3 Reasons Why Diets Fail
How many people do you know who have followed a diet at some point in their life? Pretty much everyone, right?
Out of those people, how many have actually been successful in their attempts to lose weight? How many have been able to keep the weight off?
It’s crazy to think that while weight loss can seemingly be so simple (ie, eat less, move more), it can be such an impossible feat for some.
Where are so many people going wrong?
In the years we’ve helped people transform their bodies, we’ve noted some key differences between those who get results and those who don’t.
There are 3 common mistakes people make when it comes to weight loss -
1. You try to change everything at once.
In moments of high motivation and desperation, it’s easy to dive straight in and attempt to change every part of your life.
Starting a new restrictive diet plan that you hate. Training hardcore every day.
But what we know about this all-or-nothing approach is that when you go real hard, real fast, you also burn out and quit, real hard, real fast!
What we need to understand is that habit change takes time. Remember that you have a whole lifetime of eating habits under your belt. Changing those habits is going to take a whole lot of work and time!
When attempting to make a positive change, I like to use what’s called “habit stacking”. Focus on just one habit you would like to change and only add more to your plate once you’re well and truly achieving it. By being realistic with yourself and losing the need to achieve everything so quickly, you’re so much more likely to make a sustainable change in your life and stick to it long term.
2. You lose patience.
Companies make millions of dollars by leading you to believe that it’s possible to lose 5kg in just a few weeks. They tell you that their supplement, diet plan or training regime will get you results with as little effort as possible.
There are 2 main issues with this -
You hate every second of the process.
You learn nothing about how to actually eat properly.
While it can be a hard pill to swallow that your dream body might actually be months, if not years away, it’s a realisation you need to come to terms with.
When you approach fat loss from a perspective that is smart and realistic, it’s going to take a whole lot longer than 2 weeks to see the scales drop. But stick with it. Remind yourself that it’s ok for things to take time and trust that if you are truly doing the right things, the results will come when they’re supposed to!
3. You’re winging it.
This is probably the most common mistake we see when it comes to dieting. Most set the intention to lose weight but never actually take the time to plan out a clear path or plan of action.
This only leads to a lack of commitment because you haven’t really defined what you’re supposed to be doing. Next thing you know, you’ve been trying to diet for 5 years and haven’t really gotten anywhere.
How much are you eating now?
How much do you need to eat to achieve your goals?
What are the daily habits that you need to implement?
Weight loss isn’t just something that falls into your lap because you’ve asked for it. It’s something we need to plan for, just like a holiday or exam. You need to create conditions for making it easy – have all of the right foods in the house, have your exercise planned for a week in advance, and make sure your meals are prepared and ready to take to work.
If this has resonated with you and you need guidance, get in touch about Nutrition Coaching with us. Fat loss isn’t a mystery, but old habits die hard. If you focus on the principles of success and build habits and practises that work, it doesn’t have to be such a struggle!