Why Is Failure To Lose Weight So Common?
Millions of people every year "go on a diet", and nearly always that is to lose weight. Some succeed in losing weight, but the majority fail to lose any weight at all. Or they start off with good intentions and lose a bit of weight, only to put it all back on again quicker than they lost it in the first place.
There is no single reason for failure with a diet, but perhaps the main reason that failure to lose weight is so common is an underlying one. Aside from those with a medical problem causing obesity, people who are overweight are in that state because of many years of eating habits. The operative word there is "habits".
Any sort of habit is difficult to overcome. If you have a smoking habit, it is notoriously difficult to stop smoking. With smoking their is an element of addiction, but that can be true of food too.
Any habit takes a hold at a deep level and runs like a clockwork routine. Like walking and breathing, any habit can be dictated by your subconscious because it is so repetitive and constant in every day life. Such habits require an enormous, well directed effort to overcome. So it is with going on a diet and losing weight.
However, there are many elements to success in losing weight; in going on a diet and making that diet work in stripping away those excess pounds. The article below covers a few of those elements, and if you pay attention to those, as well as address your subconscious bad habits, then you have a much better chance of taking your diet from the "failure" class to the "success" class.
Why Did Your Diet Fail You? Or Did You Fail Your Diet?
Are you someone who has, in the past, been on a diet, only to find at the end of it you had lost no weight? Despite putting your best efforts into the diet much of the time, and keeping quite close to recommendations when it came to calories and so on, for some reason things did not quite work out. Eventually, with the pounds drifting off too slowly and back on again too quickly, you just gave up, and went back to "normal".
The sad thing is that "normal" is what caused you being overweight in the first place, so it is not something you should really go back to. But, you say to your self: "I failed, but at least I gave it a go."
What adds to the sadness, though, is that you may have been a lot closer than you think to being successful in losing weight permanently through your diet. It could be that you made a few mistakes along the way which you could easily have rectified. Let us consider some of the possible reasons your diet plans may have slipped away.
Regular Meal Times
It is important that you stick to a good routine of three main meals a day. Also, do not forget to snack. That does not mean to help yourself to chocolate or any fattening junk food. Have something healthy, such as low-fat yogurt and dried fruits. It is not good to ignore your hunger, as that can lead to you getting very hungry for your next meal, and you could find yourself eating too much.
Eat Only When You Are Hungry
When you were on a diet before, did you find yourself eating for any reason apart from hunger? Sometimes we eat for other reasons, such as comfort or boredom, or out of habit we may devour junk food during a good movie or a big football match. Always think before you eat, and answer honestly: "Am I hungry?" If so, it's meal time or healthy snack time; but it's not junk food time.
Keep Your Food Healthy And Diverse
Is the food you are eating both healthy and varied? You should make sure your plate is full of diverse sources of vitamins and minerals, and include cereals, vegetables, fruits, eggs and milk in your daily diet . These kinds of foods stay in your stomach longer and give you more energy.
Don't Be Too Zealous
Use your common sense when it comes to keeping check of calorie intake and other nutritional facts. If you make yourself feel too restricted, you will eventually feel like a prisoner in your own diet, and may be inclined to escape by giving up. Be kind to yourself, and not over zealous. Set your own rhythm for a steady weight loss, and that way you’ll get both the physical and the psychological satisfaction you need continue successfully with the diet.
If you pay attention to these little details, they will assist you greatly in your next diet attempt. Add in some relaxation techniques such as yoga, and non fattening pampering, such as a sauna or massage now and again, and the whole experience will be much more of a pleasure than before, and will be more likely to succeed this time around.
