19 Weight Loss Errors Nutritionists Wish Everyone Would Stop Making

Before nutritionists were experts, they were average people with less knowledge about food and diets. Shana Spence, MS, RDN, CDN (@thenutritiontea) is a non-diet focused nutritionist and social media influencer who shares realistic tips and tricks to help people become the healthiest versions of themselves. In a new viral video, she opens up about some of the mistakes she made before getting credentialed.

“Five things I would never do after becoming a dietician,” she says at the start of the clip. From putting labels on certain types of foods to making assumptions about people that aren’t true, here are the mistakes she made so you don’t have to – and we also asked The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, to add her own commentary to the discussion.

Categorize Foods as “Good and Bad”

First up, Spence would never “categorize foods as good and bad,” she says. “Not every food is meant to provide nutrients, and not every food is going to be providing the same nutrient. That's why we eat a variety of foods. And yes, some foods are providing us with joy and comfort. That's okay.” Collingwood completely agrees.

“I try not to classify foods as good and bad but rather need vs want,” she explains. “Foods that we need have nutritional value, while want foods have fewer nutrients. Eating a healthy diet is a balance of getting the nutrients we need for good health but also enjoying some of the others.”

Assuming Someone Is Unhealthy Based on Their Body

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The second is making the assumption “someone is unhealthy based on their body,” she explains. “Bodies are not business cards. If we're talking about health based on lab values or whether someone is eating nutrient dense foods or getting in more movement, a lot of folks in larger bodies are doing those things and have great lab values. And on the opposite spectrum, a lot of folks in thinner bodies don't have great lab values and don't eat nutrient foods or get in a lot of movement,” she points out.

“You cannot just look at someone and know much about their overall health,” agrees Collingwood. “Some of the fittest people are in larger bodies with really good health measures. And just because someone is thin doesn’t mean they are automatically healthy. They could have very little muscle mass and have high blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels.”

Related: Courteney Fisher Shows Off Washboard Abs and Reveals 5 Ways to Get to Blast Belly Fat

Healthify Foods

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She also regrets trying to “healthify foods,” she says. “The time and Energy I spent making black bean brownies or ice cream when I could have just enjoyed ice cream and brownies. If you want to swap out something or if you're interested in trying out a new recipe, that's fine, but feeling the need to do something based on what you read on the interwebs is something different.”

Collingwood thinks making recipes healthier is a good thing, “but definitely not all the time,” she says. :If you really want some full fat ice cream, chocolate or a warm chocolate chip cookie, do it!”

Telling People to Stop Eating Their Cultural Foods

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“Number four, telling folks to swap out white rice for brown rice in their cultural foods,” she continues. “My ancestors were probably rolling in their graves when I did this. Not to mention this is based on the whole idea that certain cultures and ethnicities are unhealthy.”

Some food swaps “can make a huge difference in calories or nutritional quality and some don’t really matter much,” says Collingwood. “When it comes to rice, there isn’t a big difference between white and brown, but for people who love their white rice it can ruin it for them. There are plenty of other places in the diet where you can make changes without needing to change everything, especially the cultural favorites.”

Related: 4 Easy Tips to Lose Weight, According to Dietitian

Only Shopping the Perimeter of the Store

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“And last but not least, number five, telling people to shop the perimeter of the store,” she says. “Never. Again. This is based on the concept that fresh is best and clean. Eating, no such thing. There are plenty of nutrients found in canned foods, packaged foods, and frozen food. If you like the taste of fresh, that's fine, but telling someone that how they're eating is wrong because they choose foods from a can or package is elitist.”

Collingwood “never did like this advice either,” she says. “Sure, the perimeter has some fresh stuff, but the middle of the store has whole grains, beans, canned veggies, etc. In today’s world it’s not realistic that people won’t be using convenience foods and there isn’t anything wrong with it!”

💪🔥Body Booster: When it comes to everything surrounding diet and nutrition, it isn’t all black and white and you don’t have to go to extremes. Shop the middle of the store, eat the cookie or the rice, and don’t categorize things as good or bad. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Are you trying to lose weight but aren’t really getting anywhere? According to experts, you might be going about your weight loss journey the wrong way. In fact, even some of the top diet and fitness experts have made weight loss mistakes themselves. Body Network spoke to a few trainers and nutritionists and asked them about the biggest missteps they took on their fitness journeys.

1. Going Overboard with Calorie Counting

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While it is good to keep tabs on your food consumption, Risa Sheppard, Master Pilates trainer, creator of The Sheppard Method, advises not to go overboard. “Counting every calorie of every piece of food,” is one of the mistakes she made. “It became time consuming and frustrating.”

Related: I Lost Belly Fat & 17 Pounds With These 6 Simple Hacks

2. Starving Your Body of Carbs

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Mr. America Jason Kozma, a personal trainer in Los Angeles, reveals the biggest mistake he made while preparing for a bodybuilding competition. “I had gotten too heavy bulking up to add more muscle mass,” he explains. He spent four months dieting for a spring show “and still didn’t get in shape.” After a short break he reset his goal to a fall show and dove headlong into his diet. “I was using an extremely low carb approach as I felt I had too much fat yet to burn. What I actually did was I starved my muscles of carbohydrates for so long that at the end my body couldn’t assimilate carbohydrates and I couldn’t ‘pump u’ for the show,” he continues. “My body fat measured lower than ever for this show but I didn’t look as good as I had a year and a half prior at a higher body fat level. The net result was that I lost muscle using this approach: I was actually smaller and lighter than I was before the ‘bulk up.’” Note: He still won the show!

3. Doing Too Much Cardio

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Diet and fitness expert Adita Yrizarry-Lang, ISCA, NASM, ACE, AFAA, reveals that one of the biggest mistakes she made was doing too much cardio. “When I first started in fitness, this was the prescription…do a lot of cardio. The reality is that you burn more calories when you have muscle on your body, combining weights with cardio is the right way to do it,” she says.

4. Not Looking at Serving Size on Packages

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Yrizarry-Lang claims that another mistake is only looking at calories on a package, and not the serving size. “We were mesmerized by the lo-cal labeling on a package,” she says. “Unfortunately, we never looked at the serving size and then came to realize we were ingesting too many calories at a time.”

5. Falling Victim to Low Fat, Highly Processed Foods

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Just because something is low-fat doesn’t make it healthy. Yrizarry-Lang says that some people consume “too many processed carbs, because they are low fat.” While this might be okay for runners, going for 10 to 20 mile runs, “those carbs convert to fat,” for most of us.

Related: Alexia Clark Flaunts Chiseled Midsection and Reveals 3 Ab Mistakes You Are Making

6. Daily Weigh-Ins

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Weighing oneself every single day is another mistake, says Sheppard. “It can be discouraging,” she explains. “Try to weigh yourself less and pay more attention to how your clothes are fitting. Remember muscle weighs more fat so if you are on an intense exercise regime the muscle you gain will trim in less but may not show on the scale.”

7. Crash Diets

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If a diet seems too good to be true, it probably is. “The all-time worst” mistake people make is going on crash diets. Why? You might “lose weight at the moment” but you will “gain it back with a few extra pounds,” says Yrizarry-Lang. “This slows down the metabolism and makes it even harder to lose weight at a later date.”

8. Focusing on Exercise for Weight Loss

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One of the biggest mistakes people make is “thinking more exercise will cause them to lose weight,” says Sheppard. “80 percent is dieting and 20 percent is exercise,” she reminds.

9. Falling Victim to “Get Thin Fast” Scams

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Sheppard strongly advises against any products or diet that claim to help with rapid weight loss. “Do not succumb to quick weight loss scams or dangerous pills. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is weight loss,” she says.

Related: 15 Foods That Fight Fat

10. Comparing Yourself to Others

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Remember that your fitness journey is your own and “comparing yourself to other people” will “only add to your stress and discouragement,” says Sheppard. “We are all built differently with different bone structure and hereditary genes. Love who you are inside and it will reflect on your outside.”

💪🔥Body Booster: Beware of low-fat, processed foods. Unless you run for 20 miles a day, you should probably pass on a highly processed energy bar – those carbs might convert to fat unless you are working them off.

Have you ever felt frustrated with your weight loss journey, wondering why your efforts aren't paying off? You're not alone. Natacha Oceane, a biophysicist from University College London, nutrition expert, and IronMan runner, breaks down the common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight. Through her popular YouTube channel, Oceane translates complex scientific concepts into actionable advice for her audience. Read on to learn her insights and advice from other experts to help you avoid common pitfalls.

Setting Unrealistic Goals

Oceane starts her video by expressing concern about extreme training programs, "People spend so much time feeling frustrated, confused," she says.“It's just so exhausting to watch, and I can make a ton of videos about the science of fat loss building, muscle sport, science, and dietetics, but I just feel like there's nothing quite like a real-life example that just brings all of that science in one documentary series that is now up on YouTube.”

The Hidden Missteps of Weight Loss

Dan Go, weight loss and fitness coach, adds: "Losing weight can be one of the most frustrating things that you do in your entire life. And a lot of people don't even know the hidden missteps that cause them to keep the weight on in the first place."

Obsessing Over the Scale

A major issue Oceane identifies is fixation on the scale. She explains, "The scale does not measure how you look or how you feel."

Doing Daily Weigh-Ins

Risa Sheppard, Master Pilates trainer, agrees: "Weighing oneself every single day is another mistake. It can be discouraging. Try to weigh yourself less and pay more attention to how your clothes are fitting."

Unsustainable Workout Routines

One of the biggest issues Oceane identifies is intense workout regimens. She notes, "That works out to either 9.2 sessions a week or 11.6 sessions a week. Guys, did we not agree on sustainability?"

Avoiding Strenght Training

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Adita Yrizarry-Lang, diet and fitness expert, shares a similar experience: "When I first started in fitness, this was the prescription…do a lot of cardio. The reality is that you burn more calories when you have muscle on your body, combining weights with cardio is the right way to do it."

Neglecting Proper Nutrition

Oceane expresses surprise at the lack of registered dieticians in many weight loss programs. She states, "I am surprised that given the budget of some productions, teams don't think to bring in a registered dietician."

Forgetting Protein

Dan Go underlines the importance of protein: "Protein is the single most important macronutrient when it comes to changing your body composition when it comes to losing weight. When it comes to building a physique, a high protein intake reduces appetite and also balances a lot of weight-regulating hormones."

RELATED:These 12 “Fountain of Youth” Foods Will Help You Look Younger

Emotional Reactions to Setbacks

Oceane observes, "Emotional reactions can be dangerous. They can derail you from your plan."

Extreme Dieting

Jason Kozma, a personal trainer known as Mr. America, shares his experience: "I had gotten too heavy bulking up to add more muscle mass. I was using an extremely low-carb approach as I felt I had too much fat yet to burn. What I actually did was starve my muscles of carbohydrates for so long that my body couldn't assimilate carbohydrates."

Overtraining and Ignoring Recovery

Oceane highlights the dangers of overtraining, particularly when people start doing excessive steps and multiple workouts per day. She comments, "30,000 steps. I mean guys, we mentioned sustainable at the start of this video. It's not happening. Sustainability has left the building."

The Cardio Trap

Dan Go advises against excessive cardio: "One of the worst ways to lose weight is being in a calorie deficit and using running or cardio as your primary means of exercise. Yes, you are going to lose weight, but a significant portion of that weight is going to be muscle as well."

RELATED:10 Dairy Products With More Protein Than a Chicken Breast

Sacrificing Sleep for Exercise

Oceane underlines the importance of sleep in the weight loss journey. She notes, "We have so much science on the health implications of reduced sleep."

Neglecting Mental Health

Oceane empathizes, "I cried. I cried a lot. I also felt really frustrated by how unnecessarily difficult some people's journeys are."

Comparing Yourself to Other People

Sheppard says: "Remember that your fitness journey is your own and comparing yourself to other people will only add to your stress and discouragement. We are all built differently with different bone structure and hereditary genes. Love who you are inside and it will reflect on your outside."

Forgetting the Real Goal

Oceane reflects, "What people really want is to look and feel better and feel their best."

RELATED:I'm a Nutritionist and I Lost 80 Pounds With These High-Protein Chick-fil-A Orders

Focusing on Lifestyle, Not Just Weight

Dan Go echoes this sentiment: "My biggest win when it came to this whole getting in shape process was letting go of even trying to lose weight in the first place and putting the focus on the person that I was becoming and the lifestyle that I was creating."

Lack of Sustainable Habits

Oceane reminds us about the importance of creating sustainable habits. She questions, "If someone gets down to their goal weight and looks incredible after a certain period, was it with a routine that keeps them feeling happy, healthy, and the fat off in a year's time? That's a success."

The Crash Diet Trap

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Yrizarry-Lang warns against crash diets: "The all-time worst mistake people make is going on crash diets. You might lose weight at the moment but you will gain it back with a few extra pounds. This slows down the metabolism and makes it even harder to lose weight at a later date."

RELATED:I Lost 20 Pounds in 6 Weeks on Wegovy by Eating These 9 Foods

Last Word

Weight loss doesn't have to be a miserable experience. Oceane encourages viewers to learn from these mistakes and find a sustainable, enjoyable approach to health and fitness. As she puts it, "You can't hate yourself and hate the process into becoming healthy because that in itself is not healthy."

By avoiding these common pitfalls and following expert advice, you can create a more positive and effective weight loss journey for yourself, focusing on overall health and well-being rather than just a number on the scale. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss I’m a Nutritionist and Here Are 25 Weight Loss Truths You Need to Hear.