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Why Isn't My Diet Working? |
by:
Hiram Perez |
Have
you been on a new diet for a couple of weeks
and found that you STILL can't lose weight?
Have you actually GAINED a pound or two since
you've been on it? Are you just about ready
to throw this diet out the window and try something
else? Well, hold on a minute. There might be
something else going on that's preventing your
diet from working.
Getting your diet to work is like planting a
seed in a garden. In order for the seed to grow,
you have to plant it in good soil. You have
to water it, fertilize it, and protect it from
weeds. In other words, a seed needs a good environment
if it's going to have any chance at all to sprout,
take root, and grow.
Similarly, in order for your diet to start showing
results for you, it also needs a good environment.
Here are 10 "weeds" that will prevent the success
of any diet and may actually be the reason that
yours isn't working.
1. YOU'RE NOT REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT
For your diet to work, you obviously have to
be serious about losing weight. You need to
have the right mental attitude about weight
loss. In other words, you have to get your "head
right." This includes:
a. Making a firm commitment to lose the weight,
no matter what.
b. Making sure you're doing this for the right
reasons. Trying to lose weight to please someone
else never works.
c. Convincing yourself that you CAN lose the
weight--and that you WILL!
If your diet isn't working, it could be because
you're not really serious about losing the weight
in the first place.
2. YOU'RE CHEATING ON YOUR DIET
Cheating on your diet and cheating on love both
end in disappointment. Consistent weight loss
requires, well, consistency. Most of us work
so hard to stick to our diet during the week
that we convince ourselves that we can splurge
on the weekend. Or we think that because we
skipped breakfast, we can have dessert with
lunch. Both are a bad choice.
It's easy to convince yourself that having a
small snack won't hurt, or that you'll work
it off later. The problem is it does, and you
never do. If your diet isn't working, it could
be because you're not following it consistently.
3. YOU'RE NOT EATING FEWER CALORIES
I heard of someone that started one of those
protein shake diets. He actually gained a couple
of pounds. When he was asked how often he was
drinking the shakes, he said, "I drink one with
every meal." It never occurred to him that the
shakes were supposed to replace his meals, not
supplement them.
Many dieters buy low-cal foods, and then eat
twice as much. Don't be one of them! The only
way to lose weight is to reduce your total caloric
intake. Make sure you reduce the size of your
portions and cut out all snacks that are not
part of your diet plan. If your diet isn't working--or
if you've actually gained a pound or two--it
could be because you're not eating fewer total
calories.
4. YOU'RE NOT EATING THE RIGHT FOODS
Eating fewer calories is only part of the battle.
You need to make sure that the foods you do
eat are the right types. A good rule of thumb
is to make sure you get plenty of fruits, salads,
and dark green vegetables. Stay away from refined
foods and starches and eat meat in very small
amounts (sorry, I'm not an Atkins fan).
Leafy, green, water-rich vegetables will aid
digestion, help keep you healthy, and will actually
help your body get rid of excess fat. If your
diet isn't working, it could be because you're
not eating the right foods.
5. YOU'RE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER
When you go on a diet, your body goes into overdrive
to get rid of the excess fats and toxins that
the diet liberates. Many diets (especially the
protein ones) put a strain on your body's organs,
especially the kidneys. Because of this, it's
vital that you drink plenty of water.
Drinking 8 or so full glasses of water every
day helps to flush out the excess fats and toxins
your body is trying to eliminate. Drinking plenty
of water has other benefits including reducing
headaches and improving your hair and skin.
If your diet isn't working, it could be because
you're not drinking enough water.
6. YOU'RE NOT EXERCISING ENOUGH
The best way to increase the number of calories
you burn is through exercise. Pick walking,
running, playing sports, swimming, or whatever--just
make sure that when you exercise, you actually
exercise. Some people go to the gym to socialize,
not to exercise. Make sure you're not one of
them! Get to work and make sure you stay with
it long enough to burn off some excess calories.
To lose weight, shoot for 20 to 30 minutes of
aerobic exercise, every other day. Note that
these 20-30 minutes do not include stretching,
warm ups, cool downs, or checking yourself out
in front of the mirror. Sure, these are an important
part of your exercise routine but you're not
going to lose any weight by stretching. At least
20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, every
other day.
If you've reduced the amount of calories you're
eating and your diet isn't working, it could
be because you're not exercising enough.
7. YOU'RE EXERCISING TOO HARD
This may be counterintuitive but it's true.
If you exercise too hard, your body goes into
an ANAEROBIC state (without oxygen). This is
when you get so out of breath that you can't
seem to take in enough air. When the body is
in this state, it burns mostly carbohydrates
and very little fat. This is why runners "carb
up" before a big race--and also why runners
have just as much body fat as the rest of us.
Slow your exercise down to no more than 85%
of your maximum heart rate (subtract your age
from 220 to get your max heart rate). At this
pace, your body is in an AEROBIC state (with
oxygen) and most of the calories that are burned
are from fat, not carbs. An added benefit is
that aerobic exercise tends to be low impact
making it easy on your joints.
If you already get plenty of exercise and your
diet still isn't working, it could be because
you're exercising too hard.
8. YOU'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH REST
We all live stressful lives. Dieting typically
changes your eating and exercise habits-- two
more stressor's your body has to deal with.
The only chance your body has to relieve tension,
rejuvenate and rebuild itself is during sleep
so it's important to get enough when dieting.
Not getting enough sleep can actually slow your
metabolism making weight loss difficult. It
can also make you feel "groggy," which means
you probably won't make the best food choices
throughout the day. If your diet isn't working,
it could be because you're not getting enough
rest.
9. YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO MANY BATTLES AT ONCE
Weight loss requires both consistent effort
and focus. You won't have either if you're trying
to diet and deal with other "major events" in
your life at the same time. Major events include
things like changing jobs, moving to new house
or city, trying to stop smoking, a death, accident,
or sickness in the family, and so on. All of
these things create a disruption in our lives
and cause us to put everything--including our
diets--on hold. To make matters worse, how do
most of us deal with the stress caused by these
major events? By snacking! Your diet doesn't
have a chance.
So don't even try. Give yourself permission
to put your diet on hold until you can give
it the consistent energy and focus it needs.
Choose your battles carefully and fight only
one at a time. If your diet isn't working, it
may be because you're trying to fight too many
at once.
10. YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GOAL IS NOT REALISTIC
Like all good things, healthy weight loss takes
time. Make sure you're not setting yourself
up for disappointment by setting a weight loss
goal that is totally unrealistic. This includes
not only the amount of weight you want to lose,
but also the amount of time you think it will
take. If you're doing all the right things and
your diet isn't working, it may be because your
weight loss goal-or the time required to reach
it-isn't realistic.
Once you get all of these issues resolved, you've
cleared the way to get your diet back on track.
As your diet takes root and begins to work,
you should start to see the weight come off
easily and naturally.
About the author:
Hiram Perez has made good health and fitness
a lifelong study. Discover other simple and
common sense techniques to improve your wellbeing
by signing up for a free 5-part mini-course
at www.Balance-Your-Health.com
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