Five Common Weight Loss Mistakes That Create Love Handles Instead of Six-Pack Abs :

There's good and bad when it comes to weight loss information. Unfortunately, a lot of it is bad. And when information is bad, it has the potential of making you fatter instead of the other way around. So if you want six-pack abs and not love handles, let's take a look at seven common mistakes dieters make so you can reach your weight loss goals without creating any self-made stumbling blocks.

Mistake 1: Not enough fat

There is the misconception that all fat is bad, especially when trying to lose weight. However, healthy fats keep us feeling full longer so we don't eat as much throughout the day. Fat is digested slowly which helps stabilize blood sugar levels. Eat too little of healthy fats and you'll be snacking more frequently while not feeling satisfied.

Foods labeled as 'fat-free' often have a lot of sugar to make up for lost flavor. Consuming more sugar only leads to more calories and cravings, which leads to more eating. Your best bet for getting those six-pack abs? Fight fat with fat by consuming moderate portions of healthy fats like olive oil, unsweetened cocoa, nuts and avocados. Eat other excellent fats such as low-fat dairy products and salmon and your appetite will be satiated while your love handles become a thing of the past.

Mistake 2: Too little carbs

Despite current - and unfortunate - weight loss beliefs, carbohydrates very much belong in a healthy diet. The best 'diet' is really no diet at all, but a healthy eating plan that you can stick with for the rest of your life. Can you realistically adhere to a low carb diet for the rest of your days? And the most important question is, should you?

Carbs are an important energy source that also promote a sense of well-being. A healthy, lifelong eating plan should embrace a reasonable amount of carbs found in weight loss friendly foods like fruit, vegetables, seeds, beans, and whole grains. Research has shown many, if not most of these foods to actually help burn fat, not put it on. And the overall health benefits of eating these antioxidant rich foods simply cannot be ignored. On the other hand, simple sugars like those found in soda and candy only provide empty calories that pack on pounds and merely increase cravings for more of the same. Keep in mind that artificial sweeteners, while not adding calories to your diet, still increase cravings of sweet (often fatty) foods and are linked to an increase in eating.

Mistake 3: Too little calories

Love your love handles? Then the best way to make them even larger is to radically restrict the calories you eat each day. While that seems to make little sense, it's perfectly clear to your metabolism. You see, your metabolism doesn't know the difference between starvation and radical calorie reduction. When it senses prolonged hunger, it does its job of protecting you by slowing itself down and storing more fat so that you don't die. And remember what I said earlier. You want an eating plan that you can keep for the rest of your life. Does starving yourself for the rest of your life sound fun?

You should never go below 1,200 calories a day and even that few calories is extreme. If you're exercising as you should, then your calorie needs will increase accordingly. By the way, eat 500 less calories a day and you'll lose one pound each week. One to two pounds of fat loss each week is a healthy target for losing weight and keeping it off permanently. Shoot for much more than that and you risk hunger-induced bingeing and possibly packing on more pounds than when you started.

Mistake 4: Chasing the latest fad

The latest diet fads don't get you six-pack abs, no matter what the ads and books claim. They set you up to fail instead. Think about it. Who can realistically live on a diet of lemonade and maple syrup, or nothing but bowls of cabbage soup? Absolutely no one. Virtually everyone on these diets give up due to frustration and boredom. They then revert back to old eating habits and pack on even more pounds than before. You most likely will have done nothing to address those unhealthy and unsightly love handles. Once again, remember the all important question - can I eat this way for life?

 

Mistake 5: No strength-training

Many women avoid strength-training out of fear that it adds a considerable amount of muscle and "bulks them up". This fear is unnecessary as women normally aren't able to look like female bodybuilders unless they use steroids or extreme supplements. Muscle is not a bad thing. It actually promotes fat loss - even when you're resting - and tightens up the skin that loosens as you lose weight. Strength training, for both men and women, allows your new body to shine. Muscle gives your body the attractive curves and shape you desire.

Since muscle weighs more than fat, you might see some weight gain as you work out. But realize that the muscle you gain gives you curves in the right places and helps you remove the shapes you don't want. That muscle will ultimately help you lose more weight from fat than you gain from the muscle itself. Therefore, don't necessarily use the scale as your only measurement of fat loss. Use a measuring tape and track the progress around your arms, your waist or legs.

Now you know the five common mistakes made by dieters that actually increase the likelihood of keeping if not enlarging love handles instead of creating six-pack abs. Let's be honest. Don't the alternatives to these mistakes sound much more appealing?