Most of us know someone who works out obsessively, logging serious hours at the gym and berating herself after eating the occasional cookie. How many of us have gone on fad diets and then complained when the weight came back? Every year, countless people try to lose weight with minimal lasting success. These people are dedicated to their goals, but haven’t found a tried-and-true method for shedding pounds and—the hardest part of all—keeping them off.
I consulted with a personal trainer, a dietician, and a nutritionist and wellness coach in my city (San Francisco, voted one of the top ten fittest American cities by Men’s Fitness) to find out why so many of us struggle. Across the board, these industry professionals came across clients making the same mistakes. I asked them to shed a little insight as to why these habits are so detrimental, and what people should do to avoid them.
Not Prioritizing Ourselves
Because losing weight and becoming a healthier individual is a lifestyle change, it needs to be incorporated into our everyday lives. That’s why crash diets and counting each and every calorie tend not to work—most of us can’t (and don’t want to) keep up those behaviors for the rest of our lives. It can’t take a backseat to work, family, and social lives, either. “Sometimes you need to become a little selfish,” says registered dietician Manuel Villacorta, MS, RD, CSSD. “Make time to go food shopping, to plan your meals, to exercise. Not until you start prioritizing yourself and your plan will you see results.”
Over-Focusing on Calories
Many people believe that weight loss will come by simply cutting calories. They don’t factor in their bodies’ needs and believe that going on a low-calorie diet will be a quick-fix solution. “People over-focus on counting calories,” explains nutritionist and wellness coach Rania Batayneh, MPH. “What’s really important is the quality of your calories.” After all, there is a difference between eating 2000 calories worth of healthy food and its caloric equivalent at McDonald’s. She recommends keeping a food journal to keep track of food consumption, but stresses the dangers of becoming obsessive and reducing caloric intake too drastically. “You really need to understand your body’s needs,” she explains.
Eating Too Much of a Good Thing
With the increasing popularity of more natural, organic foods, it seems like the market is being inundated with products claiming labels like “all natural” and “whole grain.” While this push toward healthier food is great, the fact that such terms are used so freely means that some people are more free with their portion sizes. A label like organic or whole grain, while laudable, is not synonymous with low calorie. “I have clients say to me, ‘I eat organic, I buy everything at Whole Foods,’” relays Manuel. While these clients are committing to healthier lives by eating better quality food, they may also see that upgrade as a free pass. “One [client] was adding olive oil to toast instead of butter, but still couldn’t lose weight,” Manuel explains. “If you’re going to use fat, use olive oil; but you still need to follow the serving sizes.” Simply put—make healthier food choices, but don’t forget about portion control.
Comparing Our Progress to Others’
The American media constantly invites us to compare our bodies to celebrities—“Find out how Britney lost fifty pounds!” “Go on Beyonce’s cayenne pepper/water crash diet!” Most of us realize how impossible such standards are, but that doesn’t stop us from comparing our weight loss successes and failures to those around us. Having workout buddies and making lifestyle changes in conjunction with friends can be great for motivation, but not if it leads to an unhealthy competition. Rania wants to steer people away from this negative thinking—“Realize that you are a unique individual, and that your body’s needs are different than anyone else’s,” she advises. The danger is that when we don’t see as much progress as our friends’, we can start to feel like a failure, which only encourages defeat.
