Three Common Traps For Dieters

Why are you not losing weight, despite your best efforts? it might be because you are falling into one of these three common diet traps:

•Mistake number one: Low fat = healthy.

Most people believe that eating low-fat foods is key to weight loss, but what they fail to realize is that there is a big difference between "fat" and "fattening." How much fat a food contains according to the label on the package does not tell you how fattening it is – the problem is not how much actual fat you eat, but the refined carbohydrates and sugars you eat that your body then turns around and converts into body fat. The problem is that food manufacturers are in the business of selling people what they say they want – low fat – and in return, they add in more refined sugar and carbs to keep the taste and consistency the same as the full-fat version of the product. By eating "low fat," you could actually be adding inches to your waistline by upping your sugar and carb intake.

• Mistake number two: Using "fat-burning" supplements as a crutch

Do fat-burning supplements work? Yes, but that's not the whole truth. The problem is that people forget why these pills are called "supplements" and not "replacements": They are supposed to be used in addition to a healthy diet and exercise, and not as a substitute for them. Supplements can help your body burn fat faster while in the "fat burning zone," but many people who take them assume that they can sit back on the couch and lose weight "while they sleep" rather than being motivated to keep up a vigorous exercise routine. Supplements can only give you an extra edge when you are already working hard; they can't do all the work for you.

• Mistake number three: Not eating enough

For most dieters, the idea that you could actually gain weight from eating less sounds like a cruel joke, but it's just a hard fact. If you cut your calorie intake significantly, your metabolism will catch up to your new routine and slow down proportionally, going into so-called "starvation mode." In starvation mode, the food you consume is more likely to be stored away as body fat.

So whether you are just starting out on a new diet or you have been dieting and exercising for a while and have hit a plateau in your results, the key to getting on track – or back on track – can be as simple as being smarter about reading food labels; avoiding over-reliance on supplements; and eating enough to prevent your metabolism from slowing to a crawl.