You've already heard the many variations on this advice. As a dieter, you know what you're 
supposed to do to succeed. But what about the things you're not supposed to do?
Did you know, for example, that drinking diet soda can make you fat? And so can eating low-carb protein bars and eliminating fruit! Here, for a refreshing change of pace, are the top 10 things you shouldn't do if you want to lose weight and keep it off long term:
1. Eat too little or infrequently. Keep moods and energy up, hunger satisfied, and metabolism in high gear by eating three meals and two to three snacks a day. Don't skip breakfast!
2. Eliminate all fruits. Extremely low-carb diets that forbid fruit are punishing and invite cheating. Stay on track with moderate portions of fiber- and nutrient-rich strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapefruit, or peaches.
3. Eliminate fats. Several studies at Harvard and elsewhere prove that low-fat diets result in weight gain. To lose weight, you need to increase your consumption of good fats (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats).
4. Get snacks out of your kitchen. Snacking helps with weight loss. Make sure you replace commercial baked goods, candy, chips, crackers, cookies, and pretzels with healthy snacks such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, celery, nuts, sugar-free gum, homemade "slow-carb" bars and muffins, protein shakes, cucumbers, yogurt, and sugar-free JELL-O.
5. Splurge away from home. Your healthy eating program is a way of life. Try to stick to your new behaviors and habits everywhere you eat--at restaurants, friends' homes, and while traveling.
6. Consume lots of artificially sweetened foods and beverages. Artificial sweeteners trigger cravings for additional sweets in some people. Others gain "false fat" or bloating caused by the body's inability to digest sugar substitutes.
7. Count calories. Hormone (insulin) levels, not calories, are what determine your metabolism -- the rate at which you burn fat. Eat balanced meals to keep your insulin levels steady and your metabolism working efficiently.
8. Eat lots of commercial low-carb products. Many companies have jumped on the "low-carb" bandwagon with high-calorie, low-nutrition snack foods that will not help you change your eating habits or lose weight.
9. Adopt a rigorous exercise routine. Exercise is important, but daily activity that you enjoy and can sustain over a lifetime is more important than killer workouts that are hard to stick with. The name of the weight-loss game is adopting habits that become second nature.
10. Load up on protein, eliminate carbs. Protein-loading has serious health risks, and few people can stay on radical high protein, low-carb diets long term. Switch to a balanced diet that features healthy amounts of protein balanced with lots of high-quality "slow carbs" -- carbohydrates that convert slowly into blood sugar.
The husband and wife physician-chef team of Harv and Patricia Haakonson recently released Slow Carb for Life: The Ultimate Practical Guide to Low-Carb Living (ECW Press) and All New Easy Low-Carb Cooking: Over 300 Delicious Recipes Including Breads, Muffins, Cookies, and Desserts (ECW Press). Find out more about them at www.slowcarbforlife.com.
Labels: breakfast tips, calories, diet, food, health, healthy-food, healthy-living, lifestyle, mistakes, myths, nutrition, weight loss, weight-loss
Comment: Saturday, October 18, 2008 1:35:00 PM - 
said...
Ok, I quit SMOKING and that was a challenge in itself, but I pat myself on the back to have done that....Now I have the extra weight I have gained and looking for a miracle isn't going to happen. HELP is what I need, modivation I have but no ambition..
Stuck!
bobswoman1@hotmail.com for help
Comment: Monday, October 20, 2008 6:50:00 PM - said...
Congratulations on quitting smoking, I have been smoke free for two years now and loving it! The problem is you can actually taste the food now!! My suggestion is flavor it up with healthy flavor - garlic, onions, use broth instead of oil for carmelizing - has an awesome flavor. Most important is the smoking, the rest will come with time, don't get frustrated! Happy Day
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 4:38:00 AM - said...
I used apex diet pills for a year in a half, now when i stop useing the pill i get hungry and triered i can not keep taking the pill what should i do ?
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 8:26:00 AM - 
Family Info said...
I also have just quit smoking (15 weeks) and am really frustrated with the weight gain. It would be nice to get back to my origianl size quick. I can tell the weight is affecting my back and knee's there has to be something that might get my metabolizim moving I have not been able to find it yet. grrrrrr.
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 8:54:00 AM - Gena said...
Reply to bobswoman:
Good for you for quitting smoking! Read the Schwarzbein Principle II. Smoking raises adrenaline levels, causing you to lose weight, but if you had kept smoking, eventually your adrenal glands would have burned out. Now that you've quit smoking, it will take awhile for your metabolism to heal, and temporary weight gain is normal. Hang in there. Once your metabolism heals, you will be able to lose weight safely.
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:20:00 AM - said...
Congrats on quitting smoking! I've never been a smoker, but I have a serious addiction to Dr Pepper. I've been trying to quit for years. I've even tried drinking just Diet Caffeine Free Dr Pepper, but I always go right back to drinking regular Dr Pepper. I have gained about 40 lbs in the last 4 to 5 years. I know all about what I should eat and I know I need to exercise both cardio and weight training. My problem is I have all the knowledge and the modivation, I just can't seem to get myself to do it. The first thing I say when I get off work is, I'll go home exercise for 30 - 45 min and then I'll study for an hour or two. But the problem is I always talk myself out of it and say I'll start tomorrow. I just sit and watch TV until it's time for bed. Then, around 9:00 or so that night I get a sudden jolt of energy and think I could exercise then, only it's time for me to go to bed. I just can't seem to break these bad habits of laziness.
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:56:00 AM - Gena said...
I used to drink Cokes all the time. Two years ago, I finally was able to stop by drinking Perrier and other mineral waters. I used to think it was the sugar I was hooked on. Turns out it was the carbonation. :o)
Can you do some kind of exercise while watching tv?
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 10:07:00 AM - said...
I walk three to six miles everyday and still haven't lost much weight.. It is disappointing. I have been doing it for three weeks now.. Plus I work out everyday..
Help!!
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 11:19:00 AM - said...
I lost 30 lbs. last year and have kept it off so far this year. I agree with 8-9 out of 10 of these mistakes. 1) Counting calories has been proven over and over to be a helpful dieting strategy. I did it for only 6 weeks last year but it taught me so much about portion control and the amount of food I should be eating (something I didn't know well into my 40's). 2) I am not sure what is meant by "rigorous exercise" but the exercie that a dieter engages in does have to be rigorous enough to burn calories (fat) and get the good chemicals that help control appetite and mood. The dieter needs to know what this amount is (monitor your heart rate and stay within a healthy aerobic range) in order to be successful.
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 12:53:00 PM - said...
congrates on dropping that bad habit of smoking..I have been working out to lesile sansones walkng dvds..they are really fun to do and you can do them at home!she has many different ones..My kids(who are teens) think that the dvds are fun way to work out.I have also incorparated eating heathier..watching my portions,drinking more water,eating more veggies & fruits.Ifeel so much better,my mood and energy level is alot better then its been in years!!good luck to you!
Comment: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 5:10:00 PM - said...
There is nothing in the article about DIET pop!
Comment: Monday, November 03, 2008 3:40:00 PM - Sue said...
There is so much to track and remeber, yeah we make mistakes.
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