1. Starving Yourself

Starving yourself is dangerous, and it won’t work. There. I said it. No argument, either, because it’s just plain true. This is the ultimate destructive dieting habit, because you won’t care how skinny and svelte you look if you’re covered in excessive body hair (caused by anorexia) or if you’re dead (from heart failure, also caused by anorexia). So please, don’t starve yourself!

2. Trusting Pills

Again, it’s this simple. To date, there is no diet pill that’s going to do all of the work for you. There are some pills, like Ally, that will HELP you shed pounds, but there is nothing that will MAKE you shed pounds without substantial effort on your part. Any product that promises otherwise is a scam, so don’t buy it!

3. Cutting out Carbs

I know the Atkins Diet was popular because it seemed to work, helping millions of people around the world lose weight. But guess what? Your body NEEDS carbs to function! Cutting out carbs entirely will indeed help you lose weight. But it’s not sustainable, and it’s actually dangerous, so why bother?

4. Following the Fad

It seems like every week, there’s a new diet fad. The cabbage diet. The no-cabbage diet. The trampoline diet. Do you know why these fads fade so fast? Because they don’t work. Don’t be tempted by promises of quick weight loss by adding or subtracting one food or another to or from your diet. This is a truly destructive dieting habit, because it just makes you frustrated, and less likely to try a real, effective diet in the future!

5. Checking the Scale

There’s a reason they won’t weigh in once a week on “The Biggest Loser.” That’s because if you weigh yourself more often than that, say, every day, you’ll get discouraged with the tiny pound-by-pound fluctuation that’s normal while you’re struggling to meet your weight loss goal. Avoid the scale altogether, or weigh in only once a week, if you just can’t resist.

6. Not Getting Physical

Watching your diet alone won’t help much with weight loss… and if you do lose weight, you’re still going to be flabby and unhealthy, unless you get up and MOVE! It’s a total destructive dieting habit if you cling to all of your old lifestyle habits, like being sedentary. Ride your bike, take a walk, dance your bootie off… just get physical!

7. Not Checking with Your Doctor

If you’re obese, or if you have other health issues, it’s dangerous to embark on a weight loss journey until you’ve met with your doctor to discuss goals and options and to set a realistic plan. The key word is “realistic.” If you set out with unrealistic, unattainable goals, you’ll get discouraged and quit your diet… but don’t do that! Keep going, girl!

8. Constant Denial

If you are constantly denying yourself all of you favorite foods, you’re bound to have a big binge “cheat” and potentially ruin your diet. By allowing an occasional indulgence, you’ll avoid this sort of sabotage. For instance, if you adore ice cream, have a small bowl once or twice a week, but don’t avoid it entirely, or you’ll end up eating an entire carton in one guilty sitting, devouring all of your calories for the day in one frozen gulp.

If you’re careful to avoid doing (or not doing) these things, then you’ll likely have a lot more success with your diet… and who wants to diet if it’s not going to work, right? But these are just a handful of the destructive diet habits we’re up against… do you have any more to share? What do you avoid, so your diet can be successful?

Top Photo Credit: MarleneFord