Eight weight-loss traps

Many bad habits can keep you from losing weight. Here are a few of the most common...

From MSN Health & Wellness:

Trap # 1: Not counting calories.

It doesn't matter whether you're obsessed with fat or cutting out carbs: Overlooking your calorie intake is a major diet disaster. Trimming 500 calories a day will result in a healthy and sustainable pound-per-week weight loss, says Jordan.

Trap # 2: Falling for deceitful food labeling.

Think it's too good to be true that a king-size Snickers bar has only 170 calories? It is. Look closely at the label and you'll notice that the serving size is just one-third of that candy bar. "Read the fine print, and do the math!" says Dee Sandquist, a dietitian in Vancouver, Washington. Make a point of eating just one serving of any food; save the rest for another time.

Trap # 3: Eating in front of the TV.

Or while reading, talking on the phone or flipping through the mail. "You lose touch with the quantities you've eaten by diverting your attention away from the food," says Miami-based dietician Lisa Dorfman. In fact, in a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women took in 300 more calories while listening to a detective story than when they ate in silence. So plan your meal, sit at the table and focus on the food, says Dorfman.

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