Biggest Weight Loss Sabotages

Weight loss is hard as it is. I meet with countless men and women who are trying to lose weight and I notice over time that the ones that don't succeed are unknowingly sabotaging themselves. What are the biggest sabotages? Read on to find out.

1. Comparison to another persons life and health outcomes. I have heard far to often the line "its not fair, why can everyone else eat all the chips and soda they want and not gain weight?!" Or often the whine of "why do I have to be gluten-free and no one else has to be?" I see people comparing stories of who lost what weight on which diet and what medication Sally is on that she lost twenty pounds in one week! This gossip and comparison will suck the life out of anyone on a health and weight loss journey. Don't fall into this nonsense! Stay on your path and stay focused!

2. Greedy weight loss. Along the same lines as the above sabotage, this one involves the amount of expected weight loss in a period of time. We think that we should put up biggest loser numbers when in reality, we are really not even following the macros or suggestions that were assigned. Its not normal to lose five pounds in a week. Science proves that this would be VERY difficult. We must take the time to wait, be patient, put in the work and see the results come over time.

3. Perfectionism. It will lose every time! Why? Because we as humans are incapable of this! Don't put in your mind that you will start your diet on Monday with the expectation you will do everything right and NOTHING wrong. With this mindset, your diet will end by 10:00am Monday morning. Expect imperfections and challenges and you will do much better as they make their way into your life. Even better, plan for them and have an action plan for when trials and challenges come your way.

4. Results without change. When a new client comes to meet with me I can usually tell after the first meeting where their "readiness for change" is. This is something that we are taught in the field of nutrition because we are involved in a huge adjustment period in peoples lives. Ask yourself "What have I done through my health journey that has required actual change? Have you stopped going for pizza every Friday night and switched to sushi instead? Have you swapped your morning caramel latte for a home-brewed black coffee instead? Have you stopped eating lunch with the coworkers that order out every time? To see change you need to MAKE change!

5. Lack of priority. This one gets the best of many of us. I say all the time that I am thankful to be a dietitian. My priority for working aligns with my priority for good nutrition. Can I say that I have met dietitians before that don't actually eat healthy? YES. However, I do believe it makes it easier as this is what I put my heart and soul into. When I meet with my clients I try to assess for their priorities. Is it a priority to be with the family on the weekends and try new restaurants and coffee-shops? If so, I will need to ask them to think about the priority of being with family and have them work on the process of changing their activities slightly to help with this. Is it a priority to work long hours and climb the job ladder within their company? We will need to work on how to implement short periods of movement, grocery delivery and healthy convenience foods to fit their schedule and routine.

If you are on your own weight loss or health journey, ask yourself: Are you guilty of any of these sabotages? If so, work on reflecting on them and seeing how you can end the sabotage. Better yet, give us a call and we can help you work through it!