4 Reasons Your Diet Failed
"The diet worked so well! But I didn't have the willpower to keep it up and then I gained all the weight back." Sound familiar? I think at least 9/10 clients have said some version of this to me.
Diet culture tells us it's OUR fault if we can't stick to a diet. The truth is that diets aren't set up for you to succeed (long-term). It wouldn't be a billion dollar industry if we all succeeded!
But maybe you're not sure WHY it's so hard to stick to a diet. Here are just a FEW reasons:
Deprivation/Restriction
If you yo-yo and go off/on diets frequently, with restriction then bingeing, your body goes into a famine state. Food fixation and bingeing can be a result of your body trying to get out of survival mode -- your brain might literally be making that bread speak to you through the cabinet (ha!). Although you may not be depriving yourself (or think you're depriving yourself), your body perceives a threat of deprivation with there is any kind of restriction. A perceived threat of future deprivation is implied when you restrict. Then cravings eventually become too strong to resist.
Food Rules
No carbs, no sugar, no gluten, no eating past 7pm. A lot of diets have food rules -- what you can eat, when you can it...even how you eat it. If I say "don't think about cake"...what do you think about? A study published in the scientific journal Appetite researched the psychological effects of banning food, such as sweets. It found that those with a tendency to overeat who were told to abstain from eating their favorite snacks for 24 hours ended up consuming around 133 percent more!
Unrealistic Expectations or Goals
Is your goal weight what you weighed at 20? Or the dress size you wore to the prom? Setting goals that are unrealistic is VERY common. Why not set the absolute best possible goal? Well, if you can never reach it, then you'll always fail. And, it might not even be realistic! We aren't supposed to be the same size at 18 and at 35 after two babies. Our body's have a set weight point. Diets can put your body into fight mode and oh boy it does NOT like it to go below it's set point.
Too Rigid for Life
Your social life is actually a big part of your health! It's important to be with friends and family and go to celebrations and outings. A lot of diets make us afraid to leave the house...what if there isn't anything I "can" eat? What if everyone asks why I'm not eating? Sometimes we don't realize the anti-social effects of diets on our social lives...and sometimes it gets to a breaking point where you just want to go out with your friends and enjoy some pizza! And, you say "I give up!".
Don't worry though. All is not lost. Losing weight is not a hopeless goal. One-size-fits-all diets and wellness programs just aren't the way to go about it. Success will come from changing BEHAVIORS and then, as a result of those changed behaviors, you will lose weight - or your body will get you to your ideal weight set point. But often it takes support and accountability to get those habits and behaviors to stick...because, let's be real, it's HARD to change. That's what I do as a health coach. I offer the support, expertise, and accountability to help you finally reach your goals.
