Most Common Dieting Mistakes

Throughout my time I have seen a great deal more than I can think of right now...but here are some of the most common dieting mistakes!

1. Doing too much too soon - Starting the diet with a drastic cut in calories and 5 hours of cardio a week. Great you drop 3lb in week 1! 2lb in week 2, 0.5lb in week 3. Ok, what do you do now progress has stalled? Drop more calories? Do more cardio? Hell you are only on week 4! Tip - set your weekly target and do the minimum possible to hit that target!

2. Changing too many variables at once - So you hit a sticking point, cut calories by 10%, take out red meat, increase cardio frequency and intensity...the following week you get good results, which has been most effective? Did you really need to take out the hormonal benefits offered by red meat so soon? Do you still have as much room as possible to move with future cardio increases or calorie reductions? Tip - At a sticking point make one big change at a time, adding 3 extra cardio sessions and cutting carbs 25% is too much in most cases, do one or the other unless you absolutely have to!

3. Failure to have firm goals in place - You need to know whether you are on track! Otherwise how do you know if things are working? How do you know if you are dieting too hard or need to push harder? Have the long-term goal, ie a show date or even holiday and know what you need to do by then. Break this down into weekly targets to keep you on track!

4. Over dependance on cardio - OK, this is somewhat individual specific as some trainee's, especially if considerably overweight and trying to improve their physique or endomorphs dieting for a show, may need to implement cardio from the start. Cardio is a great tool for fat loss! But, it must be used correctly. The EPOC effects offered by intense weight training make it a far more effective tool for long-term fat loss. Over-dependance on cardio for long periods can lead negative effects on the metabolism making fat loss harder and harder with time, whilst intense weight training will elevate the metabolism. The building and maintaining of lean muscle is extremely energy inefficient - a great thing when it comes to dieting and 24 hour energy expenditure!

5. Failure to manage cheats correctly - The cheat meal theory is great! It gives a break from the diet and something to look forward too. But not every cheat is equal and different individuals will handle them differently! I have had clients who can diet extremely well, preserving lean mass, staying full whilst losing body fat with 2-3 cheat meals a week. There are others who will struggle to hit their fat loss targets with one large cheat per week, eliminate that cheat and they are losing 2lb per week. The differences in metabolism as well as insulin sensitivity are important considerations. So if your cheat meal is setting you back consider: do you really need a cheat meal if you are 30% body fat? Cheat meals benefit those with lower body fat levels to help prevent a starvation response and spike the metabolism. Instead, switch to cheating every 2 weeks if you need that break, or opt for a "healthy" cheat, giving yourself a break from the diet but without going for the higher carb and calorific meal.

Timing of the cheat is also important, those who have their cheat meal as their post-training meal will get the full benefits of the cheat and will always get better results if all other factors are equal. This is due to the changes in insulin sensitivity of muscle tissue immediately after an intense weight training session.

Cheat as your post-workout meal = Increased muscle glycogen uptake, minimal fat storage and metabolic benefits

Cheat at any other time = some muscle glycogen uptake, greater fat storage and metabolic benefits.

6. Dependance on Thermogenic Fat Burners - For lean individuals looking to lose those last few pounds these are great! But stay on them too long and the body adapts to the stimulus causing a drop in metabolic rate and increases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Long-term use can make it harder to burn fat!