Disappointment, anger, frustration and helplessness are all emotions that are felt when a diet fails. Learning why diets fail will help aid in beginning a successful weight loss program. Going into a new diet with realistic goals and motivations can make all the difference to losing weight and keeping it off.
A recent study showed that half of women in the US make their New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Unfortunately, unrealistic goals and the need for instant gratification cause many of these women to fail at their weight loss goal. Here are several reasons that diets fail, and how to overcome them:
Mental Barriers that Cause Diets to Fail
The biggest mistake to start and diet out with is setting unrealistic goals. Setting a goal for losing 20 pounds in a month is highly unrealistic. Setting unrealistic goals leads to discouragement when the goal is not met. Ideal weight loss is approximately one to two pounds per week. A realistic goal would be to aim for losing eight pounds a month. It is important to keep in mind that if weight is lost too quickly it can lead to health problems, and also sagging skin.
Constantly focusing on the foods that are not allowed can send a diet crashing fast. Instead focus on the foods that are allowed and enjoy them. Only focusing on foods that are not allowed will result in cravings that can not be tamed.
When starting a diet it is important to pick the correct diet, no the wrong diet. It seems that there is a new diet coming out every day. With all the options it is no wonder that people often select the wrong diet. To select the right diet make sure it is something that can be followed for the long term. Short term fad diets may offer instant gratification, but once the diet is stopped the pounds will come on faster than they left. A diet should help assist in making healthy lifestyle changes that can be followed for years, not months.
Another mistake is cutting foods out cold turkey. Making slow and gradual changes to eating habits will ensure that the changes last for the long term. Cutting out certain foods that the body is used to getting can cause an excessive craving.
Environmental Factors that Cause Diets to Fail
Trying to start a diet near major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas will cause a diet to crash and burn before it has even begun. When starting a new diet plan, aim to start it at least four weeks before a holiday or a major event that involves food. This time period gives the body time to reduce cravings, and gives the dieter better will power to avoid unhealthy foods.
In order to lose weight, more calories have to be burned than consumed. Following a healthy diet is only part of losing weight, exercising must be done also. Ideally 30 minutes of exercise should be done daily. If finding time is an issue with exercising, then break a workout up into mini workouts through the day. Many find it easy to do two 15 minute workouts instead of one 30 minute workout in the evening.
Although dieting the proper way can be hard, following these tips will help ensure a diet that will last for the long run. Learning why diets fail, and overcoming these obstacles will result in a more pleasant diet. If a diet can be enjoyed instead of feeling too restrictive then after a while dieting becomes second nature. Do not focus on the negative connotations of a diet, instead focus on the positive and stay motivated.
References:
WebMD.com*”How to Stay on a Diet” (accessed June 22, 2010).
Erin McDougald-Williams - Erin Williams has been a freelance writer since 2008. She enjoys writing about the paranormal, health, fitness, religion, diet, natural ...
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