Five Things Not to Do When Trying to Lose Weight

ByJarin Satterlee

(Because Self-Sabotage Is So Last Season)

There’s no shortage of advice out there when it comes to losing weight—but sometimes, knowing what not to do is just as important. If you’re serious about getting healthier, here are five things the experts say can tank your progress before it even starts.

Let’s save you the pain and skip the landmines.

1. Don’t Drastically Cut Calories or Skip Meals

Weight loss isn’t about starvation—it’s about strategy.

At its core, weight loss boils down to calories in vs. calories out. If you consistently eat fewer calories than your body burns, you’ll lose weight. But here’s where people go sideways: they slash their calories to the bone or skip meals entirely, thinking faster results will follow.

Bad move.

Your body isn’t stupid. When calories drop too low, it adapts—by slowing down your metabolism, clinging to fat stores, and burning muscle for fuel. You end up tired, hangry, and stuck. Worse? That kind of crash diet often triggers binge-eating rebounds that wipe out any progress.

? The key isn’t to avoid calories—it’s to control them.
Create a modest calorie deficit with consistent, balanced meals throughout the day. Focus on nutrient density, not just cutting quantity. You’ll feel better, fuel better, and actually stick with it.

2. Don’t Rely on Fad Diets or Detoxes

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably requires cayenne pepper and shame.

Fad diets promise magic. What they deliver is misery. You might drop a few pounds quickly, but it’s usually water, not fat. Worse, these restrictive approaches train you to fear food groups, distrust your own hunger cues, and abandon normalcy in favor of extremes.

There’s no long-term win in drinking celery juice for breakfast and calling it discipline.

Stick with whole foods. Build habits. Let the tortoise beat the hare.

3. Don’t Ignore Sleep and Stress

You’re not lazy—you’re exhausted. That’s different.

Most people focus on food and exercise, but forget that sleep and stress are massive factors in weight loss. Poor sleep and chronic stress increase cortisol, spike hunger hormones, and make cravings harder to resist. Even your body’s ability to metabolize food can be thrown off.

Make rest a priority. Seriously. Seven to nine hours of quality sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a lever for change. Add to that some form of stress relief—be it meditation, journaling, therapy, or a rage-clean of your kitchen drawers—and your body will thank you.

4. Don’t Overestimate Exercise or Underestimate Food

You can’t out-jog a junk drawer of snacks.

Exercise is essential—for strength, mood, and mobility. But calorie burn from a typical workout is often overestimated. That 30-minute walk doesn’t “earn” a 600-calorie meal. And the treadmill isn’t a confessional booth.

? Think of movement as part of your wellness equation, not a calorie debt repayment plan.
Eat like your health depends on it (because it does). Train for strength and stamina—not to punish yourself.

5. Don’t Go It Alone Without a Plan

You don’t need a full blueprint—just a starting block.

Trying to change your habits without any structure is like hiking a mountain in flip-flops. You might make it, but you’re gonna bleed.

But here’s the thing: your plan doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be complete. You don’t need fancy spreadsheets or a PhD in meal prep. All you need is a starting plan—something simple enough to follow that you actually do it. From there, you iterate.

? Too many people never begin because the “ideal plan” feels out of reach. That’s called analysis paralysis. Don’t fall for it.

Start small:

  • Walk three times a week.
  • Eat one more serving of veggies a day.
  • Track your food for just two meals.

A rough plan you execute beats a flawless plan you never follow. Always.

Bonus: From the Other Side

Tips from someone who lost nearly 100 pounds—and kept it off for two years (and counting)

Losing weight isn’t just theory for some of us. Here’s what real-life experience taught me—things no one tells you, but everyone should hear:

  • Don’t expect rapid loss.
    The first weeks feel slow. But looking back, you’ll realize it went faster than you thought. The time will pass anyway—might as well be doing something that builds.
  • Weigh your portions.
    Eyeballing is a trap. Your brain wants to see more on the plate. A food scale doesn’t lie—and it keeps you honest.
  • Stay off the scale (daily).
    Weigh once a week, same day/time/conditions. Weight fluctuates naturally every day due to water, hormones, salt, and sleep. Daily weigh-ins can mess with your mind.
  • Don’t let exercise become an Achilles heel.
    You can lose weight without hitting the gym. What matters most is what’s on your plate. Walk if you can. Even just to the mailbox and back. Do more when you feel better. Until then? Control what you can—and that starts in the kitchen.

You don’t need perfection. You need persistence.

One choice at a time.
One better habit.
One day where you keep showing up.

You’re not late. You’re not broken. You’re just getting started.