit, thereby signaling to the body that fat stores must be released to maintain physical and mental performance.

To know whether you’re truly in a calorie deficit, you need to understand the two key components of the calorie balance.

These are:

• Calorie intake
• Calorie expenditure

In practice, I often see people who, believing they’re living a healthy lifestyle, have no idea how many calories they burn or, conversely, how many calories they consume. It’s even harder to “convince” people who claim they have a “feel” for how much they eat and how many calories they burn in return.

My tip: Don’t trust your gut!

It’s absurd to think you can just “feel” when you’ve reached a calorie deficit. Underreporting calorie intake and overreporting calorie expenditure are commonplace in real life—even among people who’ve already successfully lost weight (7). So take a meticulous approach to the topic of calories. Even if tracking calories and measuring your burn sometimes seems tedious, the effort will be worth it. The alternative is to hand over the entire topic of calories—as well as the planning of your diet and training—to an expert who does exactly that day in and day out and actually enjoys it.

 

2. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

People usually don’t become overweight without a reason. Some find it genetically more difficult to maintain their target weight, while others find it somewhat easier—yet a good figure and a healthy body weight always have something to do with lifestyle. In practice, I often see that people trying to lose weight either make an effort to eat less or start exercising more. The best strategy uses both approaches!

While studies such as Kreider’s (8) show that diet is the primary means of weight loss, exercise can serve as an effective complement. In this context, strength training in particular is recognized for its ability to promote lean body mass during a weight-loss phase and to maintain resting metabolic rate. Low- to moderate-intensity exercise, such as endurance training, has health benefits but has only a minor effect on weight loss.

My tip: Diet and exercise go hand in hand

Dietary changes work best when supported by the right kind of exercise. If you want to lose weight successfully and sustainably, there’s no getting around regular strength training. Endurance training also plays a role and makes sense. But if your schedule only allows for a certain number of hours of exercise per week, prioritize strength training.

 

3. Don’t Fall into Extremes

There are the lazy ones and the over-motivated ones. Neither is good, though I have to say that, as a coach, I much prefer the lazy ones. Those who don’t exercise enough and/or eat too much or the wrong foods can achieve a great deal very quickly with enough self-motivation and the right strategy. The approach is immensely more difficult for people who already eat very little, exercise a lot, and still don’t reach their target weight.

In the latter case, the laws of calorie balance are completely undermined. In the face of a sustained, severe calorie deficit, our body reacts with compensatory measures, all of which serve the goal of conserving energy and holding on to our evolutionary energy reserves—the fat stores. Body temperature drops slightly, muscle mass is readily converted into energy (glucose), and without even realizing it, we simply move less in our daily lives (this energy expenditure is called NEAT—Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) (9). On the other hand, however, it can also lead to a dysregulation of hunger and appetite control. Although scientists have not yet been able to sufficiently explain or standardize this effect (10), it definitely occurs in practice.

My tip: Avoid extremes

The heavier you get, the harder it will be for you to ever achieve your ideal body. However, the strategy of exercising a lot while eating very little can also backfire. If this doesn’t get you where you want to be, the solution is NOT to eat even less or exercise even more!

 

4. Don’t Neglect the Importance of Sleep

The importance of sufficient and good-quality sleep for your weight-loss success was recently examined in a study (11). 156 overweight or obese participants underwent an 18-month weight-loss program consisting of diet and physical activity. The researchers measured body weight, sleep patterns (via SenseWear), and energy intake (diary entries) at the start of the study and again after 6, 12, and 18 months. The results showed that lower sleep efficiency, more frequent nighttime awakenings, and longer time to fall asleep were associated with significantly lower weight loss. Poorer sleep also reduced the likelihood that participants would meet the recommended physical activity goal of 300 or more minutes per week.

My tip: Good sleep is half the battle

Losing weight works much better—and is also less stressful—when the person trying to lose weight manages to give sufficient importance to the factor of sleep. There are many mechanisms through which poor or insufficient sleep can undermine your diet. These range from shifts in hormone balance (testosterone/cortisol) and changes in hunger and satiety signals to the reduced willingness to engage in physical activity discussed above.

 

5. Don’t Neglect the Factor of Stress

Last but not least, your current stress level can also significantly influence the success of your diet. Like obesity, stress can be linked to a variety of negative health effects. Impaired recovery after physical activity (12), a direct effect on eating behavior (13), and disruptions in glucose metabolism (14) are among the effects that can—and will—stand in the way of your weight-loss goals!

My tip: Find a balance

It’s extremely counterproductive to cram too many appointments and tasks into your daily routine or to expose yourself to too many stressors. An energy deficit is also a stressor in itself, which is why—especially when dieting—you should aim for a structured environment with manageable stress levels so you can lose weight “at your own pace.”

I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN AVOIDING THESE MISTAKES!

 

Best regards
, Holger Gugg

 

 

 

Sources

(1) https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/6/1259
(2) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00059-006-2802-1
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859040/#!po=6.48148
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144522000821?via%3Dihub
(5) https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo201559
(6) https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(13)00528-X/fulltext
(7) https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/114/1/257/6179024?login=false
(8) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355995328_Exercise_and_Nutritional_Strategies_to_Promote_Weight_Loss_A_Narrative_Review
(9) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279077/
(10) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451847620300336
(11) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-022-01141-z
(12) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24343323
(13) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666316300344
(14) https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/522431