3 Reasons Why People Don't Achieve Their Weight Loss Goals
Weight loss goals...we all have them. We all have a plan on how we are going to achieve them...then our plans fail, and we are left to wonder how we can't lose the weight, but Sally over there is down 30 pounds in a hot second. Well, I'm here to shed some light on 3 reasons why people don't achieve their weight loss goals.
Reason #1: Consistency
The first reason why people fail at weight loss is consistency. Consistency is key in developing healthy eating habits that will result in weight loss. Consistency does not come in a day, or even a week. It is built and maintained over several weeks of doing the same habits over again. Often times, something that is out of a normal routine will through people for a loop, and then they struggle to get back on the band wagon. Example: you are doing great at eating healthy and tracking your food, then you get invited out to dinner and end up having something not so healthy. You feel guilty about it, think that your progress is ruined and why should you continue because you haven't seen any changes anyway. Don't fall into this trap! Go out and enjoy the meal, then reset with your healthy eating at your next meal.
Reason #2: Patience
The second reason why people fail at weight loss is patience...or lack thereof. Patience is necessary when trying to lose weight because usually weigh loss is a lengthy process. It will take your body about a week to get adjusted to your new way of eating. Changes start happening internally first at the cellular level. As the weeks progress those changes are evident on the scale and your appearance. If you don't have patience, you will never get to this point, and therefore will think that your "diet" isn't working for you.
Reason #3: Unrealistic Goals
The third reason may come as a shock, but some people have unrealistic goals when it comes to their weight loss journeys. Let me explain. Some people may think that weight loss is "easy." They may say, "I'll eat this way for a little while, lose weight, and then get back to my normal way of eating." If this is the mentality, they will most likely gain all the weight back...and then some. Other people think that they will drop 10+ lbs in the first month. An appropriate amount of weight to lose is 1 lb a week. Anything more than 2 lbs per week most likely means you are on a diet that isn't sustainable. And some people will even think they can lose a certain amount of weight by a certain amount of (unrealistic) time.
The take home message from this post is this... be consistent, have patience, and if you don't achieve your goals, don't change the goal, change the expectation.
What are some reasons why you think you "failed" on a diet?
