Episode 67: 5 Surprising Reasons Your Diet Isn't Working (And How to Fix It)
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Summary
I can’t begin to tell you how many women have come to me who have tried every diet under the sun who feel like no matter how hard they try, the weight just is never coming off.
After years of watching others find success on the very diets that failed them, they wonder if it’s just… them. They wonder if they’re just getting old, or their genetics are working against them, or they’re simply destined to a life of feeling fluffy.
If you can relate, I’m going to assure you right now: it isn’t you. You aren’t too old, you aren’t broken, you aren’t doomed to have a body you dislike for the rest of your life.
The problem is that most weight loss programs are fundamentally broken. If they weren’t, if they were truly designed for you to succeed, we simply wouldn’t be living in one of the sickest, fattest countries in the world (harsh, but true).
What makes them so broken? Let’s discuss...
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The calorie suggestions are TOO dang low.
I know this goes against what you’ve always been told is key to losing weight: eating less. But hear me out. Think of weight loss like a fire, and the more the fire is roaring the more your body is a fat burning machine.
We all know that throwing a ton of big, heavy logs on the fire will quickly put it out (i.e. overeating). But the opposite is true too: if you just throw a tiny twig on the fire every once in a while (undereating), what’s going to happen? It’s going to burn out!
Most diets don’t help you find the goldilocks zone with your calories; they operate under the assumption that if it isn’t working, just eat less.
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The main focus is calories in vs calories out.
This is the OLD WAY of thinking about weight loss, and yet countless programs and coaches still operate under the assumption that this is the end all be all answer to your weight problems. It isn’t.
Your body is not a calculator where it’s just numbers going in and numbers going out. Your body has countless biological intricacies that affect your ability to lose weight.
One of the main intricacies? Your gut microbiome.
There was a study done where they took stool from a set of twins (one being obese, one being thing) and transplanted it into mice. The mice that got the thin twin’s stool stayed thin while the mice that got the obese twin’s stool became obese, even though they were being fed the same number of calories.
So if your weight loss plan isn’t so much as mentioning your gut, it’s officially out of date.
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It’s villainizing food groups.
When we start following diets based in restriction and do-not-eat lists (which let’s face it, most of them are), we’re missing 2 important factors: sustainability and your relationship with food.
The single most important key to weight loss success is consistency and if your diet is setting you up to feel deprived, to have an all-or-nothing mindset, and to assign moral value to different foods (good vs bad), consistency is simply not possible in the long run.
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You may have a stellar fitness and nutrition plan, but you have no life plan to go along with it.
Think about it, how many diets have been unsuccessful because life got in the way? You got a promotion, went through a breakup, or you moved. Your routine was thrown off and before you knew it you were ‘off the wagon’ again.
That’s why if your weight loss plan isn’t giving you life tools to navigate the hard and busy seasons, it’s doing you a huge disservice.
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It isn’t customized for you.
Listen, if this was your very first weight loss rodeo, I’d tell you it’s fine to try out some of the generic, one-size-fits-all programs out there. But you’ve tried those already and they haven’t worked.
You need an expert who can look strategically at your life, your past attempts, your current goals, and your biggest challenges and then make a plan tailored to you.
You need someone who can be by your side telling you when to trust the process and when it’s time to change things up.
You need someone who isn’t just handing you a list of ‘healthy foods’, but who’s helping you figure out what foods are healthy for you.
Will it be an investment? Yes. But you have to ask yourself how many more years you’re willing to play the trial and error game that has yet to turn up positive results for you.
Side Note: If you want to experience some customized coaching of your own, for podcast listeners only I'm offering a free 15-minute Pick My Brain Coaching Call to get laser-focused advice on a topic of your choosing (think: gut health, hormone health, stubborn weight, motivation, emotional eating, etc.). No selling whatsoever, just me giving you as much value as possible in 15 minutes.
Bonus: It’s having you change too much at once.
Most diets are based solely in nutrition science, but they’re lacking an understanding of the psychology of behavior change. And when you try to change up too many things at once (3+), your chance for success goes from about 88% down to about 6%.
In other words, your diet should have gradual progressions to get you to your goals. It shouldn’t throw you straight into the deep end. If that hasn’t been your experience, no wonder you probably feel like you’re drowning.
Ok, I know that was a lot of information and this is already longer than I intended it to be. So if you want to know what you can do starting now to counteract all these diet pitfalls, if you want to know...
- What to do if a calorie deficit isn’t working.
- How to lose weight effectively without cutting out your favorite foods.
- My #1 life hack for overcoming even your most challenging excuses (I don’t have enough time, I travel for work, I have a high stress job, I can’t stay motivated)
- AND get an actual action plan to implement starting today
...then listen in to the full episode above!
BEFORE YOU GO: I want to invite you to a LIVE Facebook training I’ll be hosting Tuesday, September 15th, 7 pm CST all about stubborn weight. It’ll be in my private, Ditch the Diets Revolution Facebook group (it’s completely free). All you have to do is join the group, post any questions you have, and I’ll be there to answer them all on Tuesday!
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