6 Healthy Diet Tips That Might Ruin Your Weight Loss

If you’re on a diet, you’ll probably be looking for lots of helpful dieting tips to get you through those moments of weakness. But sometimes, no matter how much advice you lap up, it seems impossible to lose weight. It could be that those healthy diet tips you’ve been avidly following, are in fact, sabotaging your diet. Here are 6 healthy diet tips which might ruin your weight loss if you’re not careful.

1. Eat more Fruit

We’re told we should include fruit as part of the recommended ‘5 a day’. And of course fruit is beneficial for our health. However, many fruits have a high concentration of sugar, particularly dried fruit. This of course means more calories. Raisins, apricots, dates and sultanas are great to snack on, but don’t eat more than a small handful a day. Also a large glass of fruit juice is likely to have well over 100 calories, so stick to one small glass. Fill up on vegetables and have a couple of pieces of fruit as a snack.

2. Snack on Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are a valuable source of protein, they’re filling, low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol. They’re also a good source of fibre and have loads of vitamins and minerals. They also make an ideal snack. So, yes, they should be included as part of a healthy diet. BUT, for all their virtues, nuts and seeds are high in calories and high in fat, albeit the healthy kind. Calories are calories and if you eat too many of them, they’ll ruin your weight loss. One ounce (28 grams) of peanuts has around 170 calories, half of which come from fat.

3. Fill up on Liquids

Drinking lots of liquids when you’re on a diet is often recommended because it can help to fill you up and make you less likely to overeat. And this is generally a reliable tip. However, downfalls can occur if you’re consuming too many extra calories from the liquids you’re drinking. For example, shop bought smoothies or cappuccinos are often high in sugar, fat and calories. A cappuccino made with full fat milk can come close to 200 calories or more. Stick to water, sugar free drinks or tea and coffee made with skimmed or semi skimmed milk. There are also several low calorie hot chocolate drinks which do a good job of filling you up.

4. Eat Lots of Salads

People starting out on a diet are often misled by the notion that eating a salad is the healthy option. Sadly, this is often far from the truth. Ready-made salads are the main culprits thanks to their calorific dressings. Some salads have more calories and fat than a burger and chips. You can find these salads in abundance in supermarkets and outlets which cater for the lunchtime crowds. Fortunately, most salad packs state the number of calories they contain. But again, beware. Sometimes they only mention calories per serving or for half a pack. Also, salads with pasta or rice in them often contain significantly more calories than those without. Making your own salads with low calorie dressings is the best way to keep track of your calories.

5. Switch to Low Fat Products

If you’re trying to lose weight, then cutting down on your fat intake is a good move because this should mean you’re eating fewer calories. But many low fat products simply add more sugar to make it more palatable. This is often the case with foods such as yogurts and biscuits where in many cases the low fat product has more calories than the regular variety. Making switches like this could easily slow down your weight loss. Keep looking for low fat products but compare the sugar and calorie levels with the regular version. Diet and low calorie products are usually a safer option and foods such as low fat natural yogurt don’t have added sugar so you will save on calories.

6. Ban Unhealthy Treats

So many diets start off telling you to ban everything you enjoy eating. While unhealthy eating habits may be the reason for your weight gain, starting a diet knowing you can no longer have any food you enjoy, is hardly an enticing prospect. If you love chocolate, then allowing yourself one or two pieces a day, as part of a calorie controlled diet, won’t halt your weight loss progress. This might not work for everyone though. If you’re the type of person who has to have all or nothing, then it’s best to steer well clear of treats.

Just remember, although diet tips are meant to help with your weight loss, they can also hinder it. Eating too much of virtually anything, no matter how healthy, can still make you gain weight. As long as you’re aware of the potential pitfalls that can sabotage your diet, you’ll be in a better position to keep on losing weight.

© Diets and Calories 2011