You have heard common sentences such as "Even drinking water makes me gain weight" or "I never eat but I still gain weight" from many people who want to lose weight. However, some behaviors that are done intentionally or unknowingly while dieting or just controlling weight can prevent weight loss. "Every bite, every drink that consumed should be consumed consciously," stated Spc. Dt. Buket Ertaş. She also explained that small mistakes made without realizing it can cause unwanted consequences.

Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Dietician and Phytotherapy Specialist Buket Ertaş stated, "Consumption of drinks that seem to be calorie-free is a mistake that everyone ignores! We hear the sentence 'I stopped eating bread' a lot from our environment. However, the perception that carbohydrates are the only thing that causes weight gain is wrong. The protein we eat too much is also stored as fat in the body! Excessive consumption of any healthy and beneficial food can also cause weight gain!"

She explained the mistakes that will make weight loss difficult and how the correct behavior should be:

Avoiding the Main Meal and Preferring Snacks

Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Dietician and Phytotherapy Specialist Buket Ertaş, reminding that the nuts and fruits, healthy bars and other snack alternatives are not as innocent as we think, gave the following information: “If you are hungry and have a snack, it is often very difficult to maintain portion control. This may cause us to take large calories in small volumes. In addition, it is very wrong to cancel the main meals and to establish an order with snacks. It should not be forgotten that snacks are foods or drinks that should be consumed between meals as needed and by adjusting the amount ”.

Substituting Tea and Coffee for Water

While maintaining weight control and dieting, consuming enough water is as important as eating foods. Therefore, not drinking enough water is one of the important mistakes. Reminding that the consumption of tea and coffee instead of water is also a serious mistake, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş said, “Tea and coffee are among the beverages we call di-uretical. In other words, it causes dehydration from the body. In fact, contrary to popular belief, it does not contribute to the body's water tanks. If you quench your thirst by drinking tea and coffee, remember that you are dehydrated."

Thinking of Weekend Getaways From Diet as Harmless

One of the applications during the diet is rewarding. Stating that this method is widely used in the society, yet it is not the right approach, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş said, “Dieting on a weekday as if tormenting oneself and deserving of everything eaten on weekends may cause both metabolism and health deterioration”.

Eating Less Food During the Day and Being very Hungry for Dinner

Stating "After sunset, human metabolism goes into resting mode, digestion slows down, and the return of every calorie taken will be magnificent as the movement decreases”, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş gave the following information: “If you start the day with the idea that I will start the day with a healthy diet and make the mistake of thinking that a healthy diet is directly proportional to starvation, the calories you unconsciously take in the evening may be a problem for you. Everyone has a calorie intake requirement to maintain a healthy life. If we do not meet these needs during the day, the body will have to complete it in the evening. Weakness begins, blood sugar drops, and they become hungry at night. If we meet our daily energy need without being hungry during the day, that is, if we make the distribution during the day in a logical way, our food consumption at night will be less. Therefore, our weight loss will be easier”.

Thinking That Protein Consumption Will Not Cause Weight Gain

Pointing out that carbohydrates are generally chosen as the scapegoat during the weight loss period, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş said, “Our macronutrients are basically divided into 3 groups: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Although carbohydrates are seen as the only culprit, in fact the calories of 1 serving of carbohydrate and protein are equal. In addition, the fat we get from protein sources is not mentioned. Although protein has an accelerating effect on metabolism, it should not be forgotten that consuming too much will also gain weight ”.

Not Considering Calories in Drinks

In times of weight loss goal, while generally dealing with the edible, drinking can be overlooked. Pointing out that this is one of the most common mistakes in the weight loss process, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş said, “Coffees with milk, cream and syrup are the best examples of these. It is actually a bad thing you do to yourself to drink a flavored coffee instead of eating in order to pass the meal. It is also necessary to stay away from the aromatic snacks alternatives that we consider healthy such as kefir, milk and mineral water. Fruity and sugar-added drinks will cause both rapid rise in blood sugar and weight gain”.

Switching to Light Products and Increasing Consumption

Reminding that most of the people who go on a diet do their shopping first, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş continued his words as follows: “In fact, it is a correct behavior to turn to healthy alternatives and to carry out shopping in this direction, but the thought that foods that contain expressions such as 'light' in the diet are healthier or without calories is wrong. With this in mind, increasing consumption will inevitably bring weight. It should be noted that there is no need to switch to light versions of any food as long as you adjust the amount. I recommend focusing on fresh vegetables and fruits instead of light products in a healthy diet shopping”.

"All or Nothing" Approach

Saying that most people make the mistake of removing many foods from their diet after they decide to lose weight, Exp. RD. Buket Ertaş gave the following information: “Too hard diets cause the person to give up his decision after a while and return to his old habits more sharply. The best thing to do is to identify habits that may cause weight gain and to consume foods that are very popular and cause unhappiness when not consumed, under the control of a dietician, on the condition that it is not frequent."