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They say if you conspire for something to happen, the universe conspires with you. Is the universe not helping you much even though you’re trying hard to shed some kilos? Well, maybe you are making a few weight loss mistakes that are keeping you from slimming down.
It’s time to educate ourselves and lose weight the right way. Here, celebrity nutritionist Nmami Agarwal shares three common diet mistakes that people commit while endeavoring to lose weight:
1. Shedding fats from your diet won’t make you shed weight
It’s time to shed the belief that eating fats can make you fat. After all fats aren’t an optional choice but an important micronutrient. They are integral for your brain, heart and gut health. Also, the glowing supple skin that we all aspire to maintain? It’s all because of healthy fats. Yes, fats are healthy ladies.
Interestingly, multiple vitamins can only be absorbed by the body with the presence of fats. However, the choice of fats is crucial. You must refrain from having saturated fats like butter, margarine, hydrogenated and trans fats.
What fats should be added to your diet then? Consuming essential fatty acids such as fatty fish, walnuts, avocados and eggs is all your body needs. For all the vegetarians and vegans: walnuts provide the highest form of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids that are vital for many body functions.
2. Fad diets don’t make good lifestyle choices
All those fad diets that claim to be the magical cure to your weight-loss woes? Well, they don’t work. The fact that they force you to follow the process of starving or choosing specific foods is a big problem. They direct you on the path of eliminating important food groups from your diet say- carbs or fats and rely on limited sources of energy.
They might give us short-term excitement of results but remain unsustainable in the longer run. Once you’re back to your normal eating regime, your weight bounces back, sometimes even more than before. They cause serious damage to the metabolism, affecting your digestion and absorption in the longer run.
What is the solution then? It’s time to return and stick with a good old balanced diet that has foods from every food group. Just master the art of portion control.
3. When it comes to losing weight, extreme calorie restriction is a big no
We have all been fed the belief that the lesser calories we eat, the faster your weight loss will be. The reality? Well, you might lose weight initially but risk your overall health in the longer run.
Extreme calorie restriction starves your body of the essential nutrition it needs. Also, the restrictive mindset around food could give rise to food disorders hampering your mental health as well.
What can actually help you losing weight? You must stick to a simple, basic diet regime comprising of whole foods like grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dairy.
It’s time to become conscious of these weight-loss mistakes and make informed choices.
(With inputs from IANS)
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