Five Diet Mistakes

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, you might be making some common mistakes. A new report by researchers at UCLA lists the top five “wrong way” diet habits.

1. Not keeping frozen or canned fruits and vegetables in the house. They’re good to have around for use in a pinch. It’s a myth that canned and frozen fruits and vegetables aren’t good for you; some have even more concentrated nutrients than fresh ones that have been sitting in your refrigerator for days. Since all of us need to strive for at least five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, having these around for the times you don’t have fresh available will increase the odds of getting them into your diet.
2. Having junk food around the house. When most of us go to the supermarket, we don’t stock up on healthy snacks. Here’s a shopping tip: Try to purchase most of your items from the perimeter of the store. That’s where all the whole foods that are recommended for a balanced diet—fruits and vegetables, meat, milk, and whole grains—are located.
3. Eating the same way you did 10 or 20 years ago. Calorie and nutrient needs change as you age, and you need to adapt serving sizes and food choices according to your weight and current activity levels.
4. Fasting during the day or skipping meals. When you fast or skip meals as a diet method, your body simply adapts to this starvation and eventually shuts down, so you end up eating very little and yet losing very little weight.
5. Jumping on fad diets. The latest fad will help you lose weight, but those fad diets are often very difficult to maintain.
Instead, adopt the view that there are no forbidden foods and just eat less, and you’ll be much more likely to lose weight and keep it off.