HOW DO YOU STOP FAILING AT DIETS?

In theory, shedding fat from your stomach, buttocks, thighs, or anywhere else that bothers you isn’t a difficult task.

Consume fewer calories than your body requires for energy, and you’ll start getting your energy from those bodily fat stores, which will shrink in size.

After all, those pouches and handles are merely stored energy (and we wouldn’t want to lose all of them, because that would present a whole other set of problems!)

Why do the vast majority of individuals who embark on a diet fail, if it’s so simple? Why do we see so many men and women come in for Personal Training in Kansas City and online who have tried so many various ways only to feel like dieting doesn’t work?

And how can we reverse this trend and begin a transition that lasts a lifetime, rather than a one-time decline in kale consumption and a lifelong dislike for the vegetable?

STEP ONE: MAKE A REASONABLE PLAN (READ: NOT EXTREME)

Setting a reasonable goal is the first step in ensuring your success.

When individuals ask, “What is the fastest way to lose weight?” they aren’t really looking for an answer.

Do you know what the quickest way to lose weight is? Put down your fork. Entirely. To function, you’ll have to turn inward for fuel, and you’ll shrink by the day.

Of course, your energy, health, and happiness will deteriorate, and you will eventually dieÔǪ (Side note: I’m not talking about intermittent fasting here; while time-constrained eating habits can help lower total calorie intake over the course of a week, I’m talking about pure starving.) That’s not a good idea.).

No, the “quickest” route isn’t what people want. What do humans desire? Is the most long-term solution.

Shows like “The Biggest Loser” doesn’t help, with hyped-up numbers like losing 14 pounds in a week desensitizing us to what is a reasonable scale of fat loss (we won’t go into the rebound data for that show because that’s a whole other problem).

The higher your calorie deficit (the fewer calories you consume), the faster you will lose weight.

Larger deficits, on the other hand, are associated with poorer energy levels, lower mood, a higher risk of dietary deficiencies, and lower overall adherence.

In other words, they’re “successful” for the week or two you can stick with them, but they usually result in a bit of a rebound once the human factor of dieting kicks in (in most cases). There is a case for short-term rigid-dieting, but it’s probably only suitable for a small percentage of the population who already have a good relationship with their food, solid habits, and an exit strategy in place, but this isn’t a tactic we’ll discuss here because it’s irrelevant to anyone who has previously “failed” at diets.)

Realistic fat loss is between 0.5-2 pounds per week, measured on a weekly average (not one-time weigh-ins), and tracked over a three-week period (so between 1.5 & 6lbs over 3 weeks)

It is possible to lose 10 pounds in three weeks, but it is more likely to be the result of procedures than the objective.

STEP TWO: PAY ATTENTION TO THE SYSTEMS

The end result is fat loss.

How did you arrive at that conclusion? The systems you put in place will determine what happens.

When it comes to losing weight, the most common “systems” are “don’t eat any carbs,” “don’t drink any alcohol,” “don’t eat chocolate,” and so on.

And these might work for some people.

It’s a matter of figuring out how to cut calories over the course of a week, setting yourself up to succeed, then tracking your success and adherence to make adjustments as needed.

It’s possible that such diet regimes existÔǪ

• Using MyFitnessPal to track calories and meet a specific goal
  Between the hours of 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., only eat.
• Make two dinner servings so you may bring a healthy lunch to work the next day.
• Preparing food on the weekend
• On Sundays, plan weekly dinners and then only buy the necessary components.
• Dinner portion sizes can be reduced by using smaller plates.
• When you’re craving a snack like chips or chocolate, set a 5-minute alarm on your phone and wait until the alarm goes off to see if you really want it or if it was just a passing fancy.

They could even be unintended consequences of putting in place measures to enhance your hydration, increase protein consumption, and/or sleep quality in order to better control your appetite.

Instead of being tight and strict, the procedures you establish must be feasible. If there are any that you know you won’t be able to commit to right now, write them down. Remove it from the equation. The first stage is to create and stick to the plan; the second is to make adjustments as neededÔǪ

STEP THREE: CHECK AND ADJUST

So you’ve set a reasonable objective and put mechanisms in place to achieve it.

You’ll need to keep track of both your adherence to the habits you’ve picked and how that relates to your objectives.

Make sure you’ve written down your desired habits somewhere, and try to keep track of whether you were successful or not every day.

If you drank your 2 liters of water or ate your lower portion sizes for supper, you got a yes or no.

What if there are more crosses on a habit than ticks? Rather than throwing in the towel, redress it. Your life isn’t a static scenario where the processes you put in place will always be the best for you; constant adjustments and recognition of when changes should be made are essential for long-term success.

In fact, you should expect to make a mistake. When going out for a friend’s birthday, you should expect to overeat or wind up with a few too many glasses of wine at the end of a long week with your partner. What matters is that you understand that “slipping up” is a natural part of being human. So there’s no need to give up if things don’t go as planned. Simply accept what has occurred, attempt to detach yourself from the situation’s emotions, and go on.

The next step is to choose a technique for keeping track of your progress. These may include:

• How does your clothing fit?
• Taking accurate measurements
• When you look in the mirror, how do you feel?
• Photos
• Energy levels and gym performance
• Weighing scale

If it’s scale weight, keep that in mind. Rather than looking at one-off weigh-ins, you should look at weekly averages.

High stress, strenuous workouts, consuming a lot of carbs or sodium, menstrual cycles, a bad night’s sleep, gastrointestinal difficulties, and a variety of other factors can induce water retention.

This is why, compared to the faulty ÔÇ£weekly weigh-insÔÇØ promoted by some dieting companies (where I’ve seen people purposefully skip breakfast and drink beforehand in order to achieve a certain amount of ÔÇ£lossÔÇØ that week), looking at the average weight gives a much more accurate representation of progress.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Everyone must eat.

As a result, everyone has a ÔÇ£dietÔÇØ of some sort, whether they admit it or not. If you want to lose weight, the key is to know what you want to achieve. Rather than trying to live like a Nun training full-time for the Olympics, make incremental changes that you can maintain for long-term results and a more joyful existence.

After all, life isn’t all about losing weight, so if you can walk that fine line between improving your health, confidence, and body composition without seeming like a chore?

Rather than sprinting and having to turn around, why not take the longer route? Is always the better choice.

If you’d like to speak with a professional about how we can assist you in setting up such systems, either in our private facility in Kansas City or online, please CLICK HERE to contact us, and we’ll be pleased to assist you.