November 2006
Top 10 Reasons Why We Can Fail at Weight Loss!
I have been exploring and experimenting with the ‘Top 10 Ways to Fail at Weight Loss’ since July 2006, and have found some interesting conclusions for myself..... It probably wasn’t a great time for me to try this experiment as there are already many changes going on in my life - but if not Now, when I asked myself?
According to international nutritional experts and dieticians there are TEN sure reasons Why, so many people fail at weight loss and at least TEN ways to blow a diet. On a personal note, I can understand why this would happen, and even though it may be logical.... the reasons why we torture ourselves to look slim and trim in the nicest summer clothes and skimpiest bikinis when heading to the beach during summer, are usually unique for each of us, however we all share a common desire which is to look our best.....
Remember these are the Top Ten reasons Why We Can Fail at Weight Loss!
-- Jennifer R. Scott
- Don't deal with emotional eating.
- (Try to) Follow a super-strict diet.
- Cut back too many calories.
- Go it alone.
- Skip breakfast.
- Don't Keep a Food Diary.
- Set unrealistic goals.
- Weigh in every day.
- Exercise too much, too soon.
- Go cold turkey on your favourite foods.
Sound familiar.... So how many of these changes have you tried to make all at once?
Since I followed my own experimentation, I will follow the order as I experienced it.
- Skip breakfast.... Skip Meals!
Most dieters I know are famous for skipping meals, especially breakfast, and I am known to eat my first meal of the day, midmorning around 10am.... However, Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, because it will wake up your metabolism, kick-start your day and stop you getting too hungry, overeating and indulging or bingeing. It’s more important what you eat to start off your day - fresh fruit and smoothies are my favourite, and will give that added boost to your metabolism - even a fresh fruit juice is better than nothing!
Never Skip Meals, as your Body needs the regular food supply to maintain a well balanced metabolism and keep your weight even. Scientific studies and research has clearly shown, that people who eat at regular intervals, starting with a healthy breakfast in the morning, are better nourished, report fewer mood swings, think more clearly and are more consistently productive throughout their work day, than those who eat erratically
Research also indicates, that those people who regularly skip meals are more prone to weight problems, probably because once they do eat, they eat in excess and usually the wrong type of food, and that by the time they eat their metabolism is already at it’s lowest level.
If you tend to skip meals because you think you can save on calories, either wanting to maintain your current weight or because you want to shed some extra kilograms, start keeping a food diary or journal, and you will probably discover that you more than make up for those skipped meals at other times of the day, when you overeat or indulge in the wrong type of food.
Once meal skippers do eat, they find it very difficult to stop consuming more food than they usually would, as they are over there hunger threshold and eat far more than those who eat more frequently.
For those people who have successfully maintained a weight loss of more than 12 kg’s for at least a year, researchers monitoring their progress have discovered that the key to their success is eating meals at regular intervals throughout the day.
To successfully shed unwanted kilograms and then maintain your ideal weight, eat every three to four hours, regardless of what day of the week it is, including workdays, weekends and especially your holidays.
- Weighing yourself every day.
Weighing myself everyday, was a sure way to start me off in a negative frame of mind, and after just a few days I chucked the scale into the garden in a temper, and it has never been seen again. Weight fluctuates from day to day (and even before and after a meal ;o) and for reasons that have little to do with effort.
If you must weigh yourself regularly,
Do it only once per week, on the same day at the same time.
Since I had thrown my trusty (now rusty scale into the garden ;o) - there was no way for me to weigh myself, either daily or weekly, and a better measurement of my progress proved to be the fit of my clothes (or the bagginess of what used to be tighter fitting clothes ;o) and a good ole fashioned tape measure. A few weeks ago, when taking my daughter to the doctor, I asked if I could check my weight on his very fancy scale, which would give me a much better assessment (than my rusty bathroom, now garden scale) and lo and behold - I was 6 kg’s and more than 3 sizes slimmer. *Grin*. If your bathroom scale is a taunting, montrous thing that you are trying to face each morning, and starting you off in a bad mood for the day - take a break, lock it in a cupboard even - if you are unwilling to throw it out. Try it for a month, and then only if you have to, weigh yourself once per week. Also take an item of clothing that fits you well, like a favourite pair of jeans and try it on weekly to check the ‘fit’ as a more positive ‘measurement’ of your slimming aspirations.
- Making your favourite foods ILLEGAL
I usually only have pizza or pasta once every couple of weeks, and chocolate only once every month or couple of months (chocolate does make a big difference to lifting the moods as a result of PMS ;o). Making my favourite foods like pizza and chocolate ‘illegal’, definitely sparked my rebellion and made me irritable until I gorged in excess. Trying to drink less coke, just made me want to drink more.... which is exactly what happened!
Deciding to go without your favourite food is a definite step towards failure, and will ensure binges, mood swings and overwhelming frustration, leaving your resolve to ease your excess weight off.... literally in the toilet.
Go for Moderation, when eating your favourite food
All things in moderation! Eat your favourites occasionally and in controlled portions which will ensure moderation, to keep those cravings at bay.
[ 40 days and 40 nights..... a different diet perspective! ]
- Go It Alone
Well, anyone visiting the WhyWeight website would realise this is something I have never done ;o) - and even if I ever tried to do anything alone, I gave up the concept years ago, for obvious reasons.
We ALL need help and support, at different times in our life for different reasons!
I am fortunate that those friends that I have made, even those long time WhyWeight subscribers who are now some of my best friends, have a common interest with me and share their frustrations and all the ‘Not’ so great stuff about weight and life, allowing me to share with them as well. So we all learn from each other. No matter who you are, create a support system when trying to ease the weight off, so you have someone to talk to when you are feeling frustrated or anxious - email me, and even if I am busy or can’t help you at the time, we do have others who can. Online or face to face, there are many resources and support groups to help when you need it, start by seeking them out, before you start following your trimming down plan.
- Don’t Keep a Food Diary
This may be a simple concept, yet is a very real struggle, it means you have to ‘Get Real’ - be honest and you can no longer cheat yourself about what you are consuming.... It’s easy to lie to yourself about what you ate today, or just completely deny the chocolate papers in your dustbin, yep that one you ate between breakfast and lunch and the one before dinner on your way home!
Keeping a Food Diary, can be private for yourself and will help you be honest with your food and liquid consumption. How can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been? To get a real grasp on what, how much, and why you’re eating, keep an honest food diary for at least 10 days. When I asked one of the subscribers to keep a food diary for 14 days, we discovered that although she thought she was only drinking eight cups of coffee with two teaspoons of sugar in each.... she actually discovered she was drinking THIRTY!
Then she could take steps to moderate her consumption and look for healthier alternatives for some of those thirty cups of coffee, like eating an apple instead. In just 30 days, she was sleeping better and trimmed down by 7 kg’s.
- Don’t deal with emotional eating....
That will simply mean a continuous pattern and daily habits of emotional eating, enough said!
No matter how much weight you want to let go, you simply must face any emotional eating issues you have. This may be as simple as identifying alternative activities or as intensive as seeking professional help!
- Exercise too much, to soon....
Well, what can I say... I tried it, Stupidly, with disastrous results!
Take it slow, a little more every day
Overdoing it will lead you to burnout and risk overuse injuries whether it be exercising more intensely or for too lengthy a duration. (A few minutes every other day is an excellent way to begin if you’ve been sedentary.) I went out and joined a Karate class, which I loved and enjoyed great benefits for 6 months. Then I had a workload that meant skipping a months classes and another month during the holidays, so that when I went back to class, I just got stuck in, without building up my routine in a slow, steady manner like I had the first time. Well, I got sick, very sick... and even when I went back to class after a four week break to heal, my enthusiasm for the class had diminished, for obvious reasons. Find something you enjoy and take it slow.
- Set unrealistic goals....
Most of us have done this I am sure.... you want to look your best for a special occasion or holiday and leave your trimming plan to the last minute.
Set Realistic Goals, Avoid setting goals that even the most devoted dieter couldn’t meet. Can you really cut out all sodas if you’re used to downing a 2-litre a day? Is making it three times around the track or block doable when you just started walking last week?
- (Try to) follow a super-strict diet.
The extra fat cells and unwanted kilograms that you now have to deal with, are probably the result.
When diets rely on one type of food or cut out entire food groups, they’re too difficult to stick to for any length of time. Ask anyone who tried the grapefruit diet. And you will soon get bored and have to deal with intense cravings.... so ensure your eating plan is balanced and varied, including your favourite foods in moderation.
- Cut back too many calories.
Every felt so hungry you could eat a horse.... just a figure of speech of course!
Calories in, calories out -- the key to trimming your body. But cut too many and you won't lose weight at all thanks to the metabolism's "starvation" mode.
And on another note... trying to deal with all TEN issues could prove just as disastrous, so take one of the issues that you feel most comfortable dealing with - even the easiest and incorporate it into your plan to trim your body size, while being mindful of the others. When you feel confident, tackle the next issue.
I would love to hear from you so please share your feedback by sending an [ Email ] - thanks!
Love always
Mands
This information is intended to supplement the care provided by your physician and is not a subsitute for professional medical advice. We urge you to consult with your doctor on any questions you may have regarding a medical condition - or before making any significant changes in your eating or exercise habits.