Statistics show that some diets are more successful than others. In fact, there is no diet that isn’t successful in a certain percentage of people. The reason, of course, lies in human metabolism. Some are overweight because of too much starch, others because of too many carbohydrates, some because of genes, most because of inactivity, and even more are overweight simply because they eat too much. That’s why it’s good to be aware of some basic diet mistakes before starting a weight loss diet.

1. Unrealistic expectations
The biggest problem with all diets is that when you don't lose 10 kilograms in three days, as you read in some brochure, you give up, throw in the towel, blame the diet for failure, and go back to your old eating habits. If you come across a diet that promises you will lose more than 4 kilograms per week, don’t believe it. If you find a diet that promises you will lose one kilogram per week, don’t believe that either, because you can achieve that with a bit more self-discipline (reduce portion sizes, don’t eat in the evening, less sweets, etc.).

2. Snacks count too!
If you have a habit of munching something in front of the TV, you must of course add this to your daily meals. Everything, absolutely everything you put in your mouth counts, and don’t fool yourself that you can’t gain weight from just one small piece of chocolate. You can! That's because that piece is never small, and there are quite a few such “sins” throughout the day.

3. Skipping meals
When it comes to weight loss, it’s important that your body gets used to a new eating routine. You can only lose weight if you follow a schedule, eat at roughly the same time, and also keep your food portions consistent. Those who eat breakfast today, but tomorrow combine breakfast with lunch, or worse, combine lunch and dinner which then turns into a late-night meal—such people definitely won’t succeed with their diet. So don’t even start a diet if you know you won’t be regular with your meals. Believe it or not, the best time to start is actually during vacation.

4. Physical activity
If you think you’ll lose weight by lounging in front of the TV, you’re wrong. If anyone promises you miracle pills (or strange electro-stimulators), don’t waste your time. The calories you consume throughout the day need to be burned off. If not, even fasting won’t help you! It’s very important that you at least roughly know how many calories you burn by running, how many by walking, etc. During a weight loss diet, no walk will hurt you!

5. The time after the diet
Admit it, you’ve already heard of diets that are very successful, but then a week after finishing, you gain back your old weight—and more. The yo-yo effect is every dieter’s nightmare, but in reality, they don’t understand that the yo-yo doesn’t really exist. If you gained weight before because you ate 3,000 calories a day, and during the diet you ate only 2,000 calories, you’ll gain after the diet too. The real point of a diet isn’t dieting itself, but your way of eating. If you see diets as a program to lower your kilograms in just a few days or weeks, then you really do have a serious problem with the yo-yo effect.