7 Reasons Your Last Diet Failed

Posted on 25. Aug, 2009 by Jon Winthorp in dieting

Evolution, American-Style
Creative Commons License photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

On average, a little over 2% of diets are successful. 2%! That means the other 98% or so of dieters are failing to keep the weight off. What gives? Why are so many dieters failing to get the healthy body they want and need?

  1. You picked the wrong diet for your lifestyle—The most common reason for a failed diet is the chosen diet was completely wrong for the dieter. Suppose you’re someone who works 40-50 hours a week and has kids to take care of. A diet that requires you to spend hours each day preparing special meals will never work because you just don’t have the time. Likewise, if you’re someone who enjoys meat, a vegetarian diet will make you miserable, causing you to quit after a few days. Choosing the right diet is integral to your success.
  2. .You didn’t hold yourself accountable—Let’s face it: most of us are way too soft on ourselves. We start our diets halfheartedly, but we rarely take them seriously enough to ensure we see results for years to come. Accountability is a must in dieting. Track your progress every single day of your diet. Put a chart up on the refrigerator or wall where you will see it every single day that monitors your dieting progress.
  3. You set unrealistic goals—Look, it’d be amazing if you could lose 50 pounds in a few weeks, but that’s probably not going to happen. And while that might be an extreme example, the point is this: Setting unrealistic goals is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure. As soon as you realize that you won’t reach the goal, you’ll lose confidence and probably quit your diet.
  4. The rest of your lifestyle was unchanged—While changing your eating habits is a good place to start, becoming a truly healthy person requires an entirely different lifestyle. You need to start exercising, and you need to ditch unhealthy habits. Now, you probably shouldn’t try to change everything at once. That’s just too overwhelming. But slowly altering your lifestyle over time, will help you be your healthiest.
  5. You put yourself in tempting situations—Imagine you’re a recovering alcoholic. You probably wouldn’t want to hang out at a bar, right? Same thing goes for dieters. Don’t put yourself in tempting situations that will cause you to eat something you later regret.
  6. You didn’t have support from others—Do you have a friend or family member looking to lose weight? Or do you know someone who hits the gym regularly? Find an accountability partner who will help you stay on track. A small support group can go a long way to keeping you moving forward on those days when you feel like giving up.
  7. You ate badly once, and gave up—Chances are, you will stumble a few times during your diet. That’s okay. The key is to pick yourself up and to get back on track. Don’t let one night of bad eating discourage you to the point that you decide to give up.

Why did your last diet fail? Share your advice in the comments.

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7 Responses to “7 Reasons Your Last Diet Failed”

  1. Twitted by wwmathyoo

    25. Aug, 2009

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    26. Aug, 2009

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  3. Joy A. Rogers

    26. Aug, 2009

    Great Post! Very informative.. will share = )
    Joy A. Rogers´s last blog ..Uni Skierniewice – Ceramika Opoczno 3:1 (1:1) My ComLuv Profile

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  4. Becky

    26. Aug, 2009

    Nice list! I totally agree, especially with #4. In fact, I’ve had the best results when I don’t try to change my diet at all and just get more active in my day to day.

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  5. Alisa Bowman

    26. Aug, 2009

    I think these are all true. One more to add: your body is designed to gain weight. It’s a survival mechanism that kept us all alive during the days when we had to hunt food for a living. Now, with very high calorie food nearly everywhere, it’s really hard to NOT over eat. I watched a very overweight woman at a fast food restaurant the other day. In addition to her breakfast, she also had one of their mocha latte drinks. Most people don’t know that these things contain something like 400 calories. There are some restaurant dishes that have 1000 calories–and the portion looks tiny. If all of our food came labeled with calorie info, especially in restaurants, I think a lot of people would have an easier time making smarter choices.
    Alisa Bowman´s last blog ..32 more things I never thought I would say… My ComLuv Profile

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  6. misslindadee

    26. Aug, 2009

    I believe embracing ONLY healthy food is the best diet & make it a lifestyle FOREVER! Make all your calories count!

    I am practically a vegetarian although I earnestly attempt some salmon in the summer and cod or haddock in the winter daily.

    Avoid veggies that are bad for you like white potatoes, white rice, and corn. Eat FRESH unprepared food! remember ‘Fresh is Best’!

    NEVER eat any fried food or canned food as they are not good for you!

    You MUST read ALL ingredients and always avoid white sugar or white flour or hydrogenated oils

    Eating RAW is fabulous! Organic grown produce is exceedingly more expensive but in the long run it is not because your doctor bills will be minimal!

    Please eat Seeds & Nuts, RAW! And Sprouts are fabulous in a salad or a sandwich! I grow most of my own sprouts. You may purchase them on Amazon.com as they sell sprouters and the multimix seeds at reasonable prices.

    Beans are a fantastic source of protein!

    If you owned a high performance automobile would you not ‘FEED’ it the correct fuels? Junk food is just THAT. Junk! Also drink 8 glasses of water daily! Hydration is extremely important!

    Need a snack? Have 7 almonds or Brazil Nuts!

    Please eat fresh fruit.

    Please eat at least one if not two salads daily. I prefer them AFTER the main course as it aids in digestion.

    Coffee and cigarettes are terrible. They are herbs that should be used and not abused!

    Count the calories in your cocktails! Do not blame the fat on your food intake if you consume alcohol.

    If you abide by these tips and you can not lose weight then you should seek advice from a medical professional as you may have a hormonal imbalance which may need a medication.
    God bless and Good Luck!

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  7. Tracy

    28. Aug, 2009

    I can so relate to number 7, I see it in myself and others all the time for so many things, not just dieting. It seems like human nature to just stay off the horse once you fall instead of dusting yourself off and getting back on.
    Tracy´s last blog ..Persuing Perfection Produces Paranoia My ComLuv Profile

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