Common Mistake | Don't Make This Mistake

One of the most common mistakes I see when people are trying to lose weight is that they do not start slow.  They get on the treadmill and run.  They get to the point when they get runners high and overdo it the first day (or maybe week). 

The next day they can’t move.
My advice to everyone would be to start slow.  Make sure you stretch before working out.  Wear layers of clothes.  You can always take them off if you get to hot?

What other suggestions do you guys/girls have for beginners starting to lose weight?

That's good advice! People tend to get bored/unmotivated after the first week or so of working out.

I see so many people lose initial water weight during the first few weeks, and then their weight loss slows and they give up. You just need to press on and you'll start seeing results! Getting healthier isn't immediate or simple, but it's SO worth it once you get there. =]

Don't think you have to starve.....   It's the biggest mistake I see.   Eating too little sets you up for cravings, hunger-pangs and makes weight-control a miserable and tedious business.   People who try to crash diet usually end up quitting quite early on... whereas people who set off more gently and trim their intake just a little find the experience more pleasant and therefore keep going and are more successful. 

I think one important thing to consider is taking measurments rather than just relying on the scale. Too many people think there are no results when they may be building muscle (therefore not dropping pounds). Keeping measurements and seeing the inches decline can be even better motivation than watching the scale. Who doesn't want to wear a smaller size :)

great advice bells.... the same can be said about those wanting to get in shape.  a couple months ago, i decided to train for a half marathon.  to make the story short, i overtrained (Ran about 6-8 miles everyday) and ended up with a stress fracture in my tibia.  it's still VERY painful, and now i'm unable to do ANY running at all.  i should have TAKEN IT SLOW!!

my advice would be to incorporate exercise whenever possible.   walk as much as possible when running errands.  ride your bike to the bank.  with gas prices today, these alternatives have even more incentives.

Set Realistic Goals.  Figure out how much you have to lose, then add up .5 to 2 pounds a week to get your goal date.  Don't pick a date then try to lose the weight by then because it sets you up for discouragement. 

LIFT WEIGHTS! It is important to watch what you eat and keep the total calories going in healthy and within your personal target--but for it all to really work, you MUST lift weights. cardio is great, yoga is fantastic, walking is something I do every day.... but lifting weights is KEY! They need to be heavy (build up over time). Also, learn portion size! What I thought was a "glass of wine" was actually 2! Weigh and measure until you have it down pat. So you KNOW what a "cup of cereal" looks like in your bowl. So you KNOW what 4 ounces of chicken looks like on your plate.

They "Crash Diet" instead of changing their diet to be clean and balanced.

They don't incorporate strength training into their workout.

They don't drink enough water and "drink" to many of their calories.

They don't educate themselves on proper nutrition. They think it is all about "calories" yes, you must count calories to loose but eating the right food and properly nourishing your body is just as important.

People don't write down what they eat. For me, it has been crucial to any recovery for my binge eating disorder and any weight loss that results.

By tracking how many calories you are consuming, you can get a better assessment of your overall eating patterns. Waste calories on soft drinks? Eat too much at a specific time? Tendency to eat unhealthy while doing certain things (watching TV!)? All that insight can be gained from a journal.  

People tend to underestimate how many calories they consume. Any time I ever lost weight, I did it by tracking my daily intake, and it also motivates me to eat up to my limit so I don't hit starvation mode or malnourish myself in an attempt to see results faster (I'm incredibly impatient, hence why I tend to give up on weight loss pretty quickly).

Don't fall victim to "wasting" food.  Saving leftovers from a dinner can be a good way to space out calorie intake over days, but not if it's too tempting to resist them!  Additionally, if there is food that is about to go bad in the fridge, don't rush to eat it no matter what it is.  Yes, try to be frugal, but don't get neurotic about it.  Think - yes, you're "wasting" food by not eating it, but isn't it an even worse outcome if you DO eat it?  Then you're essentially wasting it anyway - you're putting excess into your body that you never wanted to have to begin with.  Besides, it's all poop and fat in the end... better in the trash than in the toilet or on your thighs!

Definitely log, yes, but don't undereat either.  Eating less and less won't help you lose weight any faster.  It slows you down a LOT!  Starvation mode feels like it takes ages to get out of.  And, you actually gain at first.  So it's better if you just start healthy to begin with, rather than crash dieting until you drop ten pounds and then sticking it right back on and then some.

Don't overestimate how much exercise you've done! No, 30 minutes on an elliptical doesn't burn 1000 calories.

If you give yourself a "diet-free" day, don't assume that it doesn't count. Yes, you've done very good all week, eating less than you burn. But if the "off" day you've eaten more than you burned the whole week, you won't lose weight.

For me the thing that helped the most in the beginning was making myself remember that I didn't get this fat overnight... and I sure as heck ain't gonna lose it any faster than I gained it if I don't make good choices...so I knew I was in for the long haul then.

I have been a beginner and fanatic so many times. It is important to get off the crazy wheel!!! Start slow is the best advice that I can give anyone!!! I too have been the victim of too much zeal and not enough gusto to carry me on month after month. It is important to start and keep small goals then move on to larger outcomes, not forgetting to meet benchmarks along the way.

This is the first time that I am not being supertrooper but really taking my time with self. If you want to stick to something don't be rigid, if you miss your mark continue on and NEVER give up on yourself. It's not how many times you fail but how many times you RISE to become better. Become a PHOENIX of health.

Good point, gj-jane you don't have to starve yourself in order to lose weight.  That is actually counterproductive.  A lot of people fall into that habit.  Some diets such as the Cabbage Soup Diet restrict your calories to way below that. (sometimes even under 600 calories a day)  I highly recommend that you check out my blog under my profile for more information on popular fad diets.

Also, I think people obsess about their weight in the beginning and just give up once they don't see dramatic results.  Finally, I would agree that people need to write down a log so that they can keep track of what they eat.  Also, write down your feelings because it helps out tremendously.
:)

Trying to ONLY reduce portion size without changing the type of foods. For example, I have a friend who eats every meal from McDonald's or the freezer. She will have breakfast from McDonalds, lunch is a tv dinner, and she is out of calories by dinner. Then she complains she is always starved "on a diet." She can't understand why I can have some evenings when I need to eat a snack to get up to my calories for the day. But I eat tons of fruits and veggies so sometimes I am rarely hungry.

Another issue is going for the extreme food plan in a hope to lose fast.  Not just undereating but only eating from an extremely limited list of foods.  I know someone who does this, even shopped for it and burned out before even making it through the day. 

Also not learning from one's own history - what dieting methods have worked best for them.  While some strategies are universal, there can be specifics that may work for us better than others because of our personal reactions. 

For example, Im not one to just 'have a bite' - I find myself more tempted while others might feel deprived causing them to later give up on dieting.  Identify what has been helpful in your past to help towards your success.

To avoid the yo-yo, choose changes that you can live with forever. 

If you can't give up chocolate until death-to-you-part, then severely limit the quantity.  If you can't work out at the gym 5 days a week for the next year or two, then pick a main activity that you CAN do and count the gym as a bonus.

Beginners Listen Up:

Here are some tips for all of you who are just starting out on a diet/exercise plan:

- 30 minutes of walking/elliptical trainer on a daily basis (you can start slow & build up your stamina - I promise it will get EASIER as you continue)

- Lose the fatty cuts of meat like PORK and stick to healthy pieces of fish & chicken/turkey breast & if you are able to find it... grass-fed red meats

- Eat all the vegetables you can get your hands on (EXCEPT for potatoes & corn)

- OMIT the butter & bad fats in your life (if you are interesting in learning more: JOIN MY GROUP called (Healthy) FAT LOVERS!)

- Drink Water & Tea & Black Coffee (NO SODA / NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!) 

Optical illusions are your friend.  When cutting portions use smaller plates if you're used to overloading the regular dinner plate so significantly.  Makes it easier to see "such a little bit of food" on that same plate.  I did this one myself when I realized that eating 3000+ calories a day post injury wasn't going to fly and looking at my plate I felt like I was starving when I went to proper portions.  Going to that salad plate really helped me a lot, felt like it was more food.

Plan meals ahead and keep ample supply of healthy snacks in the house or at work.  This way you don't risk running out and getting tempted by something bad out of a vending machine!

If you bulk buy, invest in containers and measure out individual portions so you're not snacking mindlessly.  When you're out, that's it. 

If you have a craving, 9 times out of 10 there's a healthier alternative.  If there isn't and it's something specific, then if you can purchase 1 or a small quantity of it, do that.. log those calories and compensate with extra exercise (even parking your car farther out at work or the market) so you don't guilt yourself later.

If gym memberships aren't possible and there is no track or walk path that has a measured distance near you, check www.mapmyrun.com and plan your route out. 

If you slip, let it go.  Getting into that mindset of "well today is already ruined" you can binge and it really isn't over with overeating at one meal or having candy or cake or something else. 

It does get easier!