If you truly want to live your life, I suggest you run from dieting. There are may reasons diets fail us. In general, diets can be frustrating because more often then not they aren’t successful and lead us to feeling delusional. I want to share 5 reasons why diets will fail you– just in case you’re thinking about a pursuing a New Year’s resolution or goal that involves dieting.
I want you to be fully aware of of empty promises that guarantee quick weight-loss. The kind that tell you no exercise or long-term habit changes are necessary. Beware. You may want to believe that it’s that easy, but our bodies need more than just a magic pill or power potion. It requires a combination of food, adequate rest, exercise and water. You know this already.
Sure everyone wants to be abundantly wealthy. And yet we know our odds of being struck by lighting are greater than winning the lottery. The point is this, when we desire a higher quality of life, there are certain mindsets and practices we choose in order to reach it.
I’m not gonna lie, I’d love a short cut for everything! Even if you aren’t looking to lose weight, you want to have energy right? Well, You’re not alone. Just because a diet works for one person, doesn’t mean it will work the same for you. Diets are destined to fail. After all, the word “die” is within the word “diet” and I want us to feel fully alive, ready for adventures and comfortable in our clothes and our skin.
5 reasons that diets are doomed to fail:
Short-term Goal
Ever notice how people choose to use a diet to achieve a short-term goal? Usually to lose weight before an upcoming event or right after the New Year? The perception of dieting is to take on a temporary action to obtain a rapid result. Once that result is achieved, the diet is stopped and old eating habits return. I know. I share from experience.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Ever had someone tell you how they accomplished a certain goal where you know you did the exact same thing but that “secret formula” didn’t quite work the same for you. Well, most diets are based on the premise of calorie counting and using a formula that gets applied to the general population as opposed to the individual’s needs. We all process calories and food differently. Not all calories are created equal. Calories consumed from sweet potatoes or brocolli are more nutrient-dense than calories consumed from a processed, low-fat bagel. Furthermore, if we consume too few calories, our body shifts into survival mode and slows down the metabolism. Here, we run the risk of our metabolism remaining sluggish once we begin consuming more calories.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
If you’re a foodie like me, the answer is love has everything to do with it! The love of textures, tastes, nuances, crunchy, mushy, savory, salty: it’s what makes our favorites so flavorful.
You know love can really cause diet failure. Let me explain. Even before initiating a diet, we tend to believe that we’ll be deprived of the foods we love. Starting off a diet with this belief set us up for failure. Constant deprivation conjures up food cravings that are difficult to ignore. So instead of enjoying one chocolate chip cookie, we may possibly indulge in five.
The Ups & Downs
Yo-yo dieting has been coined as a popular phrase. Many of us go on a diet to lose weight then we gain it back and sometime even more than lost. It’s a cycle that brings frustration not just emotionally but it’s physically taxing on our bodies. In extreme cases it brings about eating disorders because the results are continually sought out with an approach that simply doesn’t support long-term results. It’s unhealthy and a form of insanity.
What We Really Crave Isn’t Always on Our Plate
Cravings are always addressed in a particular diet. For this reason, I believe they fail. This goes beyond how to address food cravings and how to handle them. It’s normal for us all to have cravings. Often what we need are the tools and knowledge to help navigate through cravings.
When we are armed with how to reach for healthy food alternatives we can help eliminate them. Diets don’t address the notion of “primary food.” Primary food cannot be found on a plate. It’s the “food” that bring us and provides deep contentment. It’s the food that is fills up our hearts and even if our tummy is a bit empty, there’s satiation of the soul. For me, it’s being outdoors, it’s what fills me up!
It’s time to let go of frustration and look under the hood of dieting. I encourage you to look at them with eyes wide open especially since you or someone you love is considering one in the new year.
Chime In!
In the comment below, tell us, what fills you up? I believe knowing this will help us look at food and life differently. What simple things bring you satisfaction? Is it hearing your children giggle? Is it reading a good book? Drawing? Listening to music you love?
