There is a lot of bad information in the weight loss industry. New weight loss diets and pills reach the market regularly, with each new entrant claiming it is the key that will finally unlock your potential to lose weight. Many of these new products are accompanied by celebrity endorsements or scientific research. Understandably, this situation makes losing weight a very difficult and confusing task. In this article I try to uncover some of this bad information by outlining six things that you need to avoid if you are trying to lose weight.

1) FAD DIETS:- Fad diets are a perfect illustration of what I discussed above. You will regularly see celebrities promoting a fad diet with claims such as "I lost 14lb in 1 week whilst on this diet". What's more is that these claims are often true. Yes, fad diets can lead to significant weight loss in small periods of time. So what's the catch and why should they be avoided?

Well whilst fad diets work in the short term they often pose significant risks to your health in the long term because they require you to stick to certain foods and therefore make you miss out on the full nutritional benefits of a balanced diet. Plus, the weight lost on a fad diet often goes straight back on as soon as you come off the diet.

2) UNHEALTHY FOODS:- I know this is a very broad term but you need to avoid unhealthy foods and eat more healthy foods if you want to lose weight in the long term. Unhealthy foods include; highly processed foods, foods that are high in fat, foods that are high in sugar, foods that are high in calories and foods that contain little or no nutritional value. Just because a food product claims to be low in fat or low in sugar does not necessarily mean that it is low in calories or even a healthy option. If you look at all the nutritional information on the food's packaging you can usually tell whether the food is healthy or not.

3) WEIGHT LOSS PILLS AND PATCHES:- Weight loss pills and patches are another example of products that are often heavily endorsed or backed by research. However, the truth is that the majority of these products have a very moderate effect on your weight loss and without a proper diet and exercise plan you will barely notice the impact of weight loss pills or patches. In my opinion a gym membership or some healthy food is a much wiser investment than weight loss pills or patches.

4) ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES AND SWEETENERS:- These can include; aspartame, saccharin and stevia. Although they help make foods last for longer and often improve their flavour, they can also be toxic and hinder your weight loss efforts.

5) SODIUM RICH FOODS:- It is quite well publicised that sodium (salt) is bad for your health. Sodium can also make you retain excess water making you seem heavier than you actually are. By restricting your sodium intake you can lose weight and improve your overall health.

6) NEGATIVE THINKING:- Negative thinking has the potential to completely destroy your weight loss plans. If you start thinking about your weight loss plan in a negative way you are making yourself fail before you have even begun. Try to look at all the weight loss dilemmas you encounter in a positive light. For example, don't think "WHY can't I drop that extra 10lb?" By thinking in this way you are admitting failure. Instead, think "HOW can I drop that extra 10lb?" By thinking in this way you are looking for solutions to your weight loss dilemma.

Losing weight can be a struggle and the increasing amount of bad information in the industry does not help matters. However, with the right tools weight loss is possible. I hope this article keeps you focussed on your weight loss goals by identifying some of the obstacles that you need to avoid.