Dieting disasters!

Don't regain the weight and have a diet "do-over"!  Don't let these diet mistakes happen to you!

1. Overeating away from home.  Eating out poses a special challenge when calorie counting because restaurant portions are, shall we say, OVERGENEROUS!  Ask for a to go box as soon as your meal gets to the table and put half your meal in it to eat later.

2.  Not reading labels.  Just a tad bit of reading when grocery shopping will be wonderful to your health.  Pay attention to serving size and calories in the serving size.

3.  Eating too fast.  If you eat quickly, your brain won't get the message that you are full in time.  Put the fork down between each bite and chew slower.

4.  Denying yourself your favorite foods.  Totally banning a favorite "unhealthy" food from your diet sets you up for temptation.  Instead, use your calorie counting skills to allow a small indulgence occasionally.

5.  Guilt over mistakes.  If you are out with friends and get talked into dessert, don't beat yourself up.  Don't go in a backwards direction - instead put it in perspective.  It's just one mistake, not a ton of them!  It's the ton of them that will lead you in the wrong direction.  Get over it!

6.  Putting too much "weight" on the scale.  Weight is a measurement that is incredibly crude when dieting.  Why not use percentage body fat.  It's not hard to measure with a simple handheld device.  Also, take into account other dieting statistics like increasing your veggie intake by one serving per day. 

7.  Not exercising enough.  Even if you can achieve your diet goals by calorie counting alone, you would be more successful (and healthier) if you were physically active.  If you can't do 30 minutes at one time during the day, break it up into three 10 minute sessions.

8.  Emotional eating.  Eating in response to sadness, boredom, or stress wrecks your calorie counting for at least one day.  If you have the urge to eat in response to your emotions instead of hunger pains, find something else to do that will distract you for 10-15 minutes, like taking a walk.     

9.  Thinking of your diet as a DIET!  Instead, focus on making a healthy lifestyle and diet choices that you can live with for a long time.

10.  Letting one mistake start you on a downward spiral.  The remedy for this one - if you make a mistake, admit it, forgive yourself, and get back on track right away.