It is important to know some signs that you are sabotaging your diet, to start correcting it more quickly and not negatively impact the results you want to achieve.
Losing weight is a process. The main factor (more than the type of diet you are going to follow) is to induce a negative energy balance, that is, to ingest fewer calories than you expend.
The problem starts when the desire to give in to impulses or eat larger portions than those stipulated by the nutritionist in the food plan becomes greater than the willpower and motivation to comply with it. As a consequence, the results will take a long time to appear or not appear at all, which leads to increased demotivation and the probable abandonment of the diet.
SIGNS THAT YOU ARE SABOTAGING YOUR DIET
Allows food rewards throughout the days
One of the main signs that you are sabotaging your diet is allowing food rewards to exist throughout the day or regularly for several days in a row.
These food rewards can be sweets, chocolates, cookies, and biscuits, among other “comfort foods”, rich in fat and/or sugar and salt, which are allowed to be eaten between meals or after the stipulated meals (e.g. chocolate for dessert or to accompany coffees throughout the day).
Avoid, therefore, having this type of food accessible or in your line of sight, either at home or at work, to make it easier not to give in to these temptations.
As an alternative, use other foods with a lower energy value, such as fruit, gelatin, cookies, or popcorn without added sugar, or have available only the amount you should eat, in particular when you take it to work.
Consuming more than one “junk meal” per week
Another problem that negatively influences a weight-loss program is eating several “stupid meals” in the same week or even the same day (“stupid day” instead of “ stupid meal ”).
This is because, when “stupid meals” are repeated several times throughout the day or week, the energy value of these various meals can nullify the negative energy balance you have achieved with the restrictions you have made during the week.
When this happens, the weekly energy balance becomes neutral and you will not lose weight between weeks, a factor that can lead to demotivation and abandoning your diet or the continuation of your “sabotage”.
Snacks often and/or eats extra planned meals
Moving on to another way to sabotage your diet, we get into the act of snacking or having “extra” meals between planned meals.
Often, what you will snack on or include in these extra meals are healthy foods, such as wholegrain toast, fruit, oleaginous nuts, pancakes, or other “guilt-free” preparations. However, they are foods that add energy to your daily diet and break the negative balance that you should promote to lose weight.
Therefore, if you don’t use up that extra energy consumed with more physical exercise, you will limit your weight loss results, even if it is at the expense of healthy foods.
Does not comply with the recommended portions or repeats the dish
In addition to having extra meals to the plan or snacking during the day/night, there is another form of sabotage which is giving in to the temptation to eat larger portions than you should or repeat the meal plate.
As mentioned in the previous points, when you systematically start to allow this to happen, you are jeopardizing the energy restriction that you should be inducing.
After giving in to food cravings, there is a tendency to make excuses or justifications for indulging in them
Finally, another of the big signs that you are sabotaging your diet is to find justification for all the “extras” you consume and for giving in to food impulses.
Some of the most frequent justifications are “I had an emotionally complicated day”, “I exercised more / walked more / I’m more tired”, “I’m menstruating or in the days before menstruation” or “It was just today, I won’t do it again”.
However, if you want these situations to be restricted to one day and focus on your diet again, you must assume, first, that you can’t control the impulse and not make any more excuses.
Next, you must remember the reasons why you started the diet and that if you continue to eat more calories than you really should, you will not be able to reach your goal. Make an effort, therefore, to disassociate your food intake from your emotional component.