--- title: "8 Things You Should Never do While Dieting ..." description: "Skip Meals; Completely Cut Carbs; Starve Yourself; Workout More than 1 Hour Each Day; Expect to Lose Weight without Exercising; More ..." url: "https://allwomenstalk.com/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/" category: "diet" last_updated: "2026-06-02" --- # 8 Things You Should Never do While Dieting ... Dieting isn’t easy, and there’s no magic pill that will make it simpler. What does help, though, is knowing what’s effective, and what’s not… and what to do, and what not to do. I can help with the latter, having finally gotten to, and maintained, a healthy weight! Here are 8 things you should never do while dieting… ## 1. Skip Meals ![Skip Meals](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/skip-meals_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x333.jpg) Photo Credit: [Heartjump](https://www.flickr.com/photos/heartjump/4614744499/) Skipping meals isn’t going to help you lose weight, and it’s damaging to your body. If you’re tempted to cut out a meal because you’re trying to cut calories, try eating five small meals, rather than two or three big ones. Your body actually deals with the calories in small meals a lot better than large meals… bonus! ## 2. Completely Cut Carbs ![Completely Cut Carbs](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/completely-cut-carbs_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x329.jpg) Photo Credit: [AudreSmith](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40151398@N03/3694260562/in/photostream/) Carbohydrates seem like a no-no in most diets, but in reality, your body, in particular, your brain, need them to function. Fiber is also a carb, and you really need that too, especially if you’re trying to lose weight and be healthy. To find out more about what you need to eat each day, tailored just to you, use the free calculator at mypyramid.gov. ## 3. Starve Yourself ![Starve Yourself](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/starve-yourself_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x334.jpg) Photo Credit: [laurenlemon](https://www.flickr.com/photos/renolauren/3721772679/) Who wants to be hungry, sleepy, unattractive, and grouchy? All of these will happen, fast, if you starve yourself to lose weight. It’s also dangerous, and can even cause a fatal heart attack. ## 4. Workout More than 1 Hour Each Day ![Workout More than 1 Hour Each Day](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/workout-more-than-1-hour-each-day_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x326.jpg) Photo Credit: [AudreSmith](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40151398@N03/3694260578/) No matter how badly you want to lose weight and burn calories, it’s never a good idea to work out more than one hour a day. One hour is long enough to get a great cardio workout, weight training, or cross-training. ## 5. Expect to Lose Weight without Exercising ![Expect to Lose Weight without Exercising](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/expect-to-lose-weight-without-exercising_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x332.jpg) Photo Credit: [Method Fitness](https://www.flickr.com/photos/44352468@N03/4078294627/) If you’re serious about losing weight and having a healthier lifestyle, you absolutely won’t get there without adding and sticking to a workout regimen. If that sounds frightening, don’t worry. A workout an be a brisk walk after dinner, a bike ride, a yoga class… just get up and move! ## 6. Set Unrealistic Expectations _ Photo Credit: AXEHD_ This is so important! You need to be careful that you’re setting reasonable, achievable goals for weight loss. If you’re not sure what a good goal might be, talk to your doctor or a personal trainer. They can help you choose a healthy, ideal goal… and tell you what you need to do to get there. ## 7. Weigh Yourself Every Day ![Weigh Yourself Every Day](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/weigh-yourself-every-day_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x374.jpg) Photo Credit: [AudreSmith](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40151398@N03/3694260564/in/photostream/) If you weigh in every day, you’ll get discouraged, fast. As women, our weight naturally fluctuates a few pounds every couple of days. Even my ideal weight is a range, not one number: I go between 120 and 124, seemingly a different weight ever day or so. Weigh yourself once every two or three weeks, instead. ## 8. Take Someone else’s Pills ![Take Someone else’s Pills](https://resize.allw.mn/1028x0/filters:format(webp)/filters:quality(70)/content/www/2010/08/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/take-someone-else-s-pills_8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting_500x333.jpg) Photo Credit: [LionLight Photography](https://www.flickr.com/photos/40084791@N08/3680373898/) If a friend offers you some of her prescription pills because they’ve worked for her, resist the urge and visit your doctor to see if the same drug might work for you, or if it might be dangerous. It’s never a good idea to take someone else’s prescription drugs, especially diet pills. These are my tips on what you shouldn’t do while you’re dieting, right from my own experience and the advice of my awesome personal trainer. Do you have any other diet no-no’s to share? Please let me know! Top Photo Credit: [Melanie Hillock :: click.capture](https://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniemh/4318949033/) ## Related Posts - [7 Ways to Tell if Your Diet is Working ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/ways-to-tell-if-your-diet-is-working/) - [8 Reasons Not to Listen to Diet Experts ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/8-reasons-not-to-listen-to-diet-experts/) - [7 Causes of Emotional Eating ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/7-causes-of-emotional-eating/) - [7 Reasons Your Cat Wont Eat ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/7-reasons-your-cat-wont-eat/) - [7 Ways Your Partner Could Be Making You Fat ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/7-ways-your-partner-could-be-making-you-fat/) - [7 Reasons to Say No to Energy Drinks ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/7-reasons-to-say-no-to-energy-drinks/) - [5 Reasons to Start a Low-Carbohydrate Diet ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/5-reasons-to-start-a-low-carbohydrate-diet/) - [7 Mistakes Dieters Make ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/7-mistakes-dieters-make/) - [8 Reasons to Avoid Fast Food ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/reasons-to-avoid-fast-food/) - [9 Reasons Your Diet May Fail ...](https://allwomenstalk.com/9-reasons-your-diet-may-fail/) - [7 Reasons Not to Diet ...](https://diet.allwomenstalk.com/7-reasons-not-to-diet/) - [8 Destructive Dieting Habits ...](https://diet.allwomenstalk.com/destructive-dieting-habits/) ## Site Information - [Main page](https://allwomenstalk.com) - [Contact us](https://allwomenstalk.com/contact.html) - [HTML article](https://allwomenstalk.com/8-things-you-should-never-do-while-dieting/)