Reasons Why Most Diets Fail and How to Succeed
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NEWS FLASH!! Most diets fail!! There is a reason why most diets fail and I’m going to tell you why.
It’s not you, it’s the diet
Let me first say that the diet industry is a $67 billion industry. It’s not YOU that has failed, it’s the diet failing you. A diet is only meant to “go on” not stay on. The diet industry is making money off of us making us think we have failed when in all reality, the diet is failing us. Diets are restricting and not sustainable which leads me to the first reason why they fail.
DIETS ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE
Whether it be the new 30, 60 or 90-day craze, diets are not sustainable. I won’t lie to you, yes diets will help you lose weight at first. In the short-term, diets work. But the long-term effects of a diet past six years only shows people were not able to maintain the diet and their weight loss for over six years. If you know of one or are that person who has been on the exact same “diet” for 6 years with awesome results, please let me know.
95% of the people who go on a diet and lose weight end up gaining that weight back. And of that 95%, about two thirds will gain more weight than they started out at. And then begins the vicious restriction, binge, yo-yo dieting cycle. So, it’s REALLY not you, it’s the diet itself. It’s not sustainable.
DIETS CAN BE TOO RESTRICTING
Don’t tell me how to live my life! For real! When you “go on” a diet you then enter the restriction phase where some foods are off the table and you are NOT ALLOWED to eat them. We all know that when we are told we cannot have something, that is exactly when we want it. There is more to weight loss than restricting your calories and the foods you can eat. It should be about nourishing your body properly, not restricting things.
When we know we aren’t supposed to have something because it’s a no-no on our diet, we seem to want it more, we actually CRAVE it. This leads me to the next reason as to why diets fail…BINGING!
DIETS CAUSE YOU TO BINGE
It’s all part of the vicious cycle. We go “on” a diet, restrict our food intake, do well for a bit and then, all hell breaks loose and we binge. I have quite a few clients who come to me thinking that their binging is purely emotional and they are “emotional eaters.” But upon further assessment, I realize that their binging is actually a biological reaction to deprivation.
This is really not an issue of control in this case. With dieting and restriction, we’re not getting enough energy and the nutrients we need so it may cause us to binge. Again, not your fault, it’s the diet.
DIETS CAUSE US TO OBSESS OVER FOOD
All the weighing and measuring would make me crazy. I swear if I had to count one more macro, I was going to flip out. I was totally obsessed with the numbers and counting. True weight loss and HEALTH are not about the numbers. It’s like you are preoccupied with food and what to eat and what not to eat and it could literally make you lose your mind.
Heaven forbid you go over on a number, then you may obsess even more. I thought it was fun at first and then I found myself going through numbers in my head and obsessing over what I should and shouldn’t eat. It would get so frustrating and I kind of began to look at food in a negative way. One more time here, the diet failed me!
The solution
Finding what works for you! Yes, not all “diets” work for everyone. We are all different so don’t stress if Susie lost 87 pounds on the cabbage soup diet and you haven’t seen a pound drop. Remember, diets suck so try not looking at another diet for the answer.
Instead, try looking at things from a different perspective. Look at food as a source of fuel and learn to fuel your body properly without guilt. These kinds of mindset changes don’t happen overnight. I work with my clients on making slow changes and helping them see how they can enjoy their food and still succeed at weight loss. Yep, you can have your cake and eat it too.
It’s also good to have some sort of plan, one that is sustainable and won’t make you lose your sanity. It seems that if the diet rules aren’t followed then we feel like we have failed. This is not true.
Success Principles: Create a Plan
- Commit to your health.
- Find YOUR balance
- Join a community or get a buddy or a friend. ( Try out my HEALTHY LIVING GROUP)
- Join one of my online groups or programs, such as my Balance 360 Program. This 12-week program provides you with all the resources and support (from my nutritionists, your peers and me) you need to set yourself on a path to good health for life.
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