5 Reasons That Diets Fail

Lose Weight, Not your Mind!

5 Reasons Why Most “Diets” Fail

In a society in which we are constantly bombarded by unrealistic images consisting of Photoshop and filters, it’s not surprising that our perception of ideal health and beauty is often skewed. At any given time, millions of Americans are on some type of “diet.” Surprisingly, a staggering 95% of those individuals are unable to lose weight and keep it off. This begs the question of why do most diets fail?

1. You Look at Your Diet as Temporary Rather than a Lifestyle Change

Everyone wants to look and feel good at important events throughout their lives. Whether it’s for a wedding, a weekend in Vegas, or a girls’ weekend in Mexico, our desire to look good for various special occasions and events often leads us to crash dieting. But after we drop the pounds and go back to our old habits, the weight tends to pile right back on and we wonder why, just for us to inevitably continue the cycle over and over again.

Crash diets do not work. Lifestyle changes do. Fad diets serve as short-term “solutions” to long-term results.

Rather than trying quick, rash fad diets to drop weight immediately, focus on your health and utilize your meals as a way to try new things and make realistic changes that are sustainable.

2. You Don’t Want to Wait to See Results

During the present digital age, technology has allowed us to do everything quickly. Where we once put letters in the mailbox, we now send email; where we once talked on the phone, we’ve found it quicker to simply text. We do our shopping online, and get things delivered right to us rather than having to even leave the house. Our expectations are those of speed without any work. This has carried over into every aspect of our lives. It’s no different for changing our healthy habits.

When we want to lose weight or get into better shape, we want it done like yesterday. You feel like you are trying really hard but after only losing a couple of pounds a week, you feel like you’re failing and it’s never going to happen.

Instead of giving up, remember the real reason for healthy habits to begin with – treating your body with respect and fueling it with the right energy it needs to perform at its peak. Those who lose weight at a slower pace are actually much more likely to keep it off long-term. So next time you get frustrated because you don’t see much of a difference, remind yourself that all things done well take time. By doing it the right way, you change your health and your life rather than just your pant size.

3. You Restrict What You Eat and Overcompensate for Hunger by Binging

Deprivation is one of the leading causes of failing diets. When you deprive yourself of all of the foods that you crave, you may be able to sustain it for a short period of time, but eventually that deprivation will cause you to give in. And when you do, it’s likely that you’ll overindulge in all of those cravings that you have denied yourself for so long.

Instead of denying yourself of any and all foods that you enjoy, it’s important to have an occasional treat. If you crave chocolate, have a small chocolate bar; if you crave chips, have a single bag. The most important thing to remember is portion size. With the right portion size, you won’t ruin your diet.

4. You Adhere to a Good Food/Bad Food, All-or-Nothing Mentality

We’re all human. Similar to deprivation proceeding binge eating, a mentality that includes feeling like a failure for having that small chocolate bar will only contribute to the problem.

When you feel as though you have failed for having a single treat, it often leads to then eating whatever you want for the rest of the day, and throwing in the towel indefinitely.

It’s important to understand that one cookie or one chocolate bar will not ruin your whole diet. It’s even more important to focus on making good food choices rather than perfect ones. That’s sustainable.

5. Your Metabolism Has Slowed Down

If you have had a history of restrictive eating and binging, your body may have actually learned to burn fewer calories at rest and store as much fat as it can when you binge. This makes weight loss extremely difficult.

The best thing that you can do is to exercise while you are eating in a healthful manner. Exercise ensures that your body will break down your fat for energy, rather than your muscle. Additionally, aerobic exercise, which increases the heart rate, keeps metabolic rates high.

RAWR Nutrition and Meal Plans are made to help break you of many of the poor habit that you may have acquired from trying to lose weight or “eat right.” With meals that look and actually taste delicious, including amazing desserts, you don’t have to worry about portion size, restricting, or longevity. Our meals are made to taste great while still having the correct proportion of macronutrients to keep your body functioning at its best. Our meal plans not only show you what healthy looks like, but take away the need to constantly be in the kitchen, so you can maintain healthy eating, find time to hit the gym, and live a sustainable lifestyle.