Everyone starts a diet with only the best of intentions. When you chose your last diet, maybe it was one that you've heard a lot of good things about. It worked for these other people, it should work for you, is what you thought. So, you proceeded to throw out your sodas and junk food and start fresh by eating a group of specific foods that the plan promises will help you drop those pounds in no time.
That first day, you're really optimistic. Sure, you can eat only what it says for you to eat and not a bit more! You breeze through that first day with no problem. On the third day of eating this way, you're still hanging in there, but you're feeling a little cranky from not being able to eat that burger you saw your friend eating at lunch. You convince yourself that food shouldn't make you happy - it's all about the calories.
On the fifth day of eating your fad diet food, you're finding it difficult to raise the fork up to your mouth for one more bite of this stuff. You've been daydreaming about all the foods you miss, pizza, fries, burgers, chips, ice cream . . . you know you can't have them, but shoot. Why does dieting have to be so hard?
On day seven, you're so tired, cranky and hungry that you start to hate the sight of that salad sitting in front of you. Yeah, it's healthy, but what you really want is some REAL food. You decide right then and there that you're going to kick this diet thing to the curb and go back to eating normal again.
As you bite into that juicy burger (with all the fixings), you feel good that you're not going to be hungry anymore, but you also feel guilty for abandoning yet another diet that you swore to yourself you'd stay on until you lost X amount of pounds. If only you had more willpower.
What went wrong?
It's not your lack of willpower that derailed you.
Reason #1 - The diet was too strict. Many diets require you to follow a plan of eating only certain foods that fit into the low-fat or low-carb category. Fad diets in particular tend to restrict you to eating a very small group of foods. The plan forces you to eat these foods over and over again, and your body just isn't getting enough nutrition to sustain you for more than a few days. How can you stay positively motivated, when your brain is foggy and you feel weak and cranky?
Reason #2 - Old eating habits are hard to break - Think about it. A diet requires you to go cold turkey from eating anything you like, to following a regimented eating plan. One day you're eating pepperoni pizza, the next day you're eating nothing but salad and nuts. It's hard for your mind to make a mental adjustment that quickly. It's better to gradually introduce healthier foods into your diet. For instance, you can learn how to make a healthy pizza.
Reason #3 - Maybe you haven't committed to making a total lifestyle change when it comes to the foods you eat. Most fad diets are only for the short term. If your intention for going on the diet is to drop 5 - 10 pounds quickly, then you might achieve that goal temporarily, but you aren't learning how to eat better for your health for the long term. Ultimately, this lack of commitment leads to gaining back that 5 - 10 pounds.
No comments:
Post a Comment