Gearing up to get started on a new diet and exercise plan? If so, there are some key mistakes that you need to stay on the lookout for and make sure that you don’t end up doing as you move along your program to try and achieve optimal success.

Some people do falter along the way and quickly grow disappointed that things aren’t quite going as planned, but very often the reason for this is that they are just making a few key errors that are easily resolved.

Let’s go over what these errors are so that you can look over your plan and make sure that they aren’t factoring in for you.

Fad Diets

The first grave mistake you could be making is using one of the fad diets that you come across.

I am talking about the “Grape Fruit” diet, any “Cleanse” diet or any other “quick fix” diet that you may have encountered in the past.

Always remember, while these diets may promise fast results, they are not going to help you build a lean body you can maintain long-term.

They’ll just cause lean muscle mass loss and make your metabolism slow down.  The end result is that after you come off the diet, you gain back all the weight and more.

Skipping Meals

Next, another key mistake is skipping meals. If you begin skipping meals, you’re likely to let your hunger grow so strong that you have virtually no control over the foods that you’re eating.

The end result? You make unwise food choices that do anything to help you out with your quest to be leaner.

Not to mention you’ll likely take in far too many calories at that meal, setting off your entire daily total.

Diet But No Exercise

Third, another big mistake some people make is dieting but not doing exercise. While diet is about 80% of the results that you see or more, so is the most critical element in the equation to success, it’s your workout that helps you maintain that firmer body look.

If you want to be fit and toned as you shed fat, exercise must be in place.

Only Performing Cardio Training

The fourth mistake that you could be making is performing only cardio training. Many women get into this trap because they firmly believe that doing weight lifting is going to cause them to become big and bulky.

This however, isn’t the case at all. Weight training is what will boost your metabolic rate and cause your body to completely change right before your eyes.

If you want to make a full body transformation, weight training is what you want to be doing, not just cardio.

Do cardio only and you’ll just stay looking the same – possibly become a smaller version of your current self if you do manage to lose weight.

Doing Too Much Too Soon

Finally, the last mistake is doing too much too soon. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. If you do too much too soon, you’ll just end up sidelined with an injury or burnt out entirely.

Ease yourself into it and you’ll see better results and actually want to stick with the plan over time.

So keep these five errors in mind and make sure that none of them are factoring in for you. If you do, you can feel confident you’re on route to success.

How many of these are you guilty of? Drop in a comment below