Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
Losing weight isn’t as easy as it sounds. It involves months and years of hard work, dedication, and consistency to achieve the desired weight goals. Keeping your weight in a healthy range has several benefits, including- efficient blood circulation, eliminating toxins, and lowering the chances of developing chronic ailments such as:
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Certain types of cancers
- Gallstones
- Osteoarthritis
- Breathing complications
- Sleep apnea
This journey of achieving healthy weight should involve guided steps, as implementing wrong measures can give rise to muscle or bone movement complications, and may even affect the functioning of certain organs due to misguided dietary choices.
Making a decision and putting efforts into weight management seems to be easy at the start, but the great often start at times comes to an abrupt end when the reality contradicts expectations. Many people fail to realize the importance of diet and exercise when it comes to weight loss.
They may workout regularly for weight loss neglecting the importance of a diet rich in protein and fibre, and vice versa, or may indulge only in cardio activities and no strength training.
The realistic approach towards a healthy weight includes different workout plans depending upon the fitness goals. Eating foods rich in nutrients such as protein and fibre to help you feel full and develop resistance towards unhealthy eating habits, and staying realistic and consistent to achieve the desired weight goals are the ideal ways towards a successful weight loss.
In this article, we bring you the six most common mistakes that most people can make in their journey to achieve a healthy weight and how to avoid these mistakes.
Skipping meals
Meals are the most important part of the weight loss process as the frequency and distribution of the meals have a huge impact on weight loss progress. But many people have a misconception that if they reduce their calorie intake by skipping meals, it can speed up the process of weight loss, which is wrong.
In reality, skipping a meal can increase the urge to eat more in the next meal and you may end up overeating. Skipping meals can also impact your blood sugar levels, metabolism, and energy levels.
Recommendation: Instead of skipping meals, eat foods rich in fibre. Fibrous foods make you feel full for a longer duration and also promote healthy digestion.
Sleep deprivation
Proper sleep is one of the most essential ingredients involved in the process of attaining a healthy weight. If you often think that despite following a healthy lifestyle, why is it that the desired goals are not achieved? It may be due to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is linked to an increase in the secretion of a hormone called ‘cortisol’ which triggers fat storage and can also lead to an imbalance in leptin and ghrelin, the key hunger hormones.
Recommendation: Experts recommend that getting a sound sleep of seven to eight hours is essential for the healthy functioning of our body. So, create a proper sleep routine and stick to it for achieving the results you desire.
Neglecting the importance of protein
Protein is one of the most important macronutrients that play a crucial role in the development of muscles, enhancing metabolism, keeping you energized, and fulfilling several other aspects of body weight regulation.
It also helps in thermogenesis, the heat production process to burn calories. Protein also aids in reducing sugar cravings and controls excess fat deposits due to sugar overloads.
One of the common mistake weight loss warriors make is to either reduce or altogether remove protein intake from their diet, which is a strict No.
Recommendation: The amount of protein intake should be in sync with your physical activity, as prolonged protein intake with a sedentary lifestyle can give rise to complications like osteoarthritis and increased inflammation.
Not staying hydrated
Approximately 60% of the human body is water, thus staying hydrated is extremely crucial for the body to perform almost every function. Dehydration negatively influences the process of burning extra fat, encourages excessive calorie intake, and also affects metabolism. Drinking less water can also lead to low energy levels and increased fatigue.
Recommendation: Experts recommend drinking approximately eight glasses of water or 2 to 3 litres of water every day to stay healthy.
Relying only on exercises
Keeping a sole on and neglecting other aspects of the weight-loss equation is another common mistake that many people make. Exercising is undoubtedly essential for weight loss, but if the process does not involve a strict diet plan and other lifestyle changes, achieving healthy weight goals is nearly impossible.
Recommendation: Ask your dietician to recommend a diet plan based on your body weight and other aspects of your health to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Doing the same exercise daily
Doing the same exercise every day is a mistake that obstructs your weight loss program as it leads to little or no weight loss at all. Another setback is that the same physical routine causes boredom which leads to a lack of willingness to work out.
Recommendation: Variation is important. Every time you workout, focus on exercises of different body parts for the growth and development of your entire physique.
Final thoughts
Maintaining a healthy weight is extremely crucial for your overall well-being, but the process of attaining the bodyweight goals can be a little complicated which can obstruct the process even if you’ve been working out for a long time.
The aforesaid six mistakes are the most common that many people implement willingly, unaware of the adverse effects. To make your weight loss journey fruitful, take measures to eliminate these wrong practices.
Also, by opting for regular health screenings, you can stay on top of your health condition and take preventive measures in the event that you are likely to be hit by a disease.
