Five Ways to Wreck Your Diet

Dieting is frustrating. No doubt about that. But many of us are doing things that undermine our diet, sap our energy and ultimately lead to abandoning the diet. Without realizing it, we are ensuring the failure of our diet. Here are five of the worst culprits:


Diet wrecker number 1: Going hungry most of the day.  Many people try to lose weight by cutting out snacks and sticking to only two meals a day. Sounds good, right? Wrong! By letting our blood sugar dip, our hunger center springs into action, making us acutely aware of how long it’s been since we last ate. Worse yet, our body becomes lethargic and every muscle seems to have its own personal ache. A better strategy is to eat small meals every few hours. That keeps your blood sugar even and avoids dumping large amounts of insulin into your blood stream when that rare meal finally hits.

Diet wrecker number 2: Skipping breakfast. Avoiding the calories at breakfast inflicts a heavy toll. Your metabolism never really gets started, so you don’t burn calories as fast as you should. Plus, breakfast is a great time to get your daily dose of fiber. So get your day off to a good start, you’ll be happier and healthier all day.

Diet wrecker number 3: Not enough carbohydrates. Yes, there are dozens of low-carb or no-carb diets on the market. Unfortunately, our bodies need carbohydrates for muscle development, energy production, and even memory retention. When you don’t eat enough carbs your body makes up the shortfall by consuming muscle. Not a good trade.

Diet wrecker number 4: Not enough beef. That’s right, beef. Sure, you can get your iron requirements other ways, but most people don’t pull it off. As a result, a lot of us walk around anemic. This leads to extreme tiredness and mood swings, among other lovely side effects. You don't need a daily steak, but once a week is a good idea.

Diet wrecker number 5: Not enough green vegetables. Think broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale. OK, you should add white veggies, too, as long as they rhyme with ‘cauliflower.’  These veggies contain chemicals that are critical to energy production, plus they augment your iron supply, as long as you get enough vitamin C to process it.

Do you recognize any of these diet wreckers in your daily life? A few small changes can make a world of difference!


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