The 7 Deadly Sins of Dieting

One of every dieter's woes. Check this out, this is a good read for all of us "I'm having a hard time I just wanna quit" diet fanatics.

You’re completely committed to losing weight. You’re even counting calories and eliminating fast food. But no matter how hard you try, you won’t reach your goals if you fall victim to certain dieting blunders. Read on to uncover the seven deadly sins of dieting—and to ensure weight-loss success.

1. Choosing a fad diet. Although some of these plans may seem to work initially, any pounds you shed on them tend to come back quickly and in greater numbers. What’s more, fad diets can pose serious health risks. The same goes for most diet pills. According to experts, you should plan to lose a maximum of two pounds a week; any plan or product professing to help you lose more than that should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.

2. Leaving exercise out. Many people make the mistake of thinking that cutting calories is all it takes to shed pounds. Although watching what you eat is surely part of the puzzle, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) found that 94 percent of people who successfully lost weight increased their frequency of exercise. So be sure to make physical activity a part of your dieting regimen.

3. Going it alone. Losing weight is hard, but without a support system, it’s even harder. With nobody to tell you put that doughnut down or remind you about your 6 A.M. aerobics class, your chances for success are going to be lower. If you recruit a buddy, it will make you feel more accountable for your successes and setbacks—and help you to lose more weight, according to a Brown Medical School Study.

4. Being a yo-yo dieter. The constant ups and downs may not only be hurting your waistline; they could also be harming your health. In addition to the discouragement that may accompany rapid weight cycling, yo-yo dieting has been linked to long-lasting negative impacts on metabolism, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). As if that’s not enough, yo-yo dieters may experience physical problems, such as a decrease in muscular strength and endurance, thinning hair, loss of coordination, fainting, weakness, and slowed heart rates.

5. Piling on the extras. You may think you’re doing your body good by eating that salad, but if you’re just loading it up with creamy dressing and full-fat cheese, there’s nothing diet-friendly about it. Instead, substitute high-calorie condiments for lower-calorie alternatives. If you usually opt for ranch or blue cheese dressing, switch to vinaigrette (if you’re dining out, always ask for it on the side). And if you generally use mayonnaise, swap it for mustard—you’ll save nearly 40 calories per tablespoon.

6. Depriving yourself. This behavior can only last for so long. At some point, you’re going to break, say Harvard researchers, who found that diets that are too restrictive will most likely lead to bouts of overeating or binge eating. Try eating smaller meals and snacks throughout the day, which will help to jump-start your metabolism and stop you from feeling famished by day’s end.

7. Giving up too soon. It takes a great deal of dedication to shed pounds, and results don’t just happen overnight. The key, according to experts, is resisting the urge to throw in the towel, no matter how many setbacks you may face. Remember, the road to weight loss is a journey with many twists and turns—but when you reach your goals, there are many rewards to be had.

10 Super Diet Tips To Keep You Going

Do you want to make your road toward successful dieting and weight loss less rocky? Tired of the constant detours you seemingly face?

Then try these 10 diet tips to smooth out the bumps in the road:

• Eat a “rainbow” of color. Once in the grocery store, make a bee line to the produce section and load up the cart with fruits and vegetables so you can get the most fiber, vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants for the lowest amount of calories.

Fruits and veggies also will keep hunger at bay longer and are great replacements for sugar-laden snacks that will derail your diet with the power of an onrushing locomotive.

• Don't miss regular meals. You may think that skipping either breakfast or lunch will help you cut calories, but chances are good you’ll overeat at dinner or will gorge on unhealthy snacks because you just can’t stand the hunger pangs any longer. Eating throughout the day—keep it sensible—will stabilize your body’s metabolism so you burn calories.

Always eat breakfast and sneak in healthy snacks between meals to thwart the munchies.

• Give your tummy time to tell your brain. Your brain will need at least 15 minutes to get word from your tummy that you’ve had enough to eat. In that time before the “Stop” goes into full force, you may eat more than your body really needs, thus making you feel overstuffed. After you’ve eaten, put your fork down and back away from the table. Give your body a chance to catch up.

• Eat fresh. Stay away from preservative-laden foods that often are missing the nutrients and vitamins that flood over from fresh foods. These pre-packaged foods and fast foods are brimming with calories, fat and sodium.

• Get moving. You weren’t meant to sit on the couch or behind a desk all day. Strengthen your muscles and heart—and burn calories—by getting daily exercise. You’ll find that you’ll sleep better and the blues will vanish, regardless of whether you’re a gym rat or strolling briskly through the neighborhood.

• Treat yourself. Every now and then, go ahead, indulge in your favorite food. Restricting certain foods, especially the ones you’ve loved, from your diet can make you overindulge down the road. If you are hankering for cheesecake, for example, then go ahead and dive in—just from time to time, and in moderation. Better still, just take a few bites, not the whole slice.

• Know what the food labels say. Whatever you buy at the grocery, turn the package over and read the Nutrition Facts. See what ingredients the product contains, how many grams of saturated and trans fats, how much sodium, how many calories, and what is a single serving.

• Become a fan of whole grains. Unrefined whole grains, as opposed to, say, white bread, maintain their nutrients and fiber. Whole grians, such as breads and pastas, also help your body maintain its blood sugar levels, so you experience less spiking then crashing—which only means hungry—throughout the day.

• Learn the "good" fats. Not all fat is bad. Look for foods that are built around monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, not saturated fat or trans fat. The latter two are more apt to increase your waistline and bump up the scales. For instance, try olive oil, rather than butter or margarine, in your cooking.

• Don’t be bamboozled by “liquid calories.” That 12-ounce can of regular cola can contain 10 teaspoons of sugar—and your waistline won’t think that’s sweet. These kinds of “empty calories” won’t fill you up. For instance, reputed “health drinks” contain several teaspoons of sugar, which is the ingredient that gives you the “boost” you seek.