Weight loss can bring a lot of positive aspects to our lives. When we lose extra kilograms, our body feels stronger as we normalize the blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes. We also change our visual appearance by getting leaner and cutting our muscles. Last but not least, effective weight loss gives us confidence in our daily activities. Still, it's important to choose proper methods that won't damage your body when it comes to weight loss. Chasing the goal of losing weight means people do not burn fat but lose their overall body weight, including muscles, which is not good. They eat less, hit the gym, and achieve the result they may not want to achieve. If you want to deal with being overweight effectively, lose weight, and keep your body in shape, you should know what methods to avoid. In this article, we will highlight the most unhealthy weight loss methods and give you practical advice about weight control.
What Makes Effective Weight Loss?
The most common misconception about weight loss is that you only have to reduce calorie intake, switch to healthy foods, and do workouts. This concept may work, but it will quickly make you hate the weight loss process. How to avoid that? The main condition of effective weight loss is to stay in a calorie deficit. The focus on eating healthy foods is good, but there's no need to be obsessed with it. You are allowed to eat sweets and even fast food if it keeps you in a calorie deficit. For example, if your calorie amount is around 2300–2500, slowly reduce it to 2200, then to 2000. If you rapidly drop half of your calorie intake, it won't allow you to stay active throughout the day.
By slowly reducing the amount of calories you take, you switch to using body fat as a source of energy. For the first time, it will be stressful, but once your body adapts, you start seeing changes, as your body will slowly lose weight and come to normal shape. Now, let's discuss methods that lead to weight loss but damage your body, as they should be avoided.
Skipping Meals to Reduce the Calorie Intake
Sometimes, when people hear about reducing calorie intake, they think that skipping meals will make a difference, as you literally eat less and lose weight. It's the biggest mistake people make. They want to have quick results and lose fat as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the proper weight loss won't happen in a flash, especially if you have to drop 10 kilos or more. Your weight loss program should be rational and put quality over speed. Instead of skipping meals, do the following:
Look at what you eat now and replace unhealthy products with healthy alternatives.
Create a list of meals you'd like to eat during a weight loss program.
Maintain your daily eating and count how much you eat during the day, ensuring you consume less than you spend.
Cook your meals yourself. When you do it, you know exactly what you take.
Cooking for yourself is good, but you may not have this option all the time. In this case, it's better to have a backup and know where to order high-quality meals for weight loss. With our weight loss meal plans, you will surely lose weight and eat tasty food. You can take a trial and then get a complete meal plan for 28 days, as you will get fresh meals delivered 7 days per week.
Relying on Fad Diets
The biggest problem that ruins the healthy weight loss process is that people choose fad diets to use "the fastest" approach for fat loss. These plans are overhyped and are based on "breakthrough" methods of eating specific products or focusing on specific components. For example, those who push fad diets to overcome obesity are encouraged to use a ketogenic diet when they focus on eating more fats and reducing carbohydrates. A ketogenic diet makes a difference, but it should be implemented slowly. It's better to start using it when your weight management is OK, but if you have a goal to lose weight, you'd better do it with a classic meal plan. Still, if you are interested in trying ketogenic methods, check out our recent article about keto diet recipes.
Instead of following fad diets, focus on products you like the most and search for healthy recipes that work for you. There are numerous ways of cooking chicken and rice, chicken and pasta, or making salad with tuna and feta cheese. These are only a few examples of healthy recipes good for calorie reduction.
Restricting Carbohydrate Intake
People are obsessed with low-carb diets because they think it's the most effective method to help you stay in shape. Lots of actors use such diets to prepare for their roles, like Alexander Skarsgard, who had an insane diet preparing for his Tarzan role. Still, if you want to lose weight to feel healthy, you don't need extreme meal plans with low carbohydrate intake. First, count how many calories you need. The formula is: 2.2 grams per kilogram of the desired weight. With this formula, it will be easier to control yourself and have no cravings in the evening. Of course, if you need to lose 100 pounds, keeping this discipline won't be easy, and you should slowly reduce the calorie intake. Still, if you are 10 pounds away from your goal, the process will be a bit easier. Anyway, going rouge about carbohydrates is a wrong concept in dieting, and you should avoid it, choosing balanced meal plans instead.
Focusing On the Numbers on Scales
People get upset when they lose 0.5 kilos in a day, and the next day this weight returns. They start thinking their efforts are not enough, but it's the wrong mindset. The weight they lose is water that is always inside our bodies, and it's OK that you have extra liquid inside your body in the morning. Instead of weighting in daily, focus on changing your diet and workout plan. Healthy eating and discipline will make the difference from a perspective, so consider weight loss as a long game. Weight in once a week and take notes. If you see positive changes, keep the track, and you will achieve the desired result as soon as possible.
FAQ
What method is the worst to lose weight?
A low-calorie diet with a carbohydrate deficit is the worst way to lose weight, as it may damage your health and cause lots of stress.
How to lose weight?
Weight loss comes from calorie deficits and physical activity. Once you reduce the calorie intake and switch to an active lifestyle, you will burn fat and get in shape.
Should you lose weight quickly?
Don't rush trying to lose weight because you can get sick and stress a lot. The worst case is when you deal with stress by eating more, which will make you gain weight.