Losing weight can be challenging for some people.

Sometimes you might feel like you’re making healthy lifestyle choices, yet you’re still not getting the results you want.

You may, in fact, be following misguided or outdated advice. This may prevent you from seeing the changes you’re looking for.

Here are 15 common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight.

1. Focusing only on the scale

It can be common to feel like you’re not losing weight fast enough, despite following a healthy lifestyle.

It’s important to remember that the number on the scale is only one measure of weight change. Weight is influenced by several things, including fluid fluctuations and the amount of food that remains in your system.

In fact, weight may fluctuate around 2 to 4 pounds over the course of a few days, depending on factors like how much food and liquid you’ve consumed (1Trusted Source).

Also, hormonal changes in women can lead to greater water retention, which is reflected in the weight you see on the scale (2Trusted Source).

If the number on the scale isn’t moving, you may be losing fat mass but holding on to water. Additionally, if you’ve been working out, you may be gaining muscle and losing fat.

When this happens, your clothes may start to feel looser — especially around the waist — even if the number on the scale remains the same.

Measuring your waist with a tape measure and taking monthly pictures of yourself can indicate if you’re losing fat, even if the scale number doesn’t change much.

2. Eating too many or too few calories

A calorie deficit is required for weight loss. This means you need to burn more calories than you consume.

For many years, it was believed that a decrease of 3,500 calories per week would result in 1 lb (0.45 kg) of fat loss. However, recent research shows the calorie deficit needed varies from person to person (3).

You may sometimes feel as though you’re not eating very many calories, and this may be the case. However, studies indicate that people often tend to incorrectly estimate the number of calories in a meal (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

One study asked adults to exercise on a treadmill, estimate the number of calories they burned, and then suggest a meal with the same number of calories. It found that participants significantly underestimated and overestimated calories in exercise and food (4Trusted Source).

You may be consuming foods that are healthy but also high in calories, such as nuts and fish. Eating moderate portion sizes is key.

On the other hand, decreasing your calorie intake too much can be counterproductive. Studies on very low calorie diets indicate they may lead to muscle loss and significantly slow down metabolism (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

3. Not exercising or exercising too much

During weight loss, you inevitably lose some muscle mass as well as fat, although the amount depends on several factors (8Trusted Source).

If you don’t exercise at all while restricting calories, you’re likely to lose more muscle mass and experience a decrease in metabolic rate.

By contrast, exercising may help:

minimize the amount of lean mass you lose
increase fat loss
prevent your metabolism from slowing down
The more lean mass you have, the easier it is to lose weight and maintain the weight loss (9, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

However, overexercising can also cause problems.

Studies show excessive exercise is unsustainable in the long term for most people and may lead to stress. In addition, it may negatively impact endocrine hormones, which help regulate functions throughout your body .

Trying to force your body to burn more calories by exercising too much is neither effective nor healthy.

However, lifting weights and doing cardio several times per week can be a sustainable strategy for maintaining metabolic rate during weight loss

4. Do not lift weights

Performing resistance training can greatly promote weight loss.

Studies show lifting weights is one of the most effective exercise strategies for gaining muscle and increasing metabolic rate. It also improves strength and physical function and may help increase belly fat loss

In fact, a review of 32 studies including more than 4,700 people with obesity found the best strategy for reducing fat appears to be combined aerobic exercise and weightlifting

5. Choosing low fat or “diet” foods

Processed low fat or “diet” foods are often considered healthy choices that can help you lose weight. However, they may have the opposite effect.

Many of these products are loaded with sugar to improve their taste. For instance, a 6-ounce container (170 grams) of low fat flavored yogurt can contain 23.5 grams of sugar (over 4 teaspoons) (19Trusted Source).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that a 2,000-calorie diet include less than 12 teaspoons of added sugar per day

6. Overestimating how many calories you burn during exercise

Many people believe that exercise “supercharges” their metabolism. Though exercise increases metabolic rate somewhat, it may be less than you think.

Studies show that people with moderate weight and overweight both tend to overestimate the number of calories they burn during exercise, often by a significant amount .

People may also overestimate their exercise levels. In one study, 29.1% of participants reported higher physical activity levels than they actually had .

Exercise is still crucial for overall health and can help you lose weight. It’s good to understand how much exercise you’re getting and the number of calories it burns

7. Not eating enough protein

Getting enough protein is important if you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, protein has been shown to help with weight loss in several ways.

It may (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source, 24):

reduce appetite
increase feelings of fullness
lower the amount of weight regained
maintain or increase metabolic rate
protect muscle mass during weight loss
A review also found that higher protein diets, containing 0.6–0.8 grams of protein per lb (1.2–1.6 g/kg), may benefit appetite control and change body composition .

To help with weight loss, try to make sure each of your meals contains a high protein food. Keep in mind your choice of protein isn’t limited to meat or dairy. Beans, legumes, quinoa and flaxseeds are also great and affordable options.

8. Not eating enough fiber

A low fiber diet may be hurting your weight loss efforts, along with your overall health (25).

Studies show a type of soluble fiber known as viscous fiber helps reduce appetite by forming a gel that holds water. This gel moves slowly through your digestive tract, making you feel full.

Research suggests that all types of fiber may promote weight loss. However, a review of several studies found that viscous fiber reduced weight and waist circumference even without a calorie-restricted diet (26Trusted Source).

While studies are ongoing, research indicates that fiber may also interact with gut microbes, producing hormones that help you feel full (27Trusted Source).

Additionally, fiber may reduce your risk of some chronic conditions and improve digestion.

9. Eating too much fat on a low carb diet

Ketogenic and low carb diets can be very effective for weight loss for some individuals.

Studies show they tend to reduce appetite, which often leads to a spontaneous reduction in calorie intake .

Many low carb and ketogenic diets allow unlimited amounts of fat, assuming that the resulting appetite suppression will keep calories low enough for weight loss.

However, some people may not experience a strong enough signal to stop eating. As a result, they may be consuming too many calories for a calorie deficit.

If you’re eating large amounts of fat in your food or beverages and are not losing weight, it may help to try reducing your fat intake.

10. Eating too often, even if you’re not hungry

For many years, the conventional advice has been to eat every few hours to prevent hunger and a drop in metabolism.

However, this may lead to consuming more calories than your body needs over the course of the day. You may also never completely feel full.

One research review found that eating just two to three meals per day may have outcomes including reduced inflammation and a lower risk of weight gain (31).

The recommendation to eat breakfast every morning, regardless of appetite, also appears to be misguided (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source).

One study asked women who didn’t usually eat breakfast to add in the meal before 8:30 a.m. for 4 weeks. It found that those who ate breakfast consumed more calories each day and gained weight by the end of the study .

Eating only when you’re hungry seems to be key to losing weight.

11.Not including weight lose dietary supplement in your diet

Diet plays an important role in your weight lose journey you should include good weight lose supplement in your diet plan to get good results