4 Hidden Reasons WHY Your Diet May Not Be Working
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Do you know these 4 hidden reasons why your diet may not be working?
We all start our diets with good intentions. Maybe we want to drop a few pounds for the summer, or a special event. It’s possible the doctor had told you that you are a bit overweight. Maybe you just want to look good in the mirror and tone up a bit.
The Diet Drill
We all know the drill when it comes to dieting. We get all ready to go and geared up with our new “going on a diet” toys. The water bottle, the new workout clothes, our scale that measures our body fat along with our weight and our new shiny scale to measure our food. The excitement is there and we’re ready to see the results after this little journey we’re about to partake on.
You think you’re making all the right moves, so why aren’t the pounds melting off? You might be making these 4 crucial mistakes…without even really knowing it.
4 Hidden Reasons WHY Your Diet May Not Be Working
You’re not eating ENOUGH
Wait? What? I thought we’re supposed to eat less and move more in order to lose weight. What do you mean I’m not eating enough?
Well, let’s take this a few steps further and dissect it. Do we REALLY know how much we should be eating? I mean we cut calories when we diet in order to LOSE weight. We turn to some online calorie calculator to figure it out. Punch in your weight now, height, age and desired weight. Then the calorie calculator told you to eat somewhere between 1,200 – 1,500 calories a day, so you stick to the low range of that to be safe.
But did you know: A CALORIE IS NOT A CALORIE. I know, this may sound crazy BUT hear me out. You could eat your 1200 calories by eating a row of oreo’s and think you’re crushing this diet thing OR you may even eat 4 salads a day with 4 ounces of chicken and a few of those “healthy” protein bars and hit those 1200 calories…but by 7 pm, you’re a bit hungry. You can’t eat because you’ve already hit your calorie count for the day. Now what?
Calories are a bit more of the QUALITY versus QUANTITY when it comes to health and overall sustainable weight loss. Depending on what you’re eating, calories from nutrients such as protein and unsaturated fat keep you full for an extended period, whereas calories from simple sugars digest rapidly. If you’re cutting calories but not getting the proper vitamins, protein, and fiber you need, your weight loss plan is not going to work. You’ll find yourself NOT feeling full and craving and then possibly bingeing.
Calorie restriction can slow your metabolism down, which means without enough calories, your body goes into survival mode, slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy and prevent weight loss.
Instead of going balls to the wall and restricting or even remotely listening to what that calorie calculating app is telling you, try to focus more on improving the nutritional quality of what you’re eating rather than your calorie intake for improved body weight and health.
You’re Paying too Much Attention to the NUMBERS
If you’re not 100% sure about this one, reread the above mistake and then come back. If I can tell you anything today is it that YOU ARE NOT A NUMBER! We focus so much on the calories, the number on the scale, our clothes size, and so many other numbers and it can make us think we’re failing if we’re not seeing the numbers we think we should be seeing.
We tend to let our day to day number on the scale dictate how the rest of the day will go. If the numbers have gone down, we’re doing awesome. If they have gone up or stayed the same, we are frustrated and think we need to either restrict more in the calorie department OR work harder in the fat burning department (workout).
Stop, stop right now. This number madness is killing your diet vibe. It can become such an obsession, trust me I know. The calculating, the measuring. Am I burning enough fat when I exercise to burn off this or that? It’s just not worth it. this kind of restriction can lead to failure…or have you thinking YOU are the one failing. In reality, it’s the diet that is failing you.
Take the focus away from the numbers and try to focus more on how you FEEL.
You’re on the NEW FAD DIET
Oh girlfriend, let me tell you a little bit about these FAD DIETS! They suck and they don’t work. I have been there, done that and just ended up frustrated and hating myself and my body. I get it, we want these quick results these fad diets are promising us. Heck, it worked for Jenny, it has to work for you then…RIGHT?!? Nope. It’s not a one size fits all oh and have I mentioned yet..DIETS DO NOT WORK!
Sure, they may work at first but, go ahead and look at number one and number two on this list again and then tell me it will work for you long term. Unfortunately it won’t. I wish I could tell you otherwise but I can’t.
There are so many diets out there that claim to be the best and fastest way to lose weight. All of these diets either restrict calories and for the most part lead to temporary weight loss because, like I said, they’re not sustainable for the long-term.
Skip the Fad Diet and fuel your body properly with nutrient dense foods that will help keep you full and satisfied. Nourish your body! Give it what it needs, not what the fad diet is telling you.
You’re a Habitual Yo-Yo Dieter
You know how I feel about this one right here. The havoc that it has cause my physical, emotional and mental health should be enough for me to never, EVER yo-yo diet again. It only took me about 487 (sense the sarcasm) yo-yo diets to figure this out. Stop being a slave to dieting.
Losing weight quickly and gaining it back repeatedly, is yo-yo dieting!
This back and forth dieting confuses your body and can actually make it harder to lose weight with each new attempt. I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear. It’s little mistakes like this that have us thinking we’re failing and will never see the weight loss we so badly desire.
It’s Just Not Sustainable
If you are constantly running through any or all of the above “no-no’s” then you may be feeling a bit defeated and that is NOT what I want you to feel. Understand that this way of dieting is not sustainable. Sustainability and SANITY, are my top two things when it comes to any kind of weight loss.
Instead of going on a diet that sets you up for weight fluctuations, stop focusing on weight loss. If you eat healthy foods, listen to your appetite, and use food to fuel your body, your weight will naturally balance.
We need to stop hating our bodies, in the hope that enough torture will lead us to love them.
Do yourself a big favor: delete the app, get rid of the low-calorie, high-chemical diet food. Fill your diet with nutritious foods that you actually like and fall in love with yourself just as you are today.
Latest posts by Melanie Sobocinski (see all)
- Why Your Metabolism and Hormones May be a Little Slow - November 5, 2020
- My Before and After Story - September 11, 2020
- 7 Changes That Happen When You Don’t Eat Enough - July 16, 2020
