Avoid the 3 Worst Weight Loss Traps

By Rosie Peters

Committing to weight loss is one thing. Recognising the traps lying in wait for you and knowing how to avoid them is another. Here is a run down of 3 of the worst weight loss traps that will stall your weight control diet and fitness program if you let them.

1. Calorie amnesia. If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off you have to be aware that we humans have a tendency to fib to ourselves in order to get short term gratification. We forget about the little cakie thing (or 3) we had for morning tea, we overestimate the calories we burned on our morning walk yesterday or was it the day before?

Calorie amnesia means never having to say you are doing the wrong thing. You must not fall into this all too common weight loss trap. You may kid your brain, but your bathroom mirror sees the little lies building up on your dimpled thighs.

The vast majority of fat loss success stories come from those people who keep an accurate record every day of calories in, calories out. Statistics can be hard to swallow, but they give you the accurate information you need in order to make informed diet and exercise decisions every day.

2. Trade offs that are never traded. Promises must be kept, especially to ourselves. If we overindulge in a treat or take a day off our exercise program, then the next day we have to keep our promise to our faithfully bodies to complete the trade off with a few less calories in, or better still, a few more minutes of rigorous aerobic (cardio) exercise.

If you promise yourself a trade off in order to enjoy an indulgence, it is safer to complete the less attractive part first. For example, you can exercise a bit more today because you plan to eat birthday cake tomorrow.

Planning your cheat days makes them more manageable and a normal part of your weight loss program. Failing to plan for them can cause you to think of your little treat as a sign of your failure and an excuse to give up. And you must never give up - you owe it to yourself to succeed.

3. Filling up on pretend diet foods. You are never going to wean yourself off highly processed saturated fatty, sugary and salty food if you replace like for like. If you replace your fatty treats with their low fat cousins, you are always in danger of returning to the diet dark side.



You have to retrain your taste buds to enjoy fruit and salads and raw nuts and protein shakes and bars, otherwise chocolate and french fries and cream cakes will always be lurking in the shadows of your heart. Don't get me wrong, you should have a once a week treat meal that may incorporate some of your old favourites, but you have to knock the day to day cravings on the head. It takes a bit of effort, but so what? No pain, no gain (or loss, rather).

You have to make yourself as informed as possible to get the fat loss results you crave. You have to understand and acknowledge the real and present danger of weight loss traps. Only then can you make an action plan to avoid these insidious traps now and forever.

Rosie Peters gives common sense advice, encouragement and tips for weight loss, sensible diet and lifelong fitness. Sometimes it's not what you want to hear, but what you need to know. Visit Rosie to get diet advice and fitness tips for losing weight.

Rosie's e-Book Weight Loss is Simple may be what you're after. Check it out & get a FREE copy of her popular e-Book Fat No More, while you're there.