10 Common mistakes that may be sabotaging your weight loss goals

Losing weight isn't always as easy as eating less and exercising more. The human body is complicated, and losing or gaining weight is affected by many factors — including your metabolism, hormones, sleep, hydration and mental wellbeing (Images: Pexels)

Losing weight isn't always as easy as eating less and exercising more. For a great number of people, they train hard at the gym, eat what they think are healthy meals, and still don't lose a pound! This can be highly frustrating and demotivating.

As Dr. Sneha Verma, Delhi-based Weight Management Specialist and Clinical Nutritionist says, "The human body is complicated, and losing or gaining weight is affected by many factors — including your metabolism, hormones, sleep, hydration and mental wellbeing." If you are doing everything by the book and aren't losing weight, you may be doing some of the top mistakes without even knowing it. If you're making these mistakes, you can derail your success, hinder progress, or eventually lead to weight gain.

Below are 10 common mistakes that could be hindering your weight-loss progress and what you can do to fix them.

1. Overconfidence in exercise without changing diet: Many people assume that exercise can do the job of weight loss alone. However, when you don't monitor what you are eating or the number of calories consumed, exercise may not be enough to achieve the level of weight loss that you were looking for.

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2. Skipping meals, such as breakfast: Skipping meals often leads to overeating later in the day. Skipping meals may also slow metabolism and affect energy levels throughout your day. Dr. Verma mentions that it is especially important that you do not skip breakfast.

3. Overestimating portion sizes: Healthy food can lead to being overweight if the portions are too large. It is key to measuring and paying attention to portion size to control calories.

4. Not Getting Enough Sleep: Lack of sleep alters our hunger-regulating hormones or increases ghrelin and decreases leptin, driving more food cravings and more poor food choices.

5. Drinking Calories Without Realizing: Coffee full of sugar, juices, smoothies, and alcohol may add up to hundreds of calories without you realizing. Dr. Verma recommends drinking just water, herbal teas, or plain black coffee.

6. Trusting "Low-Fat" or "Diet" Foods: Processed "low-fat" foods are often heavily processed with sugar or artificial ingredients. Whole and unprocessed foods are always the better option.

7. Do Not Manage Stress Levels: Stress can lead to emotional eating and hormonal imbalances that can create a stall in weight loss. Mindfulness and managing stress is important.

8. Underestimating calories burned: Fitness trackers and gym equipment often overestimate, leading to potential overeating afterward.

9. Restricting too much: Extreme diets cannot be sustained and may lead to nutrient deficiencies or binge eating. In the long-term, a balanced and attainable diet is much more effective.

10. Not Enough Water: Hydration is critical for digestion and metabolism. Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger. Dr. Verma recommended at least 8-10 glasses of water a day.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.