5 Detrimental Habits Most People Adopt When Trying To Lose Fat

Long-lasting fat loss is a marathon — not a sprint

Four years ago, I got the athletic physique I’d always wanted.

But it wasn’t an easy task.

The process took years of failed starts and frustrating moments. While pursuing what for me were “body goals,” I adopted many harmful habits that threatened my relationship with food, others, and myself.

Sure, I saw results occasionally — but I was miserable.

I was constantly worried about my weight and looks. Anxiety and self-doubt plagued my every step as I foolishly berated myself for having lost the lean and strong physique I’d had growing up.

Back then, my metabolism and extremely active lifestyle had made it possible for me to seemingly eat whatever I wanted (I say seemingly because my mother’s food was healthy and nutritious) and stay in shape.

But then I turned eighteen.

My college years were rife with the processed foods I found at the cafeteria and a sedentary lifestyle. This, coupled with a naturally slower metabolism, meant I started to gain weight.

Now, I know that what for me was an undesirable physique can be someone else’s goal. But I was uncomfortable. I wanted to feel and look stronger — like I do today.

The years after college were full of yo-yo dieting. They were frustrating years in which I tried many different approaches — some quite extreme — but found no success.

They were years in which I developed unhealthy habits regarding food and health, a problem many people face.

Countless Youtube videos about “Things I Wish I Knew When Starting My Weight Loss Journey” show that relentlessly pursuing a leaner physique can quickly harm our physical and mental health.

Like them, It wasn’t until I unlearned the damaging behaviors that were hurting me and hindering my progress that I got my current physique.

Here are five of those detrimental habits:

#1. Letting a Number Control Your Emotions

The scale can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

If it helps keep you motivated and you use it to track your long-term progress, great. But if it’s a source of unending frustration, you’re probably falling into the first and most common pitfall of losing fat: obsessing over the numbers on the scale.

Every day, you wake up and weigh yourself. You’re on top of the world if you're lighter than yesterday. If heavier, yikes. Self-doubt nags you like a mosquito on a tropical beach.

When you adopt this dangerous habit, a number can make or break your day.

A number should never have that power — especially when dozens of variables affect it.

Just this morning, I weighed myself and learned that I have supposedly gained weight and that my fat percentage has increased. In the past, this would’ve crushed me.

Not anymore.

Now I know that weight fluctuations are normal. Today’s increase may be due to water retention, what I had for dinner yesterday, or whatever can impact my day-to-day weight.

Though I weigh myself nearly daily, I only do it to keep track of the weekly and monthly averages. While actively trying to lose fat, I ensured the average of one month was lower than the previous month. If not, I took it as a sign I needed to tweak my diet or exercise routine.

Now, though, as I’m maintaining my weight, I ensure my monthly average stays consistent throughout the year.

Tracking numbers with a long-term view can ensure you keep your goal in sight without falling into the self-doubt rabbit hole.

How to start:

• If you like weighing yourself, do it daily or every once in a while, but make sure you only compare weekly or monthly averages. The long-term trend is more important than the random daily fluctuations.
• Important tip: Get a scale that measures your fat and muscle percentages. Tracking these values is what matters when losing fat.
• If you don’t like weighing yourself, take progress pictures with the same clothing and lighting conditions every week or every month.

#2. Becoming an App’s Prisoner

Though this point is similar to the previous one, it deserves its spot as it’s one of the most harmful.

Many people have developed an eating disorder because they’ve let a calorie-tracking app rule their lives. They feel like a failure if they eat more than the app’s recommended goal or if their macros are off. And as they know how calorically-dense Nutella is, they avoid it like the plague.

They start fearing certain foods, the origin story of most eating disorders.

Now, I track calories. Not every single day, but most of the days.

In my case, I find it insightful — it’s taught me a lot about food — and freeing (yes, you read that correctly). As I know how many calories my body needs to maintain my current weight, I use the calorie tracking app to ensure I’m not going overboard with food.

The key is having a weekly overview.

If I eat 4,000 calories in a single day, I won’t beat myself up for it. I’ll know that I need to eat a little bit healthier on a couple of that week’s other days to maintain my weight, the same principle I applied when losing fat. I had a weekly calorie goal and kept track of what I ate to ensure my weekly total was within the desired range. Some days I ate a lot (especially when training), and others, not so much.

And I still lost fat.

How to start:

• If you feel comfortable tracking calories, ensure you do so with a weekly overview. This will allow you to relax on the days you go overboard. You’ll know you can adjust your intake over the next few days. For instance, if your goal is 2,000 calories per day, that’s 14,000 calories per week. So if one day you eat 4,000, ensure that on the other six days of the week, you eat 10,000 calories.
• If you feel uncomfortable tracking calories or you’ve suffered from an eating disorder, try following celebrity trainer Magnus Lygdbäck’s tip for keeping your meals on point: 85% of your meals should be nutritionally and calorically on point (a fistful of protein, two of fiber-rich veggies, and a slow carb like sweet potato or quinoa). The rest of the meals (15%) are for enjoying life.

#3. Forgetting One of the Most Essential Rules of Sustainable Fat Loss

Years before I finally got the physique I wanted, I felt like a winner because I’d lost a lot of weight while eating calorically dense, nutrient-poor fun foods (cinnamon rolls, Nutella crepes, ice cream, …)

I was extremely busy with work, so I reduced my meals from 3-4 per day to 2 (and sometimes one). Worse, I didn’t have time to cook, so I ordered whatever my sweet tooth craved.

The little food, coupled with the massive amounts of stress I was going through, meant that my body shed pounds like crazy. Three months later, I had lost all the weight I’d always wanted — according to my scale.

The problem is that as soon as I returned to my regular routine, all the weight returned, and I looked worse. Why?

Simple.

I wasn’t eating much protein or exercising, so my body got rid of lean mass. This meant my basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn simply existing) dropped. Once I returned to my regular routine, things got out of whack.

That’s when I learned an essential truth about sustainable fat loss: What you eat is as important as how much you eat.

Though consuming fewer calories than you burn is the number one requisite for losing fat, if you’re not feeding your body with the right macro- and micronutrients, your body will get rid of muscle. Your health will worsen (my weakened immune system that year proved this point).

Everything changed for me when I started to prioritize nutrients over calories. Though I ensured I was in a caloric deficit, I also tracked how much protein, healthy fats, and fruits and veggies I consumed regularly.

Now I feel healthier, leaner, and stronger than ever.

How to start:

• Though you can achieve a calorie deficit by eating whatever you want, try prioritizing nutrient-dense foods that provide your body with what it needs to thrive.
• A place to start is to consume an average of 0.73 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.6 per kg), and at least five servings of fruits and veggies daily.

#4. Fearing Bread

While trying to lose fat, many fall prey to whatever diet is trending.

Before, fats were the devil. Now, bread is the root of all evil.

The problem is that most of us find it hard to adhere to a diet that eradicates an entire food group. A testament to this truth is the number of YouTubers who’ve publicly shared they’ve quit a particular diet because of health concerns — it was harder for them to meet their daily needs — or a mindset change.

Moreover, sometimes it isn’t possible because life is meant to be enjoyed. Sure, most of us can stop eating bread for a couple of months to achieve a fat loss goal, but that isn’t sustainable.

At least not for me.

I love bread and other simple carbohydrates. I also love unhealthy fats.

This is why, as sustainable fat loss was my goal a few years ago, I didn’t cut — just reduced — these food groups from my life. I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to adhere to a lifelong eating pattern, which has been one of the keys to my fat loss success and its maintenance for over four years.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t cut back — or even eradicate — an entire food group. Everyone has their reality and preferences. I’ve significantly reduced dairy because it was affecting my skin health.

My point is that sustainable fat loss comes with a lifestyle change. It requires you to modify your eating for the rest of your life. So if your new diet makes you miserable, it won’t help you succeed.

Better to reduce that which is harmful but never eradicate it.

“Moderation in everything” is a cliche for a reason.

How to start:

• If you’ve noticed that a particular food group harms your health, but you can’t live without it, reduce the amount you regularly eat progressively.
• Stop when your diet becomes unsustainable. For example, though I’ve reduced my dairy consumption, I still have cottage cheese in the morning because I’d be miserable without it.
• Note: If you suspect you have an underlying medical condition worsened by any specific food group, consult your doctor before making any decision.

#5. Hiding From Others

When you’re trying to maintain a caloric deficit to lose fat, birthday parties, weddings, game nights — any social gathering can inspire anxiety.

What if I overindulge?

Maybe I should take food with me.

I’ll have to exercise extra hard to burn off that slice of cake.

These thoughts pound against our skulls, making us nauseous, making us believe neglecting our social lives — hiding from others — is how we get our “dream bods.”

But I have a question: Why are you trying to lose fat?

For most of us, the answer will be something like: to be stronger, healthier, to look better — to be happier.

That last point is crucial. Most of us want to achieve a certain fat percentage because we believe that’ll make us happier. And I won’t lie: Achieving and maintaining the physique you want is incredibly rewarding.

But you know what’s even more rewarding?

Spending time with your loved ones.

An 80-year Harvard study found that the #1 thing that makes us happy and live longer is having strong social bonds — not a hot body with a low-fat percentage.

So if your ultimate goal is to be happy, neglecting social gatherings is your worst decision.

Moreover, as I’ve mentioned many times, fat loss should be a long, sustainable process. A process with many ups and downs that, over time, has a downward trend.

Many weeks while I was losing fat, I didn’t lose any fat (I couldn’t keep the calorie deficit) and I sometimes even gained a little. Still, I ended up achieving my goal because most weeks saw a decrease which added up over time.

Even now, I still have weeks in which I consume more than my maintenance calories because I’m on holiday or I have many social events. But then there are weeks that I go below maintenance and others in which I am perfectly on track.

Losing and maintaining fat sustainably isn’t a fast, linear process. Instead, it requires patience, time, and enjoyment.

Neglecting our social lives will only make this process miserable.

How to start:

Don’t avoid social contact to achieve a fat loss goal. Instead, try adopting some best practices that can help keep you on track while enjoying the company of your loved ones.

• Prioritize greens when going out to ensure your calorie intake isn’t crazy and that you avoid constipation.
• You can also opt for zero-calorie drinks if possible.
• Prioritize protein to help satiate your hunger while keeping your muscles strong.

Long-Lasting Fat Loss Is a Marathon — Not a Sprint

As you can guess by now, the main culprit behind these five harmful habits is having a mistaken view of what fat loss should be: a marathon instead of a sprint.

Many of us hope to quickly shed pounds when a significant event or a holiday approaches, so we:

• Obsess over daily and normal scale fluctuations instead of tracking progress over a long period.
• Become prisoners of a calorie-tracking app instead of using it for information while keeping a weekly (or monthly) overview.
• Prioritize calories consumed instead of ensuring we get enough macro- and micronutrients into our diet.
• Cut entire food groups from our diet instead of making more minor, long-term adjustments.
• Avoid social gatherings because we’re afraid of “unhealthy” food instead of understanding that social contact makes us happy and that indulging occasionally is completely normal.

Long-lasting fat loss is a marathon — not a sprint.

Only by understanding this core truth can we achieve the desired results while enjoying the process.