SubscribeThe One Reason Why Most Diet Books Fail
Have you ever purchased a diet book, or two, or three...? Or maybe you have a shelf full of them. Surely one should have done the trick.
There is a reason why they don't work so well:
Books are not people.
Many books are written by doctors, nutritionists, or counselors who have helped dozens of people transform their bodies and their health. They then compile all of their wisdom into a book.
The problem is: A one-on-one session or program doesn't translate directly into a bunch of words on a page.
- A book doesn't answer your individual and unique questions.
- It doesn't listen to you, check how you're doing, or help you plan your food budget when you're a single mom with 3 kids.
- It doesn't help you if you learn by doing or seeing - rather than the written word.
Recent research showed that 58% of women interested in learning about weight control would prefer to participate in an individual face-to-face program delivered by a health professional.
For many of us the latest diet book is not the answer. However - a good book is a useful tool in the educational toolbox and is substantially cheaper than meeting a health professional.
Before buying another diet book - think carefully about whether the format is meeting your needs.
I agree that person to person interaction is optimal, but I think a lot of the problem is that most books don't teach the reader how to generate the motivation that is needed to actually take the first steps on the journey to fit and thin. For many people, actually getting started is the hardest thing of all.
Brian
ReplySure, good luck with doctors nowadays, I talk to my doctor repeatedly and I keep getting referred to their "wellness" center where it only costs $1,600 for advice, and they don't take insurance. And it's the entire hospital system that does this by me, this is the not the first doctor I've spoken to. I have to say, I get books, glance at them, see something isn't doable and I put it back up for sale on half.com...
Stinks...
ReplyI've also found that most of the books take a "do this or YOU'LL FAIL" attitude. Ok, I get that they need to do that to convince you that this is the one program that will get you into a size 6. But in general, you find the attitude of "do only these things, eat only these things" and not enough of "it's a lifestyle change - a complete overhaul not only of how you live but how you think... it's hard but you CAN do it".
Maybe that's why programs like Weight Watchers work better than books do. WW allows you to interact with people who can help give you a lift when you think you can't do it for one more day. Books can't do that.
ReplyHmmm, I personally love books, but I don't purchase many that are specifically diet books. I do own some by Geneen Roth, and some others that have to do with solving the issues that drive you to overeat in the first place.
I think that with any book, it all comes down to taking action on what you read. You can read forever but if you never apply what's written, it won't work.
In regards to diet books, I believe that almost any "diet" can help you take off the weight, but that does not mean that it's healthy for your body, or that you will be learning lifestyle changes that will keep the weight off long term. ;)
Replyi can not lose wieght no matter what i do and the doctor says there is nothing wrong with me so..go figure i know a book will not help.
ReplyBooks always use bold titles and statements to entice the reader into thinking that that book will be the one to change their lives, and so he/she buys it.
However, after further inspection, the reader will find that the diet is not practical to fit around their daily lives, with complex plans and rules to follow, and give up after a couple of weeks.
People are all different and need to find an individual plan that suits their body and lifestyle. This is why interaction with other people helps, as they can learn tips and ideas and put them together to make a healthy lifestyle that works for them.
The only books I find useful are healthy living cookbooks, which give me ideas for low-cal healthy recipes, which I can then adapt to suit me.
ReplyIt is not about the book, it is about the commitment that people have to do to follow diets.
ReplyI think books can be really helpful in learning about healthy eating but I don't think they work if you're going to follow a diet from them.
Mostly, I find I dip into books because, as stated, they're impersonal and never quite seem to apply to you. But I've learnt a lot and I've found that putting the information together myself has been enough to help me lose weight and get fit.
That isn't to say that I've been totally successful with weight loss, I haven't. But that's because I've stopped following what I've learned and gone back to my old ways. When I put what I've learned into practice, it works.
I find that books alone, regardless of how well written they are, aren't enough to motivate me. They can help momentarily but when it comes down to it, it's me that has to want to make a change. And that's the hardest part for me, knowing that I should eat veggies and exercise is easy, getting up and doing it isn't.
ReplyI thought about this some more, and I DID recently purchase "You On A Diet" (6 mos ago), but I don't think of it as a "diet" book because there is so much wonderful info in it about how your body works. They do include a diet plan in it, but I haven't implemented it.
ReplyI believe one more reason diet books fail is that they never get to cover "all" our excuses to follow what's in the book. :-D
ReplyOne of the best things that ever happened to me was being made to see a nutritionist. (I was very ill with an eating disorder at the time.) I believe that she, in combination with my therapist, saved my life. I am sure that some diet books are great; I've never read one. But person-to-person interaction is much better in my experience. The fact that insurance doesn't cover it (or the fact that many people are not insured at all) is a tragedy.
ReplyWhy would you buy a book when we have the Internet?
ReplyI agree with all of the above comments. As previously noted, diet books are not personal. Most of them are either restrictive, formulaic, supplement-based, time-oriented, myopic and not based on sound science. But perhaps most importantly, most of them do not address why you overeat in the first place and are therefore short-term "solutions". The flashy, well-marketed ones sell nicely because of their faddish appeal. Fact is though that with all of the ideas just about gone, authors are now focusing on very specific items to try and seperate them from the others. The result is usually the same, however - another failed attempt, discouragement and even lower self-confidence than before trying the diet-du-jour.
I especially agree with the comments that it is user-driven, not book-driven.
ReplyAs an author, I can say that it can be just as frustrating for us as it is for many of the people that read what we put out.
The toughest thing is to convey that fat loss or getting in shape isn't necessarily a hard process to master... but it doesn't mean it's easy either.
Couple that with trying to anticipate most of the questions that you would get in a one-on-one while trying to avoid information overload and I'm sure you can see the weird dichotomy that unfolds :)
ReplyI agree with Mike. In my opinion, practically all of the diet books fail to cover one topic, which I think is not only THE most important factor in losing weight but keeping it off for good is your emotions. Logically speaking, losing weight is not rocket science. It's eay on paper. What sabotages the diet more than anything is our emotions. Until we address the underlying emotions that cause us in the first place to overeat, not exercise, or otherwise not take good care of our health, no diet book in the world or advice from any expert is going to get us to our goal weight, AND keep it off for good.
ReplyOMG, just reading that made me feel OLD. How things and perspectives have changed. Some us still read for pleasure, though. The internet's got its good points, but nothing beats the satisfying feel of a book in your hands.
As for diet books, I've never bought one, but I have bought and enjoyed reading several about nutrition, including Food and Mood by Elizabeth Somer (no, I don't know the author, just liked the book). Research can give you the information but in the end, you have to motivate yourself to eat well and exercise.
ReplyWhile i do agree to a certain degree.
Leslie Sanmone eat smart walk strong
was like a bible to me. She uses a clear and
direct explanation of what is what and how the body
works.with exercice and with food. She also tells you
to work on the whole being . your body and your spirit
I think this book and her tapes , got me jump started
and i really think its a great book.
Replyoh and this is an after thought.
Emotional eating is a big thing for a lot of people
portion control was my hardest lesson to learn.
and why i eat when i eat and what i eat.
You have to figure out those 3 w's....
Replyand that might not be pretty...
but in the end you might live longer
and healthier. Peace
but do you read a diet book for pleasure though? personally, i doubt most people do. a good fiction book will always be better than the internet but a diet book is not that. i think the reason why people would choose a diet book over finding out info on the net is because there is just an overwhelming about of stuff out there. where do you look? what is reliable and what isn't? i've come across a lot of conflicting advice when researching nutrition and exercise on the net.
a diet book seems better to some people because you have all that you think you need to know in one place and it's written by a supposed "expert". it seems more trustworthy and has more authority. when i bought burn the fat, feed the muscle a lot of the information that was in there i'd already read on the internet but it still shed new light on topics i thought i knew all about already and offered valuable new advice.
ReplyDiet books always seemed rather odd to me. I've always tried to alter my habits (both dietary and exercise) in a sustainable way - a change in lifestyle that will actually work, rather than a short-term fix.
Replywell, i'm not surprised that your diet books contradict each other. after all, they are all written by different people with different views on nutrition and dieting - they all have their own angle on dieting and their own gimmick to push.
my choice of words in that sentence - "diet book seems better to some people because you have all that you think you need to know in one place" - suggested that i never believed that diet books give you the "complete picture" but make people think that's why their getting. i think people are more likely to believe that a diet book has more "power" and is more truthful than the information on the internet. anybody can write anything on the internet but a published books seems more "exclusive" and a book itself can give some people the impression that what they are reading has been well researched and is accurate.
eat X cals + exercise = weight loss is essentially a simple formula (on the surface at least) but some people feel the need to have guidance in order properly understand. that's no bad thing but it's just a shame that there is so much conflicting information both in books and the internet. for a first time dieter, it can be hard to know exactly what info to follow. the first time i dieted, i didn't realise that eating under 1, 200 was not a wise idea and it lead me on the path the an ed nos. i think i responded so well to burn the fat, feed the muscle because it was basically a book full of good, well written advice that didn't have any gimmicks.
ReplyBack to last time when I was losing weight. I realize that I read 3 books and around 50 different articles. But I didn't lose any weight.
Losing weight through reading don't really help a lot. It just makes me want to learn more and addicted to weight loss knowledge.
Effective healthy weight loss really need someone to guide you. They will be like a mirror reflecting your achievements and results.
ReplyIf you read enough on the internet, pretty soon you will not only grow your own bullshit detector but maybe find a few things that do work for you including support groups that can be better than one on one.
ReplyThe reason diet books fail is people don't want to take action. They just want to read the book to show themselves they are doing something and then just leave it at that.
ReplyI continue to hear nothing but incredibe things about a new book coming out.
Go to www.TranformDiet.com
Please write me back with any news you might have.
ReplyThanks
I love this site