When it comes to losing weight, it isn’t as easy as we might like. While eating less — or at least more carefully and moving more tend to be the basis for any weight loss plan, this isn’t a foolproof method for everyone.

Even if you do find the perfect way to manage your weight loss and see great results, there are traps you can fall into that could undo all your hard work and see you go back to bad habits. This can make it harder to get back on track, especially if you see your weight loss slow or stall.

This is why it is a good idea to be aware of the traps you can fall into and how you can avoid them. While this may not guarantee you’ll be successful when it comes to losing weight, it can help you along the way.

Not having a reason

Because losing weight is difficult, it’s important to have a reason for attempting it. This reason will help you stay focused and drive you to succeed, as well as help you avoid temptations that might make weight loss difficult.

Having an abstract or vague reason for wanting to lose weight, especially if you’re trying to lose a substantial amount, can mean you don’t have enough motivation. You won’t be able to remind yourself why you are doing it and that the hard work will pay off.

The more specific you can be about your reason, the better. This way, you can use it as a goal rather than just aiming for a lower figure on the scales.

Hanging onto old clothes

If you keep clothes that are too big for you once you’ve lost weight, it can actually contribute to your weight going up and down for an extended period of time. Clothes can be really triggering and can make you more likely to make decisions that cause weight gain as you know you’ll still have clothes you can wear.

Even packing away old too-big clothes isn’t a great idea, as you know they are there. Instead, either alter your clothes so they fit you now or get rid of them to make way for new outfits that fit your new body. This makes sure you’re focusing on the future rather than looking back, which can really affect your mood.

The process of altering or getting rid of clothes can also be representative of bad habits, helping you to move forward with good ones instead.

Cutting everything out

You might think that losing weight means you can’t have give up all of your favourite things, only giving into temptation when you can’t stand not to eat chocolate for one more day. However, doing this means that you’re more likely to binge, which will have a huge impact on your results.

Rather than taking the all or nothing approach, enjoy everything in moderation. This is a much healthier way to diet, as you can still enjoy foods without feeling like there is a list of things you aren’t allowed. This makes sure you still enjoy food while still seeing results. It also helps you adopt healthy habits that can be maintained in the long-run.

Putting all the focus on food

You may have cut your calories and made your diet healthier, but if you aren’t also exercising, you aren’t going to see the best results. Thinking that weight loss is all about the food is one of the biggest traps you can fall into and can mean things don’t move as fast as you might want them to.

As well as looking at your food, make sure you pay attention to how much you’re moving and exercising throughout each day. This doesn’t mean you need to spend hours at the gym every day, but you should build up the amount you exercise over time to keep your metabolism working hard.

Even walking more can make a big difference so make sure you have a plan for exercise as well, rather than just focusing on your food.