Fact: Diets Fail

A friend of yours tried out a new diet and it helped her lose ten pounds in just three weeks. You had seen for yourself that she really did look slimmer so you asked how to go about the dieting. Sadly, instead of dropping ten pounds you gained three pounds. It almost ended your friendship but since your friend’s so-called diet was the last on the line of unsuccessful diets you’ve tried over the years, you figured she cannot be held responsible.

Before you wallow into self-pity and blame your lack of willpower and discipline, you may want to know the real reason why diets fail to give you good results.

Yes. It is a fact that diets tend not to work.

First, food restriction triggers cravings. The more you refrain yourself from eating the more you will indulge in food later on. In other words, you may be losing weight now but once you achieved your ideal weight, you will start eating the food you crave and gain weight again. More often than not, you get more pounds compared to your weight before you tried out the diet.

Second, most diets are tough to follow. Some may argue that if you really want to lose weight you will do whatever it takes. They have a point but can you imagine yourself watching your calorie intake all the time? Do you have time to prepare the lunch mentioned in the diet book every day? You probably can for six months at most but these diets are not exactly long-term.

Third, a lot of diets focus on the food intake when, in truth, diets are only part of the whole. You can curb your appetite, you can control your cravings, you can limit your calorie intake, but without physical activity, your weight loss program will give minimal results.

Fourth, diets give unrealistic assurances. Fat accumulates over time. Since gaining weight does not happen overnight, it is but logical that losing weight also takes time. If a diet claims that you will be able to lose ten pounds in ten days, you may want to reconsider.

Let’s talk about fad diets. It is similar in the world of fashion where something is selling like hot pancakes one day and nobody wants them the next. It is true that fashion of the past gets to be relived but still, there comes a time when the craze fades. Also, there are some clothes or designs that are better in mannequins. You are only one of the thousands of people who like to join the bandwagon. However, it is advisable to study what a particular diet entails before trying it out. You can end up spending hundreds of dollars for supplements which, in the long run, give negligible results.

There is the matter of “exotic” diets too. These diets require you to consume something that is scarce or is not available in the local supermarket. As such, it takes patience to look for the specified food plus you have to be prepared to spend money. When you run out of patience or money, you will not be able to continue with the diet and there goes all your expenses. While these diets promise weight loss, it is best to stick with diets which involve easily accessed foods.

Finally, dieting may lead to unhealthy practices. Psychologically speaking, that is. There are instances when an individual punishes himself or herself when he or she eats something that is not included in the diet. People suffer from bulimia and other eating disorders sometimes due to diets gone wrong. If a diet brings more problems, it is high time you stop dieting.

Taking all these into consideration, you may not give dieting any more thoughts. However, that is not why we shared the reasons why diets fail. We only want you to stop blaming yourself every time you are not able to stick into a diet.

There is still hope for you. You can ask help from dieticians. They will likely come up with a diet that fits your eating habits and your day-to-day activities. They will also take into account your preferences. If you cannot stand cabbages, they will not put you into a cabbage soup diet.

Just because diets have a tendency to fail does not mean you have to swear them off. There is a good chance that you will find a diet plan that is sustainable and will really work for you.