Why Do Most Diets Fail?

It is extremely frustrating to gain back weight after you have achieved some success and started to feel like this time is for real, especially when you have worked really hard to get your new body.
I spoke with my nutritionist, and she advised me not to get too excited right after losing some weight for this exact reason.
I started eating a lot of healthy green foods, and i came across a helpful list of
Five Leafy Greens to Love. They're very healthy and also tasty, and every time I feel like eating, I make myself a nice leafy salad to help me survive until my next bout of hunger.

In the past I have used the endless bowl of cereal/ shakes diets and they didn't work at all. Now I've been eating stuff I'd eat anyway the difference is that exercise is part of my life for good and so is self-control when it comes to portions. I also took the time to look back and find out why my 10 attempts to lose weight failed Awesome article Ali!!!

People who gain the weight back after dieting are almost ENTIRELY people who are not weight training.

Sorry folks, if you aren't lifting weights and increasing your muscle mass you are way more likely to gain the weight back.

Not to mention that people who don't weight train follow idiotic dieting protocols wherein they lose muscle mass, further depressing their metabolism and increasing the liklihood of gaining back the weight.

Besides, who the hell wants to be a cardio bunny? I feel sorry for all the hampsters I see at my gym spending hours in such a monotonous exercise.

Weight training also tends to be synergystic with dieting. They tend to reinforce one another. Your diet supports the weight training, and the weight training supports the diet's goals. You'll find greater motivation to stick with your diet plan if you lift weights because the diet will tend to be much more sane and rational - it has to be to support the weight lifting, and two you have an additional reason to stick with the diet plan, which is your continued success lifting weights.

What's truly sad is women who don't lift weights out of the absolutely idiotic fear that they will "get bulky". Sorry ladies, it isn't going to happen. You have to eat a lot of food and train hard for a long, long time to "get bulky".

i have kept off 20 lbs for about a year and a half now- but i've lost track of my healthy eating habbits and have fallen back only into one of my bad habbits- late night munchies. i used to just have a small apple and a lipton raspberry sugar free green tea but i've since foiled that and started with cookies and milk. i've started back at the gym 5 days a week, as i had actually cut down to just 2 days for only 30 minutes. i've only gained back 10 lbs but i dont want to gain anymore- i was doing so well and it just takes one too many "it wont kill you's" to push you off the wagon. the tips above are very helpful and eye opening!

So many people have the wrong idea about the word "diet" as a crash-course weight loss plan, when actually the word diet just means what you eat. You make some excellent points.

A co-worker is currently trying the Medifast plan (lots of shakes, bars, & 1 "real" meal per day). He's lost about 10 pounds in 10 days, but he's to the point now where he understands why I've been recommending balanced meals & exercise all along. I just hope he's at least able to take a few good habits away from the experience!

I recently read in the WSJ (Can't Keep the Weight Off? Maybe Leptin is the Culprit) that your body activates a hormonal response when you lose around 10% of your bodyweight, strongly urging you to put the weight back on. The effect can last for years, so permanent change is a long-term battle. I think this is important for people to recognize, as there is always a tendency to fly the "mission accomplished" banner prematurely. :-)

Going beyond "Your diet should re-educate your eating habits. For example, you might learn to cook with a little spray oil rather than tablespoons of oil"; people need to become mindful of their eating patterns and motivations.

A diet provides this control by external means.

Eat this at this time, followed by exercise like this for this long.

When the 'diet' is over, we fall back into our familiar patterns.

A good reference about mindful/mindless eating is Brian Wansink's book Mindless Eating.

It has been helpful for a good percentage of my clients.

I think I will go and put together a blog post on the book - stay tuned

Oh, I forgot.

Here is another method for developing healthy habits - food and exercise.

http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/4-steps-to-developing-health-habits/

I am a firm believer in that you have to change your habits. I am going on almost two years from when I started a weight loss program. I hired a personal trainer to work out with weights, I continued with the cardio I had been doing (although I increased the time and itensity) and I've gradually changed my eating habits. At no time did I ever consider myself on a diet. I just tried to eat healthier and as I saw the results that just kept me motivated. Over this time I have lost almost 80 pounds. I'm 5'2" and now weigh about 114 so I'm pretty much at my end goal. All I'm trying to do now is continue to lower my body fat percentage.

I truly think the key was not considering myself on a diet. I did adjust my eating habits and now have a routine which includes lifting weights 4 times per weeks (I still have the trainer), doing cardio 3 - 5 times per week (my trainer directs what cardio I do) and watching what I eat. It's a lifestyle adjustment. There's no end, no going back to before. I think that's where most people fail. Once they reach a goal, they go back to the old habits and undo some or all of what they achieved.

Only two things to keep the weight off long term:

1. Exercise
2. Whole foods

All those shakes, 100 calorie packs, packaged low-fat, processed garbage "foods" will never help one keep the weight off, if they can even help one to diet down.

What works best for me is weight lifting, HIIT and avoiding grains, legumes and all processed foods.

Some other people might not be able to incorporate weight training into their lives (for whatever reason), or do better with grains than I ever could (they make me tired and fat).

But what I do know that seems universal: 1. Exercise, 2. Whole foods

I think many people fail with their diets because they expect too much to happen too soon. It's hard to continue with a diet, if the desired results don't show up relatively quickly. I think people tend to be too ambitious when they first start, and then get disappointed when they don't see those results.

Dieting is a four-letter word. Getting healthier and losing weight is all about making small little changes as you go, and making a full lifestyle change, not just a temporary one.

It's not easy, but people can do it. Just eating more fruits and veggies and going for a walk a few times a week can make a huge difference!

I think the most common reason why people are not successful with their diets is that they choose a diet that they cannot stick with long-term. A diet will not be successful if you cannot incorporate it into your lifestyle. Many people see diets as a temporary inconvenience, rather than an improved way of eating.

I don't think it's the weightlifting (although it certainly helps) or the wrong diets that's causing this problem - it's the wrong mindset.

Weight loss, Lose the Pounds, Low Fat, No Fat whatever it's called it really boils down to your body and schedule. All the programs out there do not work for everyone. You have to consider body type, metabolism, lifestyle. I think lifestyle has the high rate of failure for weight loss and this is why most of us don't succeed. We have to change our schedules to help with eating at the right time, exercise and preping meals (if that's what's called for)if not one or two days of of schedule and your starting over. You need to find what works for YOU.

Weight training or no, I've always regained the weight I've lost -- even with a very healthy diet. I think I was just meant to be fluffy. Even when I exercised 2 hours a day, lived with a competitive power lifter and went to the gym every day including Christmas Day...always regained the weight. I maintained a healthy weight for almost two years, but only by eating 1800 calories a day and exercising 2 hours a day. I just can't live forever eating such a small amount of food and eventually the calories creep in.

Before losing 90 lbs and keeping it off for 7 years, I tried diets with my mom (this was when I was in high school and lived at home). We would start out on the right foot, following all the guidelines perfectly. And we'd lose weight and be all excited. Then we'd find ways to "cheat" and still lose weight...like if a diet said you could have a little container of sugar free Jello with a dollop of fat free Cool Whip (God, that sounds vile looking back now), we'd dump two containers of sugar free Jello into a bowl and put like half a tub of fat free Cool Whip onto it, figuring those calories didn't count or something. And we'd still lose weight...just not quite as quickly. As we cheated more and more, we stopped losing and then we got frustrated with having to eat boring diet food and not losing. So we'd just go back to the old way of eating and gain back anything we had lost on the diet.

The main difference between past diets and my lifestyle changing diet overhaul was basically that I was never going to go back to any "old" way of eating. Ever. I chose to eat lots of delicious foods that I liked (I actually liked most healthy stuff; I just liked junk food MORE, lol) and I just made better choices. Weight Watchers "points" system helped me realize that whole foods were naturally low in "points", but were really filling and nutritious. I never felt deprived or hungry because I chose snacks like baby carrots or broccoli florets instead of fat-free chips or whatever. And I lost weight slowly and steadily. Maybe it wasn't as fast as it had been when I tried fad diets, but it sure was a helluva lot EASIER to keep it up long term.

Our program advocates the permanent diet change; people join so that they can be on the program for the rest of their lives. As you pointed out, one of the reasons diets fail is that people lose weight then go back to the way they were.

I used a four point plan for my weight loss. I am a true "recovering foodaholic". My food addiction will always be a struggle for me. I lost weight (150+ lbs) through:

1. Eating Well - I initially used Weight Watchers, but over time have tailored my own plan. I still track points, though, as well as Calories and Protein.

2. Exercise - a combination of cardio and weight training, which I still do 5x / week.

3. Counseling - I needed to get past the issues that made me overeat and gain weight. I also actually "finished" my counseling. I now have tools to deal with life's issues without turning to food.

4. Prayer - All 12 step program require looking to a higher power for strength and guidance. Mine happens to be God.

I consider my approach "whole-istic" and truly believe that it required all four of these elements to get the weight off and keep it off - which I have done for over 2 years now.

I also approached the whole thing slowly and stayed within my "comfort zone" always. No crash dieting, no crazy exercise plans. I kept it sensible and created a new lifestyle. Now I know how to keep the weight off and be healthy.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the wonderful, informative and heartfelt comments. Looks like the broad agreement is that fad, lose-10lbs-in-10-days diets are BAD and healthy, sustainable changes to eating habits are GOOD.

Nice to have such a sensible bunch of folks reading -- I'm sure all the commenters here will be bucking the trend and maintaining their weight loss for good!

Best of luck to everyone, whether currently dieting or walking the fine line of maintainance.

Man, I can really relate. Being active and sticking to a lifestyle change (I try to avoid diet as I have many negative feelings associated with it) can be hard. You'd think being in my mid-20's I'd be able to stick with this, but since I graduated three years ago, I haven't stopped working two jobs (gotta pay off those students loans), and now I'll be going to grad school this fall. I wish I didn't feel like such a loser, not always having the mental and phyiscal energy to stick to the necessary changes.

It is the first time I am doing on a diet. Combining some diet programs I have learned, I successfully lost 15 lbs already within 4 months. Of course, I am not expecting to gain back my weight loss once I stop dieting when I reach my final goal of losing another 15 lbs. The above information should be such a good notice for me that I have to remember if I do not want to have a yo-yo diet.

I lost 100 pounds of stored fat (also gained LBM) and have maintained it for about 13 years now. I did it with the Zone. The Zone lifestyle includes eating a sensible and balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and practicing relaxation techniques (I love yoga!). I've been successful by not having approached it as a tool for weight loss, but instead, as a way to live a healthier life.

I've seen lots of comments on the subject of why "diets" fail, ranging from one extreme to the other (it's the diet's fault vs. it's the dieter's fault). Some weight loss "diets" are simply not plans that one could, or even should, follow for a lifetime. The key to success is twofold, coming up with a sensible and safe plan for your health and wellbeing (I include healthy weight as a part of this) and then embracing your plan as the changes become you new lifestyle. Once you make a true lifestyle changes, it is not easy to "go back" because these changes are your reality, not simply a temporary state of being.

Live it, love it, and you will reap the benefits!

before losing 45 lbs a year ago i tried any diet out there you name it from atkins to weight watchers etc etc to diet pills and creams but without avail,i lose 10 pounds and then the diet pill or the plan hit a zone and would just not work anymore, till i tried chitogenics the chitogold hoodia formula one and the weight just started fall off but i did take it in conjunction with a low fat diet with moderate exercise and still keeped the weight off for a year now.
weight loss process is like a puzzle you try and you try to get a right combination from the right diet supplement to the right exercise to the right diet and lifestyle that fit prfectly to you metabolism and help you lose those pounds.
good luck every one .weight loss it's very tiring process.

This is a great entry. About 5 years ago I jumped on the low-carb wagon and lost an impressive 40 lbs in a relatively short amount of time. The success didn't last long when I went back to eating "normal", which was actually terrible. I gained all the weight back (and about 30 more on top of that!).

About 11 months ago I started exercising regularly and eating healthy, whole foods. Lots of fruits, veggies and grains and found that I was missing out on all this GREAT food. I've since lost 100 lbs, and can only hope to keep it off by eating the food I actually enjoy eating.

I will tell you both from experience and through my profession, that diets do not work. It is a very very sad truth. I am a Personal fitness coach/trainer. I was morbidly obese at one point in my life weighing in at 240Ibls on a 5'1" frame. I lost over 125Ibls and have kept it off for more than 7 years. The fact is, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your lifestyle. You must have a combination of Cardio and resistence training, as well as a solid nutritional guideline. I can not stress how important it is to add resisiyance training, as well as cardio to your life.

You must also learn what healthy eating is, and how it will change your life. In order to do that, an individual must understand that we are carb sensitive beings. In order to remove weight and maintain it off, you must understand what a good carb is, and what a bad carb is. The Atkins diet didn't work because it removed all carbs, which is very dangerous, so they reinvented the diet, as our body needs a glucose to function. Most glucose is attained in natural carbs. This is fruits, veggies, and grains. In saying that an individual must also understand what are good fats and bad fats. Our bodies need fat to survive, but it needs certain types of fat. Some fats even assist in losing weight.

What I am getting at, is I educate all my clients to understand what healthy eating is. Knowledge is power, and if you understand how our bodies function, it makes healthy eating and healthy weight loss very simple. This with a customized workout regimen, as not every workout regimen works for every person, are the keys to successful weight loss and more importantly it is the key to maintaining your ideal weight. I put out a free monthly newsletter to all my clients and anyone who wants some helpful tips, it also has some great recipe ideas. Feel free to go to my site and opt-in to receive it. It is under the fitness newsletter tab. I am very passionate about weight loss, as I remember all too clearly my struggles, and how badly I felt about myself. I don't wish that feeling on anyone!!!!

www.thexfactorfitness.com

I think the most significant reasons for diets failure are wrong intentions and lack of preparation.

What I mean by wrong intentions is going into a diet with a "quick fix" mentality. Being healthy is damn hard work until a routine and habit can be established.

Lack of preparation is also a killer. If I didn't have my meals prepared or thought out in advance I find myself settling for junk which can be a major setback.

I really enjoyed the article. I'm researching the top reasons why diet fails and so far, I'm up to 16 reasons / excuses. Keep up the good work.

Re: weights. Not true, at least in my experience and observation.

I started lifting weights as part of an overall bodily/health overhaul years ago. As it happens, I love lifting weights--it was, from the start, a delight to find some form of exercise that didn't bore me to tears (like running), didn't require mastery of ridiculous and pointless dance steps (like step), and was in fact enjoyable and mentally challenging. It also produced great results and gave me buckets of confidence.

Unfortunately, my eating habits were horrible and I piled on yet more weight to the tune of 50 pounds. I began lifting more seriously, added cardio and a healthy eating plan, and lo and behold, I dropped 45 pounds in what seemed like record time.

That was three years ago. Since then, I have managed to put it all back on, and more. Now I have those same 50 pounds to lose.

What happened? I don't know. My eating went straight to hell and my workouts became irregular, then stopped. I kept trying to get back into my groove and I just couldn't for some reason. I don't have a lot of tiem to spend psychoanalyzing myself, let's just say that I got lazy.

Anyhow, somehow I managed to crawl back to the gym and the weight bench: self-loathing, flabby and humiliated, but determined. A trainer who saw me return to the gym after months-long hiatus--and who had cheered on my progress when I was a regular--looked at me aghast and asked me where I'd been. I said, "The whole thing just fell apart." His response: "Well, the main thing is that you're back. A lot of people never make it back."

The good news is, my progress has actually been easier this time around--once I started. I got back on a lifting/cardio track and my diet is a hundred times better. I've started losing the weight again, slowly but steadily. Will this time be the final one? I can't honestly say. I hope so, because I hated the way I felt when I put all that weight back on and went from hardbody to couch potato. Will that be enough to motivate me never to stop again? Again, I don't know.