Planning to lose weight? Avoid these mistakes, warns expert dietician

Crazy diets, fad diets, online challenges, falling for the 'fake' healthy foods... dieticians see them all when it comes to helping people eat right and lose weight. At a time when a lot of youngsters are hyper-focused on the weighing scale and counting calories, the thought of getting effective, healthy results from your weight loss regime can get sidelined.
Onmanorama asks renowned dietician and clinical nutritionist Dr Mumtaz Khalid Ismail about the common weight-loss mistakes Indians indulge in, that hamper the progress in their journey towards a fit body.

1) Quick fix solutions
Many people opt for powders and drinks that promise easy weight loss. But it can be quite detrimental to health in the long run, says Dr Mumtaz. "It's important to think of the pros and cons of such products before consuming them. Such products often can't offer a long-term, healthy result and might even worsen your health," she says. Though these products can be quite tempting, make sure you speak to qualified nutrition experts or dieticians before you purchase them. 

2) Wrong intermittent fasting practices
Intermittent fasting is the practice of restricting eating to a six to eight-hour period. However, that doesn't mean you need to skip major meals of the day, explains Dr Mumtaz. "For example, if you begin your meals with a breakfast at 9 am, you can have your lunch around 12.30 pm and dinner by 6.30 pm. Thus, all the major meals will be covered in the eating window. Some people tend to skip breakfast or not eat enough, citing fasting as the reason. But, they often tend to consume more calories during other meals which can hamper their weight-loss regime," she says. 

3) Following diets without knowing your body
Interestingly, weight watchers often approach dieticians requesting specific diets, without checking whether the approach suits their bodies. Vegan, vegetarian, and no-sugar diets are the most sought-after practices these days and sometimes weight watchers can be stubborn about wanting to follow them too, reveals the doctor. "It's important to do a blood test for an ABCD (anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary) evaluation before starting with diet regimes. All four parameters should be checked to understand what diet is right for your body," she says. 

4) Falling prey to online challenges
Social media is filled with vloggers and influencers who are into 'eating all things herbal,' 'eating fruits alone' or consuming only certain types of foods. The doctor confesses there are times when certain fitness enthusiasts vouch for unhealthy trends even when side effects are explained to them clearly. It is important to think of long-term health and nutrition requirements rather than falling prey to such challenges, says the doctor.