6 Diet Mistakes That Are Packing On The Pounds

Losing weight can be a battle, especially when there is a mass of misinformation out there. Though you may be trying your best, some habits (even if they're recommended by certain websites) can actually cause you to gain weight. These are the 6 most common diet mistakes women make in an effort to shed pounds: 1. Eating "Low-Fat" Foods Low fat sounds like it's a good way to enjoy your favourite foods, but without the fat content. The truth about low fat foods is, there are actually tons of other additives in them to replace fat. These additives give them texture and enhance the taste. Most of these additives are sugar based, or just plain sugar. Sugar causes weight gain. Read your labels carefully. 2. You "Health Foods" Are Secretly Unhealthy You may think you're making a healthy choice by starting your day with store-bought muesli. Muesli, a mixture of oats, wheat flakes and fruits can actually be overloaded with added sugar. Again, checking your labels to make sure your "health foods" check out is the key to knowing what's going into your system. 3. You're Drinking Your Calories After a long day of healthy eating, you may treat yourself to a soda. Or, perhaps you're grabbing a glass of store bought, concentrated orange juice, thinking it's a pure and natural. Sugar is hiding in both of these drinks, and the sugar content in fruit juices is sensationally high! Try treating your body to fruit-infused water with no sugar added. 4. Peer Pressure Going out to eat with friends is a fun way to reconnect, and typically when you're sticking to a healthy diet, you cheat a little by ordering cheesecake or having a second glass of wine. But going out with friends who encourage you to wave your diet restrictions and split on a pizza or binge on unlimited garlic bread...well they're not respecting your efforts or choices. Sticking to healthy choices, even when you're "cheating", is a way to never feel the need to sway from your goals. 5. Your Portions Sizes Aren't Right The bigger your plates, the more you eat. It's been proven that portion size is visual, and you can control how much you consume by buying smaller dinner ware. Remember that in recent years, portion sizes in restaurants have been increased. So be mindful of what you order and always ask about portion size when talking with your server. 6. You're Not Catching Enough Shut-Eye No matter how much you workout or eat healthy, sleep can still throw the scale off. Getting enough sleep (8 hours) balances your hormones and reduces your food cravings. Plus you will wake more energized, so you won't be needed a sugary breakfast to stay awake. Have you been making any of these mistakes? What are some ways you've been able to curb cravings and stay on track with your diet? Let us know!