Why 7 Out Of 10 Fat Loss Seekers Fail: Don’t Be One Of Them
Rojak, fried popiah, putu mayam, cendol, curry puff, and the list goes on.
These alluring delicacies have made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise, but it also means Malaysians are facing an arduous task when it comes to weight loss. With our diet revolves mainly around carbohydrates & fats, it’s no wonder that people don’t keep the weight off in the long run.
Not being able to resist binge eating is just one of the contributing factors to weight gain, so if you want to be a weight loss success story, educate yourself on the primary reasons why people fail so you can avoid following their path. When you’re fully prepared to handle whatever comes your way and do your best to stay the course, that’s when you’re going to see the results you’re after.
Let’s take a brief look at the reasons dieters fail in their fat loss attempts.
Expectations Are Too High
The very first reason why many dieters fail to get results is simply because they don’t have realistic expectations. How many diets promise that you’ll lose 5 kgs in a week? Think about that for a second.
When you start a diet without reasonable expectations, you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed and as soon as you realize that you aren’t seeing the results, you give up entirely and revert back to your regular diet. If you have realistic expectations at the start of a well-rounded diet program, you’ll be satisfied with the progress you make and more likely to stick to the plan.
An Inappropriate or Unhealthy Program
People fail to see results with their weight loss efforts simply because they’re using a program that is nutritionally unsound.
Cut out entire food groups? Not a wise move. Go all day long without eating only to gorge at night? Also a bad dietary decision.
While there are different types of diets you can use, you need to find a plan that you are able to live with in real life. If the diet you’re considering places demands or restrictions on what you eat, it will only be a matter of time before you throw in the towel.
Lack Of Self-Checks
As you begin a weight loss program, look back at how you’re progressing and make adjustments.
Using self-checks on progress, identifies plateaus as soon as they start so you can make appropriate dietary changes.
Don’t catch that plateau and you’ll waste weeks, maybe even months on a diet plan that isn’t working. Some people plateau and keep going, hoping that results will finally come.
If, after a couple of weeks, you haven’t seen any results, it’s time to make some changes to your diet.
Lack of Exercise
The body that doesn’t receive adequate exercise doesn’t require additional energy, and in fact, as you become more sedentary, your metabolic rate slows.
The reason? The body recognizes that there’s no hard work ahead and, therefore, no need to increase the burning of body fuel stored on the body as fat tissue.
When you do participate in exercise, like strength training and/or cardio, you “tell” the body that
there’s work to be done and your metabolic rate remains elevated, even after you’ve completed that day’s workout or walk around the block.
Low Levels Of Self-Esteem
Finally, the last reason many people fail at weight loss is because of low self-esteem.
If you start a diet program, and constantly remind yourself how many times you’ve failed in the past, how well do you think you’re going to do?
Hint: Not very well. No motivation and you’ve set yourself up to failure.
While you definitely can’t think your way thin, how you think about your ability, influences the amount and type of effort you put in, so when you’re confident in your abilities, you see much greater success.
Don’t sell yourself short. If you’re on a smart weight loss program and you’re fully committed, you will see the results you’re looking for. The more you believe in yourself, the greater chance you have of that belief being realized.
