8 Things You Should Never Do While Dieting …

Dieting isn't easy, and there's no magic pill that will make it simpler. What does help, though, is knowing what's effective, and what's not... and what to do, and what not to do. I can help with the latter, having finally gotten to, and maintained, a healthy weight! Here are 8 things you should never do while dieting...


1. Skip meals

Skipping meals isn't going to help you lose weight, and it's damaging to your body. If you're tempted to cut out a meal because you're trying to cut calories, try eating five small meals, rather than two or three big ones. Your body actually deals with the calories in small meals a lot better than large meals... bonus!

2. Completely cut carbs
Carbohydrates seem like a no-no in most diets, but in reality, your body, in particular, your brain, need them to function. Fiber is also a carb, and you really need that too, especially if you're trying to lose weight and be healthy.

3. Starve yourself
Who wants to be hungry, sleepy, unattractive, and grouchy? All of these will happen, fast, if you starve yourself to lose weight. It's also dangerous, and can even cause a fatal heart attack.


4. Workout more than 1 hour each day
No matter how badly you want to lose weight and burn calories, it's never a good idea to work out more than one hour a day. One hour is long enough to get a great cardio workout, weight training, or cross-training.

5. Expect to lose weight without exercising
If you're serious about losing weight and having a healthier lifestyle, you absolutely won't get there without adding and sticking to a workout regimen. If that sounds frightening, don't worry. A workout an be a brisk walk after dinner, a bike ride, a yoga class... just get up and move!


6. Set unrealistic expectations
This is so important! You need to be careful that you're setting reasonable, achievable goals for weight loss. If you're not sure what a good goal might be, talk to your doctor or a personal trainer. They can help you choose a healthy, ideal goal... and tell you what you need to do to get there.

7. Weigh yourself every day
If you weigh in every day, you'll get discouraged, fast. As women, our weight naturally fluctuates a few pounds every couple of days. Even my ideal weight is a range, not one number: I go between 120 and 124, seemingly a different weight ever day or so. Weigh yourself once every two or three weeks, instead.


8. Take someone else's pills
If a friend offers you some of her prescription pills because they've worked for her, resist the urge and visit your doctor to see if the same drug might work for you, or if it might be dangerous. It's never a good idea to take someone else's prescription drugs, especially diet pills.

These are my tips on what you shouldn't do while you're dieting, right from my own experience and the advice of my awesome personal trainer. Do you have any other diet no-no's to share? Please let me know!