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Fitness advice from the “mainstream” is full of nonsense and misinformation. Here is part 2 of “Avoid These Diet Mistakes” to help you reach your goals.
#11 You’re Overdoing It with Cheat Meals and Days
This is the polar opposite of the preceding error from part 1 of this series and occurs when a dieter believes that because they’ve “eaten clean” for a particular amount of time, they can now go “all out” and eat everything they want without guilt.
While cheat meals are perfectly OK to include in your weight-loss plan in moderation, don’t make the mistake of believing they’re “free calories” that don’t count.
Fat loss is essentially a game of total energy intake versus total energy expenditure in the big picture, and if you’re not careful, all those extra calories can quickly build up and completely negate the deficit you generated over the preceding few days or week.
Everything you consume in a given week counts toward your nutritional totals, and your bottom-line results are determined by the average deficit you sustain during that time period.
#12 You’re Adhering to Extremely Strict Dietary Guidelines
Any “fad diet” method that severely restricts certain macronutrients, removes entire food groups, or places an excessive emphasis on minor aspects like meal frequency or food timing will almost never be long-term viable.
You might be able to stick with it for a few weeks or even months, but you’ll most likely burn out and quit eventually.
When it comes down to it, proper fat-burning nutrition is extremely simple, and there’s no need to over-complicate your eating plan because that will simply add labor and mental stress to your life that you don’t need.
#13 As You Lose Weight, You Don’t Adjust Your Calorie Intake
The calorie intake that you start with won’t necessarily be the calorie intake that you finish with, and as you grow leaner and leaner, you’ll probably need to alter your calories downward to keep the results coming.
If your fat loss has slowed for more than a week, you can either add extra cardio to your routine or reduce your daily calorie consumption by 100-150 calories.
#14 You Don’t Have Any Refeed Days Specified
In the early phases of a cutting phase, refeed days aren’t necessary, but as you get leaner, they can be a beneficial tool to give you a break from your diet and provide you a tiny physical and mental boost.
Simply schedule one day each week where you eat at your calorie maintenance level, with carbohydrates accounting for most of the increase.
Refeeds will offer you something to look forward to during the week and can help with overall dietary adherence in the long run.
#15 You Aren’t Getting Enough Water
A little detail here but being adequately hydrated will help you regulate your hunger, improve your physical and mental well-being, and maintain your exercise performance.
There is no exact daily water consumption guideline because it varies so much from person to person, but a decent general strategy is to drink enough water to keep your urine light to clear for the majority of the day.
#16 You Place an Excessive Amount of Emphasis On Supplements
Any fat-burning pills you use as part of your cutting diet will only have a tiny impact on your outcomes at best, and appropriate training and nutrition will always determine the vast majority of your success.
Don’t believe that supplements may somehow compensate for bad eating habits, and don’t place too much faith in them or expect them to deliver results.
There’s nothing wrong with adding a few basic supplements to your strategy as a “cherry on top,” but even a well-structured supplementation program will only provide a few percent of additional outcomes over time.
#17 You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep Every Night
While this isn’t a “diet mistake” in and of itself, lack of sleep can throw your eating plan off because of the impact it has on your hunger.
If you don’t get enough sleep each night, you’ll have higher amounts of the hormone ghrelin and lower levels of the hormone leptin, both of which are important for controlling your hunger.
To boost your chances of sticking to your cutting meal plan without overeating, make sure you’re receiving enough high-quality sleep each night to keep these hormones in check.
#18 You Don’t Have Enough Patience
If you truly want to get lean and drastically transform your physique, you must accept that the process will take time and patience.
Expecting too much too quickly is one of the most common cutting diet blunders that may cause you to lose enthusiasm and fall off track.
The usual pace of fat loss for most average trainers is 1-2 pounds per week (those who are more overweight can shed fat faster), and you won’t have a defined six pack overnight.
You must be willing to put in constant work week after week and trust in the long-term process if you are serious about being in great shape.
Fat loss is a game of singles rather than home runs, and patience is essential for success.
#19 You’re Making the Wrong Comparisons with the Wrong People
Keep in mind that the “ideal physiques” you see in publications and on social media represent the absolute best of the best in terms of genetics, and many of those people aren’t even natural athletes to begin with, relying on steroids and other substances to boost their performance.
Furthermore, most of the popular images you see have been meticulously prepped and taken under ideal conditions (lighting, angles, getting a pump first, oils, etc.) and are frequently not even “genuine” to begin with, having been fixed up or even brazenly photoshopped.
It’s OK to have an end goal in mind for motivational purposes, but if you’re continually comparing your own physique to something that is frequently a fantasy, it can lead to disappointment.
If you’re going to compare yourself to others, at the very least be realistic and make sure you compare yourself to the general population.
In truth, merely being around 12-14 percent body fat and having some basic muscular development puts you in significantly better shape than the great majority of people.
#20 You Expect Everything to Go Well
Regardless matter how well you’ve planned things or how disciplined you are, you’ll undoubtedly have days when things go off track.
You will occasionally go over your calorie limit, succumb to temptation, and experience highs and lows in your motivation levels. This is perfectly normal and part of the process.
If you anticipate everything to go well from beginning to end and become discouraged by a few minor errors along the way, you’ll be considerably more likely to get off track when those bumps in the road do appear.
Always keep in mind that fat loss is all about what you do in the broad picture, and no matter what, your progress will not be entirely linear.
You will make mistakes, and you must learn to brush them off, accept them, and keep moving forward with your strategy.
