Can you think back to the first time you went on a diet? Maybe it was the Atkins diet, or the South Beach diet, or a low-fat diet when you were in your twenties. I remember trying Weight Watchers when I was less than 12 years old, and then trying almost every diet after that. Failure after failure gets a girl thinking, you know? Well I’m here to share with you the top 3 reasons diets are failing you. These may not seem intuitive, but after reading them you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
1) The other diet was too strict
Does the thought of celebrating a birthday with friends while you’re on a diet make you want to stay home instead? As I’m sure you know by now, nothing good comes from feeling deprived and socially isolated. You know that the more you avoid certain ‘bad’ foods the more you are bound to eat them, so it’s time to loosen that firm grip and stop white knuckling it with your diet. Moving away from an all-or-nothing mindset is the key here to allow flexibility into your life and develop healthy behaviours that work for you. When struggling with weight loss resistance, it’s important to incorporate variety – in food and physical activity.
2) You don’t know your true motivation
What’s more enticing – fitting into your favourite bathing suit or having the energy to keep up with your kids or grandkids? At first thought you’re probably thinking it would be nice to fit into that bathing suit this summer, but deep down you know there’s more to it than that. Is it the bathing suit or is it that you’re sick and tired of not feeling your best? My advice is to plaster your ‘why’ in as many places as possible. The more you become in tune with what you want out of life, the easier it will be to make decisions about your health. Before you know it, you’ll be reaching for a handful of nuts instead of chips because you know that is what is going to fuel you most.
3) You do not have enough accountability
Accountability is often the key thing my patients are missing. Sure I can meet with my patients one-on-one every few months to check in, but they need something more. That doesn’t make you weak or incapable; it’s natural to need to be held accountable for your actions until they’re a part of lifestyle. The most common question people ask is who – who should I pick? Let’s think about it. Is your mom or #1 cheerleader best friend going to give you tough love when necessary? Or is your friend who gives you honest and straight-up advice who you want on your team? You want to think about who is firm enough to help you get back on track after you hit an obstacle. Without them, you’re more likely to just give up all together. No one wants that, right?
Have you thought of these areas before? I’m hoping this article is going to make you think long and hard about why your past diets did work for you, what your true motivation is, and who your accountability partner is going to be. From there you can accomplish anything! Including working your way through my book Finally Lose It to start to put the pieces together for a fulfilling and healthy life.
