People who want to lose weight often make dietary mistakes such as skipping meals or getting addicted to sugar-free foods.

American nutritionists have named the worst weight loss habits that can prevent them from achieving their goals.

For example, nutrition expert Roxana Ehsani pointed out the negative consequences of refusing to take food breaks during work.

“Many of us might be tempted to work throughout breakfast and lunch in an effort to get work done as quickly as possible. Not taking a proper meal break can actually do more harm than good. It can reduce our productivity, mood, and guarantee that we are overeating later on in the day, which can lead to weight gain over time,” she said.

Eskhani also warns against eating at the workplace, in front of TV, computer and telephone screens. This not only diminishes the pleasure of eating, but also subtly leads to overeating.

In addition, eating quickly negatively affects weight.

“It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full, but if you’re eating quicker than that, it can lead to overeating,” said the specialist.

Her colleague Kristen Smith believes that irregular eating is the biggest mistake people try to lose weight. 

“Many people don’t actually understand that you need to eat enough calories to keep your metabolism active – skipping meals may actually slow your metabolism down,” said the nutritionist.

Smith also discourages gluten-free and rapid weight loss diets.

Regarding the former, there is no scientific evidence of effectiveness, and the latter is bad for the psyche and give a short-term result.

She also urges not to get carried away with products labeled “Sugar-Free”.

“I often see people make the mistake of eating excessive amounts of sugar-free foods (like cookies) with the mindset that they are eating calorie-free foods. The calories can still add up quickly with foods made with non-nutritive sweeteners – they do still contain other carbohydrate and fat sources,” said Smith.

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