Lets initial this article off right. You are not going on a diet. Our concept of a diet implies a temporary change that will work miracles - if we are only strong enough to stick to it. That way of thinking is encouraged by decades of fad diets that promised us quick, low-effort weight loss, if we just ate this one miracle food. I still remember the Cabbage diet, the No-Carb diet and the Banana diet, among others. Over and over throughout the last 40 decades , diets that advocated eating by a strictly enforced menu have been proven ineffective, or worse, dangerous.

Going on a diet also implies that you will eventually go off your diet - whether you fall off it, or return to normal eating. The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is to create a new eating plan that will BECOME your normal eating. And this is the place that most of the popular diets fail. Any diet that restricts your intake of ANY necessary nutrients too severely will ultimately fail you. In order to lose weight and maintain your weight loss indefinitely, you need to teach yourself to eat a balanced diet in portions that your body needs.

Below is a list of common diet mistakes that will undermine your attempts to lose weight.

* DONT restrict your intake to less than 1000 calories a day, unless you are under the supervision of a doctor. Restricting your intake that severely may lead to serious health complications. It also will convince your body that its starving and slow your metabolism so that it conserves your stores of food. In other words - your body will kick into gear to hold onto your fat so you dont starve to death.

* DONT cut out one or more entire food groups, including fats. Your body needs an adequate intake of all nutrients in order to stay healthy. In every food group there are workable and bad choices for weight loss. Stick to the sizeably good ones, and youll see your weight dropping without compromising your health.

* DONT fast for extended periods without medical supervision. For the identical reasons that you shouldnt restrict your intake of calories to less than 1000 a day, you shouldnt embark on a fast that lasts more than 48 hours without a doctors supervision.

* DONT purge. Purging, whether by emetics, diuretics, vomit-induction or laxatives robs your body of more than the nutrients that youre grasping rid of. Its unsafe at any speed. You may finish up with far worse problems than a few extra pounds.

* DO see your doctor before starting a serious diet. He or she can recommend a visit to a nutritionist to help you develope a common sense weight loss plan that will naturally evolve into a healthy eating style that will last a lifetime.