If you have ever started a weight loss program and have failed on said weight loss program, you are definitely not alone – almost everyone has! Diets don’t work and most people who fail with their attempts at weight loss have made some common mistakes that may have sabotaged them before they even started.
Below are of some of the most common reasons your weight loss plan might not be working for you – again!
You Go On A Very Restrictive Diet
Scenario # 1– you have decided to go on a diet to lose weight for a wedding you have coming up in 3 months. You decide to eat 1,000 calories or less every day to “jump start” your weight loss. You cut out all fat, sugar, and any junk food you love. You last on this “diet” for 2 weeks and then go to the grocery store hungry (because you are always hungry), buy numerous bad foods, binge eat them, and cry into your ice cream believing you have failed! Can you relate to this? Believe me, you are not alone. Eating too few calories for too long can also negatively impact your metabolism, which can make it harder to lose weight and might even cause weight gain. Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health say that going on a restrictive diet can actually make you much more likely to gain weight. Here is a great tip from neuroscientist Sarah Aarmodt “dieting leads to weight gain, because it’s stressful. Stress hormones act on fat cells to increase abdominal fat. What’s more, weight anxiety and dieting predict later binge eating and weight gain”.
While everyone’s body is different – different basal metabolic rate, different blood sugar issues, etc. – cutting calories to under 1,200 per day is not only unhealthy but can slow down your metabolism and cause unwanted fluctuations in blood sugar and energy levels. Diets Don’t Work!
You Try the Newest And Greatest Fad Diet
Scenario # 2 – You best friend is raving about the (fill in the blank) diet. She has changed her life and lost 20 pounds. She has raved about it so much she could become the new (fill in the blank) diet spokesperson. She convinces you to try this diet. You jump in with enthusiasm and you gain 6 pounds in the first 2 weeks and you feel like a failure.
Try to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. There is really no one size fits all in weight loss. The most important thing is that you develop a healthy, sustainable nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. If eating meat and fat in every meal and cutting out entire food groups like beans fruits and carbohydrates for the rest of your life doesn’t appeal to you, don’t try the Atkin’s or Keto plan! Healthy weight loss can be slower than you might like, but it is the only way to lose weight and keep it off for life.
You Swear You Will Never Eat (fill in your favorite binge food) Again
When you start a weight loss program, the knee jerk reaction is typically to swear off all of the foods that you consider your problem foods. You have done this before – admit it! Did it work? Nooooo, it did not. This all or nothing approach rarely works and is not sustainable for a lifetime. If you allow yourself to eat the foods you love less frequently, and slowly add in healthy foods to crowd out those addictive unhealthy foods, you will have a much easier time with weight loss. Try the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy, lean, plant-based meals and snacks 80% of the time, then allow (smaller portions) of your favorite foods 20% of the time. I, for one, will not be giving up ice cream any time soon. However, I have trained myself to be completely satisfied with a small bowl on the days I really want it.
You Think You Can Exercise Away A Bad Nutrition Plan
Experts say that diet (your nutrition plan) is 80% of weight loss. So, if you’re planning to exercise away the calories consumed after overindulging in a plate of chicken wings and chips during the football game, you’re not on the right track for healthy weight loss. You can’t out exercise a bad diet! This is not to say that exercise is not important for losing weight and achieving optimal health – it most certainly is! You just can’t obsessively exercise to compensate for unhealthy eating. Exercise should be a happy experience and something you look forward to, not something you use as a plan to punish yourself.
You Drink High Calorie Smoothie as a “Healthy” Alternative to a Meal
I love a good smoothie, especially in the warmer months. However, running into your favorite Jamba Juice or similar smoothie establishment may not be the best alternative to a healthy meal. Some of these smoothies can have up to 1,000 calories! If you make a smoothie at home, adding 2 large scoops of protein powder that is full of sugar and other ingredients don’t that favor weight loss is also a common mistake. Try a smoothie with unsweetened almond milk, kale, and fruit like strawberries, blueberries pineapple, and frozen bananas. If you have a good blender, the kale should blend right in and give you an extra serving of leavy greens. If you want to throw in a protein powder, just make sure you know how much sugar and how many calories are in each scoop.
You Don’t Look at Healthy Lifestyle First, Weight Loss Second
The hardest part about losing weight oftentimes is that, if done correctly, it can be frustratingly slow. Even though it might not seem that way, losing weight slowly is the most effective way to keep it off after you’ve worked so hard to lose it. If you look at your nutrition and exercise plan as a way of life – for life – you will undoubtedly succeed. Thinking about all of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle like reducing the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, having more energy throughout the day, and living a longer, medication-free life can help you overcome the dread of a “diet”. Developing a plan that not only you but your whole family can enjoy can create a culture of wellness and set you on a path to a healthy life and the healthy weight loss that follows.
Weight loss should be a bi-product of a healthy lifestyle including a nutrient-dense nutrition plan and a healthy, enjoyable, and consistent exercise plan. So, let’s lose weight the right way, and keep it off – for life!
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