It’s time to accelerate your weight loss journey.
Registered dietitian Courtney Kassis shares five bad habits to kick when trying to lose weight.
“I’m not gonna lie, they’re gonna surprise you,” she teased her 424,600 TikTok followers. in a clip last week.
Kassis advises not skipping social events, adopting a victim mentality, saving calories for later in the day, not having a plan and weighing yourself daily.
Avoid social events
“The number one thing I would never do in my weight loss journey is skip social events in order to stay on track,” said Kassis, who lives in the Philadelphia area. “Skipping social events can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can actually increase your risk of chronic disease, weaken your immune system, and even increase your risk of mortality.”
GP Dr Vivek Murthy has warned of a national epidemic of loneliness and social isolation, saying a lack of connection increases the risk of premature death by more than 60 per cent.
Recent research has found that chronically lonely older people have a 56% higher risk of stroke than those who do not suffer from loneliness.
Adopting a victim mentality
“The second thing I would never do is fall into the victim mentality,” Kassis advised.
“Instead of feeling like a victim because I have to avoid processed foods, I would rather change my thinking,” she continued. “I would focus on the fact that I can nourish my body with healthy, nutritious foods, because nourishing your body is a gift, not a punishment.”
Save calories for later
“I would never eat small meals or skip meals early in the day to save calories for later in the day,” Kassis said. “Research shows that the most important meal should be breakfast, and when intermittent fasting, skipping the last meal is more beneficial than skipping a meal early in the day.”
Breakfast has long been touted as the most important meal of the day. Skipping it has been shown to disrupt our 24-hour body clock.
A 2021 analysis found that eating breakfast every day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, and other chronic diseases.
However, research in 2019 challenged breakfast’s crown, stating that there is no evidence linking breakfast consumption to weight loss or gain.
“If you eat breakfast, you will not metabolize [your food] “You may still be hungry later,” said study co-author Flavia Cicuttini. “If someone is trying to lose weight or manage their caloric intake, there’s no evidence that changing their diet to eat breakfast will help.”
I have no plans
“Random recipes lead to random results,” says Kassis. “Without a plan, it’s very easy to make impulsive decisions that can derail your progress. I always try to plan my meals and snacks in advance to stay on track.”
Step on the scale every day
“A lot of dietitians may disagree with me on this, but I actually discourage daily weigh-ins,” Kassis said. “I find it creates unnecessary stress and obsession with numbers, and I choose to focus more on my energy, improving my mood, improving my labs…because those are real indicators of success.”
However, a 2018 study found that people who weighed themselves every day or almost every day lost an average of 1.7%, while those who weighed themselves once a week or less lost no weight.
The researchers noted that frequent weigh-ins might promote accountability, but could also lead to anxiety.
If you decide to weigh yourself often, doctors advise weighing yourself in the morning. The Post picked out eight of our favorite smart scales that get the job done.
