'I lost 3st after ditching three habits - I avoid over-exercising and fad diets at all costs now'

Often, the mistake is over-exercising and restricting food intake, as both habits can do more harm than good over time.

One slimmer named Katie Dunlop lost 45lbs (around 3st) after ditching these mistakes. She claims fad diets were also hindering her progress.

Sharing her weight loss strategy on YouTube, the fitness enthusiast believes these common mistakes could be slowing down your progress too.

Mistake number one: Over-exercising

Over-exercising is discouraged in medical circles because it prevents the body from burning fat and leads to physical burnout.

According to Katie, the biggest differences in weight emerge when you set yourself realistic fitness goals.

"The number one thing that I stopped doing that helped me lose all that weight was over-exercising," she said. "I would crash and burn so hard that I would end up doing nothing for a month or two."

Weighing yourself too frequently

To avoid derailing on your weight loss journey, Katie highly discourages weighing yourself too frequently.

“I stopped weighing myself every single day,” the slimmer admitted. “Here’s the thing. Your body fluctuates every single day.

“If you’re weighing yourself every single day it is going to be so devastating and discouraging when you’re trying to reach goals if you’re seeing the scales going up and down.”

Instead, she recommends setting a goal and jumping on the scales every four weeks.

She also encourages taking photos and measurements, instead of relying solely on the numbers to track progress.

Diet

People who lose weight and manage to keep it off generally have to make a conscious effort towards healthier eating patterns.

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Until the penny finally dropped, Katie tried several different fad diets in the hope that they would give her dream body.

“The [last] thing I gave up, was diets. We all have a diet, but you need to stop following ‘diets’,” she said.

“I did so many horrible diets. If I ever lost weight on them, I gained it back. They are so bad for you.

"You have to find something that works in your life, that you can maintain long-term. Not eating carbs for the rest of your life is not an option.”