by Vea Terrie

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

Weight loss is always a challenge, but knowing how to avoid some of the pitfalls is a major contributor to success.

1- Choosing the right diet plan

All diet plans attempt to establish healthy eating habits, but following a diet containing foods that will not be eaten when the desired weight loss is achieved, will only result in regaining all the pounds lost plus a minimum of 10 percent additional weight.

2- Calorie consumption

A minimum number of calories are required each day to keep our bodies functioning in a state of health. Eating fewer calories than required will trigger the starvation response resulting in the lowering of the metabolic rate to conserve fat stores and eventually causing to the body to consume its own muscle tissue to obtain nutrients needed to sustain life. Check with a physician or dietician to determine the minimum number of daily calories required or use one of the free calculators available online to check the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) and get an approximation of the minimum number of calories needed to keep the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys and all body parts in working order.

3- Skipping meals

Skipping meals serves only one purpose: it creates the sensation of hunger. This will lead any dieter down the road to binges and failure.

4- Restricting types of foods eaten

Diets focusing on one particular food group throw the body out of balance by not providing all the essential nutrients required to maintain good health. Eating balanced meals with food choices from all the food groups, as described in the food pyramid, is essential to healthy weight loss.

5- Not drinking enough water

Water helps to flush out the toxins that are the byproducts of weight loss. The recommended amount of water to drink is eight glasses daily.

6- Not planning ahead

If a specific diet program containing preplanned daily menus is not being followed, work with a meal planner or journal containing at least one or two weeks worth of favorite breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to choose from. This helps to stimulate creativity in meal planning, gives control over food choices and portion sizes, and provides motivation to continue dieting. Advance planning also helps to avoid settling for poor, last minute, food choices with larger portions than necessary.

7- Guilt

Every dieter faces a situation involving temptation to eat something prohibited by his or her diet plan. A specific food item can be restricted, but should never be prohibited because it is human nature to desire

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