People want to lose weight for a variety of reasons. To lose those extra pounds, some people hit the gym. And others focus on changing their diets.
Changing your diet alone can lead you to healthy weight loss. A lot of people succeed with weight loss without visiting the gym. However, many failed with their diets.
Why is that the case? What makes people fall short of their diet plans? Here are 10 reasons why most dieters fail:
#1. People Following The Fad And Trendy Diets
Fad Diets usually consist of unhealthy recommendations of calorie deficit eating plans, oddly specific one-food diets, or water-based diets.
To add credibility to these Fad Diets, they will show before-and-after results or call on a so-called fitness expert to claim their effectiveness.
In reality, most Fad Diets cause calorie deficit for the first few weeks, causing quick weight loss.
Since it is an unsustainable diet, most people will eventually bounce back and even binge, making them fail on their diet.
#2. Unreasonable Expectations
People think that they can drop five pounds in one week if they just start skipping breakfast. Or that they can lose weight faster if their diet is composed of fruits and kale blends.
Unrealistic expectations lead a lot of people to go to extremes.
And, if we do not reach that goal, we spiral down and feel defeated, leading to us leaving our diets behind.
Fixing our mindset and getting rid of unrealistic expectations must be one of the first steps to do when dieting.
#3. Inconsistent Diet
Do you remember that New Year’s Resolution you made, where you promised you’ll lose all the extra weight you gained from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year?
And, do you remember how hype you were removing all that junk food from your refrigerator and cabinets? Yeah, that was a failure, ain’t it?
Likely, you started strong, eating more fruits and vegetables than fast food and processed meals. Then, you eventually destroy that diet, either because you lose some weight or feel like binging.
However, you started feeling bad once you realized that your pants are not fitting you anymore. So, you start cleaning your diet again. Then, the cycle continues with you crash dieting multiple times a year.
In dieting, consistency is the key. It does not need to be perfect. Everyone needs to understand what works for them.
In starting your diet, you do not need to remove all your junk food. It is enough that you start building a healthy balanced diet and not feeling bad for binging once or twice a week.
#4. Stress is Everywhere!
Dieters also fail because of things outside their control. It includes stress-related triggers, causing people to binge on unhealthy food.
Regardless if you are an employee, a student, or a busy parent, maintaining a healthy diet is challenging under extreme circumstances.
Research shows that our brain requires 12% more energy when under acute stress.
It leads us to consume more sugary snacks, neglecting whatever diet we already established.
Stress triggers are inevitable, so the best way to remedy them is to manage their effect on you and your diet.
Food rich in fiber is a healthy alternative to sweets to reduce your stress levels.
If you are not in the mood for food, then Chamomile Tea is another option.
#5. You Focus Too Much on Calories
When your goal is to become healthy, you don’t really care about the calorie count.
You care about the vitamins and benefits you’ll get from what you ingested.
However, most of us go on a diet to lose some weight.
One of the most popular ways to achieve this is to make sure your calorie intake is lower than your calorie outtake.
Generally, this is a good rule to follow.
It is simple, which basically means you must do more activities to set off all the food you ingested.
As long as it is not taken to the extreme, this is a pretty harmless diet rule.
#6. Underestimating Your Calories
There are some dieters who fail because they underestimate their calories.
It is either intentional or unintentional but still results in grave miscalculation.
You see, a lot of dieters assume the calorie count of a food or drink based on its size and weight.
Although, generally speaking, bigger food means bigger calories.
But this is not always the case as there are small-portion meals with an alarming amount of calories.
For example, the cookie you are munching on right now has higher calories than a slice of white bread.
Although the cookie is smaller in size, it contains higher calories because of the added butter and sugar.
These types of food are called “empty calories.”
They have a high-calorie count but with low to no nutrition at all.
Other examples include soda and junk food.
Assuming you are one of those dieters that are educated about empty calories, it does not mean you might not have lapses of judgment.
Buying your food with nutritional facts included can help you determine the right calories.
However, when cooking your own food or buying take-outs, it can be tricky.
You can still search online for their calorie count, but these might be estimates only.
And, if you are lazy, you might just eyeball it and call it a day.
#7. Diet Does Not Fit Your Normal Daily Routine
Going on a diet to improve your overall health is always a goal for most of us.
Binging is quite common after depriving your body suddenly of the food you regularly eat.
Sometimes dieting itself is not the problem, but rather the diet plan you picked for yourself.
There are instances when the food in your diet is not proper for your health and lifestyle.
People have unique wants and needs, and it goes with food too.
The food you might be incorporating into your diet might not be the right one for you.
#8. Poor Support
When we diet, we always try to make sure that we do it for ourselves.
At the end of the day, we have the right and control over how we proceed with our relationship with food.
However, dieting can be hard.
There are many factors that can distract you from your diet plans. It is especially worse for people who started dieting because of body esteem issues.
Other people commenting on your body while dieting can be detrimental to your mental health. It can even discourage you from dieting further.
Here is where the issue of poor support can come in.
Surround yourself with amazing people you can trust.
It does not need to be your family or friends as some of them may be critical of your diet.
You can join a local group or find an online community that encourages and supports each other.
These people are most likely to understand your plea and struggles.
Remember, you are not alone in this diet journey.
#9. You Limit Your Food Choices
As already mentioned, what food comes into mind when people diet is anything salad without carbohydrates added.
This is not only wrong but unhealthy.
First, you need to change your mindset with regard to diet. Your food choices are not limited to what you see on those Social Media influencers’ posts.
Sometimes, the diet food you need is what you already have. You might just need to take away some of them out of your fridge or reduce your consumption.
To proceed with your diet journey, you must take a look at your usual eating routine.
Are you eating more junk food than healthy ones?
Are you consuming high-sugar content meals? Do you rely on takeout every dinner?
If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you might want to re-evaluate your eating habits.
Although you have a balanced meal, you might be consuming too many calories.
Cutting down on them might show immediate results.
You can also remove them from your shelves.
You can still eat food that has fewer calories and is more nutritious in your kitchen.
No need to overhaul your kitchen pantry.
In dieting, it’s good to start where you’re already comfortable and work with it.
#10. Feeling Overwhelmed
The last reason on our list of reasons why dieters fail is the feeling of being overwhelmed.
It is normal, so do not feel like you are the only one who feels a tremendous amount of anxiety.
Dieting for others can be easy as it is something they are familiar with, or they have incredible support behind them.
Others dread it as they tend to overthink.
They believe they cannot do it because they have been unhealthy all their life and cannot change it.
Some just do not know where to start.
So, when they do their research or consult a specialist, they feel overwhelmed.
You need to overcome this feeling to create a rational diet decision.
Take a breather, and do not push yourself.
Ask for guidance if necessary, or have someone prepare a comprehensive diet plan, so you do not need to worry.
