Are You Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Efforts?

April 11, 2007 2:00 AM
By Susan Parsons MD

You may be doing all the right things – or so you thought. You have lowered your calorie intake, boosted your exercise, sworn off alcohol, and deprived yourself of all your favorite foods. Yet you are not losing weight. Your clothes are still snug around the waist.

There are many pitfalls along the weight loss path. Here are some things you might be doing wrong.

  1. Eating too much. This is the biggest cause of weight loss failure. Most of us have trouble estimating calorie intake. We are used to large portions, and suffer from portion distortion. Recommendation: Keep a weight loss journal. Many online diet programs provide you with the ability to record your intakes and add up your calories.
  2. Eating too little. You heard right. If you cut your calorie intake too drastically, you may invoke the “Starvation Response”. Your metabolism may decline.
  3. Skipping meals. This is the best way to lower your metabolism (not a good idea when you want to lose weight). You will find more weight loss success by eating frequent mini-meals.
  4. Eating too little protein. This is a common mistake, especially for women. Some of us just don’t like protein foods as much as we enjoy the carbs. But if you eat enough protein, you can control your appetite better. You can support your muscles, so that your weight loss doesn’t lead to a big loss in lean body mass. Add a scoop of protein powder to smoothies, yogurt, even oatmeal to boost your protein intake. Eat some protein at every meal and most snacks.
  5. Exercise – not enough, not the right kind. Everyone knows that exercise is beneficial to weight loss. Some dieters just aren’t “in to exercise”. The biggest problem for most is lack of time. However, exercise can make you more energetic and healthier. You may find that your work time is more productive, and your exercise will “pay” for itself. Read our Secrets about building muscle and interval training to learn how to pack more effective exercise into less time.
  6. Not enough calcium. Many of us don’t get enough calcium in our diets even when we aren’t on a diet. Once you limit the foods you eat, you are even more likely to become deficient in this important mineral. Dieters who are deficient in calcium do not lose as much weight as those who get at least 1000 mg per day, according to recent research. Eat lots of leafy greens, add low-fat dairy if you tolerate it, and take calcium supplements if your diet is lacking. And don’t forget that important Vitamin D. It will help you absorb and use calcium in the best possible way.
  7. Avoiding fat. When you avoid dietary fat too stringently, you miss out on the health and weight loss benefits of the omega-3 fats. These fats are essential to the brain, heart, and immune system. They also stimulate your muscles to burn more fat. I encourage you to make sure you are getting enough. Dietary sources are limited - fish and seafood (mostly fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines), walnuts, flax seeds, and omega-3 eggs. Most of us benefit from taking at least 2 grams of fish oil daily in supplement form.
  8. Vitamin or mineral insufficiencies. Inadquate intake of vitamin C, B vitamins, or the mineral chromium can impair metabolism, and weight loss may slow. I recommend that you take a good multivitamin and mineral combination every day. You are unlikely to get all you need in your food every single day. Read more about the vitamin supplement I recommend to complement your weight loss efforts.
  9. Too many high glycemic carbs. I don’t agree with the statement “A calorie is a calorie”. Your body does not use 100 calories of chocolate chip cookies in the same way that it uses 100 calories of salmon. Protein and omega-3 fats fulfill structural and functional purposes in the body. Sugar, starch, and other fats only provide energy – energy which is stored as fat on your body. The high glycemic carbs also stimulate insulin, a fat storage hormone. It is very hard to lose weight if your insulin levels are high.
  10. Eating too many processed foods or consuming trans fats. There are a lot of unwanted things in processed foods. Namely sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour and other refined grains, chemicals, additives, flavor enhancers (which can stimulate the appetite centers of the brain), and fats. The worst thing seems to be trans fat. This unnatural fat has been shown to stimulate weight gain, especially in the form of belly fat.
  11. Not enough sleep . A lack of sleep has been shown to affect hormones that control our appetite. It also increases insulin resistance. Weight loss can’t get easier than this – just get enough sleep. 7 – 8 hours is ideal for most of us.
  12. Not enough support. Most of us need some type of support if we have very much weight to lose. It may be a friend who walks with you every morning or an understanding spouse who provides encouragement. I’m hoping that this website will be a form of support for you. In addition, you may enjoy becoming part of a weight loss forum or finding an on-line weight loss buddy. Many of the online diet programs offer this feature. They often provide nutritionists and other experts who are able to give you ideas, advice, and feedback. Many successful dieters have found that this type of support was invaluable to them in winning the Battle of the Bulge.
  13. Depriving yourself too much. Relying on willpower and nerves of steel will only get you so far. If you feel too deprived, your efforts are likely to backfire. You may suddenly find that you ate a whole weeks' worth of calories in one night! You have to throw a bone to the Cookie Monster inside every once in a while to keep him from rearing his ugly head.
  14. Expecting a magic bullet to weight loss. In my experience, many of my patients who wanted to lose weight wanted a simple, quick solution like a pill or surgery. But these programs still require you to eat right and exercise. There’s just no getting around it! If you want to lose weight, gain health, and stay thin forever, you need to put a little effort into it. By effort, I mean learning the basic science behind weight loss, by planning your meals and snacks, by exercising regularly. It can be fun if you approach it as a new adventure.

Comments

I always feel like eating healthy takes way too much time and effort in my already busy life. To save time I frequently stop through the drive-thru for a cheap hamburger and a coke. I'm sure that diet violates half of the rules above! What is the secret to eating healthy, but quickly? And is there any healthy food that actually tastes good?

Posted by Casey | April 17, 2007 2:13 PM

Casey, you’re asking a loaded question! I’ll try to give you a brief answer and maybe write a more complete one in a blog soon.
You’re wondering if healthy food can be fast. You also wonder whether it can taste as good as your favorite burger and fries. I know that when you’re in a hurry, it’s tempting to hit the fast food window. If you must do this on a regular basis, I suggest that you check out the nutritional info on the websites of your favorite restaurants. For instance, Wendy’s website allows you to not only see the nutritional information of your choices, but to personalize these choices. A cheeseburger, medium fries, and medium Coke will cost you 1120 calories. However, changing this menu to a hamburger (take off the cheese), a side salad with low fat dressing, and water will save you 480 calories. Make a list of choices and put it in your glove compartment or purse. You’ll be ready to make smarter choices in a pinch! Packing a lunch from home may take a few more minutes but can save you even more calories. Try tuna salad with low fat mayo and celery on whole wheat. Add some veggie sticks or a piece of fresh fruit, and you have a healthy balanced lunch.

As for finding foods that taste good – I suggest that you learn to love whole natural foods such as fruits and vegetables. It may take a different mindset if you are “addicted” to French fries or sweets. You may have to wean yourself off of these foods, or learn to indulge only occasionally. Many of these high glycemic carbohydrates affect your brain chemistry just like drugs.

Posted by Dr. Parsons | April 17, 2007 10:06 PM

I find I, at one time or another, do most of the things that you discuss as sabotaging a healthy life style. I think two keys for me are 1) planning ahead what I'm going to eat and when I'm going to exercise, and 2) getting back on my proper path when I realize I've been veering off of it after a day or two.

Posted by John | April 24, 2007 8:17 PM

John,

Those sound like great strategies. Sounds like you are on the road to success! Weight loss is a journey, not a slam-dunk, for most of us. Good luck to you.

Posted by Dr. Parsons | April 24, 2007 8:50 PM