The end of 2024 is near. Have you achieved the fitness results you wanted? If you’ve been exercising but seeing limited results, there’s a chance some of your habits are holding you back. A few simple changes can help you avoid it weight cyclingwhich is when you gain weight immediately after losing it and start to develop healthy habits that you can rely on for life.

Don’t forget this weight does not determine your health. You should always talk to your doctor other aspects of your well-being that you can focus on instead of losing weight.

These are the main pitfalls you should avoid to improve your chances of success. They’re not as big of a change as you might think.

1. Stop thinking short term

Everything on this list is somewhat of a harsh truth, but this one is often the hardest to accept (and change). If you approach weight loss with a short-term attitude, you may end up nowhere but on the yo-yo diet train.

Without a long-term approach to weight loss, you might lose 10 or more pounds in two weeks and then suffer a relapse when you find the regimen didn’t work for you. This is all too common when people embark on strict diets such as keto or paleo or fad diets that promise rapid weight loss. In reality, for most people, a well-balanced diet that includes all food groups and even some treats work best in the long run.

Part of successful and sustainable weight loss — losing weight and keeping it off — is understanding that fad diets, excessive exercise, and “detoxes” usually don’t work. They only last as long as your willpower lasts, and I’m willing to bet it’s no more than two weeks to a few months.

There are no quick fixes, miracle cures, or magic pills when it comes to weight loss, despite what the wellness industry might have you believe: weight loss requires dedication to a plan that supports long-term healthy habits.

The general recommendation for weight loss is a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week, although initial weight loss may exceed that for people who are very overweight and then slow down to 1 to 2 pounds per week. Studies have shown that this is a efficiently to lose weight without losing too much water or weak tissue — and to avoid a comeback.

2. An all-or-nothing mentality could be harmful

Many people who struggle with a short-term attitude also struggle with an all-or-nothing mentality. I started my health and fitness journey with this mindset. I cut them all processed foods: no breadno pasta, no milk, no cheese and no individually wrapped snacks. I basically existed on chicken, vegetables and berries.

It was great until it wasn’t, and I ended up on a CVS run for all the chocolate and Goldfish I could hold in two hands. Then, because I “ruined” my diet, I would eat as much as I could physically handle, because “Why not? I’ve already ruined it.”

Then I’d feel bad about the snacks I ate and go back to my overly restrictive regimen the next day. This is one destructive cycle to be, but it’s something I see all the time with personal training clients. An all-or-nothing mentality can keep you in a perpetual cycle of lose-win-lose, not to mention shame and guilt around food.

This all-or-nothing concept also applies to fitness: if you’ve done it the most effective workouts to get in shape in the least amount of time left and right, but you don’t feel fitter or stronger, you might be doing too much. Reducing it might be — counterintuitively — the answer improving your fitness (and the long game).

3. A stronger support system could do the trick

Supportive friends, family members, and significant others are critical to successful weight loss. If asked to cite the most common reason for not following a healthy diet from my past personal training clients, I would say stigma.

That is correct. As silly as it sounds, people actually make fun of themselves for eating healthy, especially in regions where food is an integral part of the culture. Growing up in south Louisiana near New Orleans, I experienced this a lot when I decided to make changes to my diet.

At family gatherings and social outings, I would get comments like, “Is that all you’re eating?” or, “You’re really not going to eat any dessert?” or, loaded with sarcasm, “Next time we’ll have a salad craving.”

It’s no fun being ridiculed or mocked, especially for things you care about (like your health!), so it can be very easy to fall into the trap of eating — and drinking — for the sake of your social life. This is why a solid support system is key to long-term weight loss. Without it, the journey can feel lonely and intimidating.

If you currently feel like you lack a support system, try having open conversations with your friends, family, and partner. about this. You can make it clear that they don’t have to change their eating habits if they don’t want to, but that your health means a lot to you and you’d appreciate it if they didn’t make fun of you or discount your hard work. .

If an IRL support system doesn’t work, turn to online communities that promote both health and body positivity. i really love Flex and Flow on Instagram, Health at any size and the Intuitive Eating Community. These communities emphasize health without emphasizing weight, which is helpful because when you focus on health outcomes, you’ll easily reach your happy weight. Reddit also has a great forum (/r/losit) where you’ll find lots of real-life weight loss stories.

4. Exercise doesn’t always conquer all

If you keep up with the wellness industry, you’ll know this saying: “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” Even if your goals don’t include a shredded stomach, the saying is still relevant. You simply cannot overcome a bad diet.

Exercise should be part of your overall weight loss approach because it is proven to help with weight loss (not to mention the long list of other health benefits), but it’s difficult to lose weight from exercise alone. Many people overestimate the number of calories they can burn from exercise; it’s usually a lot less than you think, and a lot less than the calories your body burns at rest during the day just maintaining your current physique.

For example, a 154-pound man will do you burn less than 450 calories during an intense hour-long weight-lifting workout. You can easily undo this effort if you don’t pay any attention to your diet. The exact number of calories you burn during exercise depends on many factors, including your weight. current, activity intensity, training duration, your age and body composition.

Additionally, focusing only on exercise can lead to a destructive cycle of extra exercise to burn calories you feel you shouldn’t have consumed. Or you may end up feeling like you have to “earn” your calories through exercise. Either way, taking this approach can lead to a strained relationship with food and exercise, as well as weight loss.

Some people, like those who have spent years dressing up muscle meal, can eat a lot of high-calorie foods and not gain weight because muscles burn more calories at rest. Even if you can eat whatever you want and lose or maintain your weight, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you.

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and some whole grains will serve you best in terms of sustainable weight loss and health. Combined with a consistent exercise routineyou will experience sustained weight loss and weight maintenance once you reach your desired weight.

5. Sleep more, reduce stress and eat better

Losing weight will be much more difficult if you are chronically stressed, sleep deprived or overbusy. This scenario may sound familiar:

• You wake up motivated and ready to seize the day. You have plans for a post-work interval running and your healthy, prepared dinner is waiting for you in the fridge.
• A few hours into the day, your lack of sleep catches up with you. Lay down for the afternoon coffee.
• By the time work is done, you’re too tired to go for that run. You decide to skip it.
• You’re tired and maybe a little stressed or cranky, so you ditch the healthy dinner and hit the car — because you want comfort food.

This is OK if it happens occasionally (everyone deserves a lazy evening every now and then), but losing weight will seem impossible if it happens all the time.

The truth is, diet and exercise are just two components of a healthy life which can lead to weight loss. While important, too much emphasis on nutrition and exercise can cause you to overlook other factors that are just as important: sleep and stress management.

6. Supplements can’t do all the heavy lifting

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that fat burner supplement in your medicine cabinet won’t do the job for you. Certain supplements can help you reach your weight loss goals, but you have to put in the work for the supplements to work.

For example, incorporating a daily protein shake in the morning can helps you feel fuller throughout the day, which can help keep cravings at bay. Increased protein intake can also helps you build muscle masswhich helps to body recomposition.

Certain weight loss supplements have some evidence to support thembut no supplement is proven as the method no one wants to take: eat fewer calories than you burn.