Losing Weight: The Mistakes You (Probably) Make When You Think You're Eating a Balanced Diet
That's it, you've finally decided: from now on, you eat a balanced diet! Yes, but here, thinking you are doing the right thing, you may have fallen into the trap of preconceived notions about “healthy” food, and that is preventing you from losing weight. Here are the six most common mistakes.
Eat a salad every lunchtime
Lunch salad is a must when you are trying to pay attention to your diet. However, despite its low-calorie appearance, salad can be killer: Add bacon bits, croutons, cheddar cheese, and creamy vinegar, and you've got an explosive mixture, at least as calorie-dense as a burger or sushi platter! So we focus on salads containing green vegetables, oilseeds, good olive oil, spices...
Avoid eating protein at breakfast
We can never say it enough: breakfast is a must. And to be fully useful, it has to be comprehensive (really). This means that in addition to the super healthy muesli that you make every morning, don't forget to eat protein, or else you'll be hungry in the morning and snack before lunch (which won't work in your favour if you want to lose weight). If you struggle with pork and eggs in the morning, know that almonds are very rich in protein.
Make a polluting treat
We often think of smoothies and fruit juices as a healthy alternative to soda and caffeinated drinks...to an extent, it's true! Because smoothies also contain a lot (a lot) of sugar. If you can have vegetable juice in moderation (provided that it is without additives), then limit fruit juice to two glasses a day, preferably organically selected and cold-pressed (then it retains all its nutrients).
Refrain from eating certain foods “because they are too fatty, too sweet, or too salty” (while you like them)
When we decide to eat healthy food to lose weight or slim down, we intuitively tend to eliminate foods that are too fatty, too sweet, or too salty. Sure, in general, it's best to avoid the refined sugars found in processed foods. But it's important to keep enjoying, so leave yourself a hiatus from time to time while you're dining at a restaurant or with friends, for example. Because by denying yourself you get the opposite effect: the body thinks you're starving it, and so it will defend itself by hoarding everything you eat.
Continue drinking alcohol as before
Yes, we don't think about it enough, but in order to have a balanced diet you also have to "drink a balanced diet"! Keep drinking plenty of wine, beer, and cocktails, and all the effort you put into eating healthy to lose weight won't pay off... Be careful. For example, use smaller glasses to serve yourself (there are not the same number of calories in a 15-cl glass of wine and in a 25-cl glass), and avoid refilling yourself. To get an idea, check out the calorie chart for alcoholic drinks.
Bet only on "light" and "0% mg"
It seems obvious, however... In light food, we actually add flavors and additives to make up for the loss of taste. The result: it is less nutritionally interesting, because its nutritional value is poor. Don't let the marketing fool you into adopting a 100% light diet. Eat healthy, natural food in reasonable quantities.