Why Diets Fail:
Don't Let Your Diet Fail
Let's start off right. You are not 'going on a diet'. Our concept of 'a diet' implies a temporary change that will work miracles -- if we're only strong enough to stick to it. The easy way of thinking is encouraged by decades of 'fad diets' that promised us quick, low-effort weight loss, if we just ate this one miracle food. I still remember the Cabbage diet, the No-Carb diet, and the Banana diet, among others that have passed by over the years. Diets that advocated eating by a strictly enforced menu have been proven ineffective, or worse, dangerous.
Going on a diet also implies that you will eventually go off your diet; whether you "fall off" it, or return to "normal eating." The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is to create a new eating plan that will BECOME your norm of eating. And this is the place that most of the popular "diets" fail. Any diet that restricts your intake of any necessary nutrient too severely will ultimately fail you. In order to lose weight and maintain your weight loss indefinitely, you need to teach yourself to eat a balanced diet in portions that your body wants and needs.
Below is a list of common diet mistakes that may make you fail in your attempts to lose weight.
- DON'T restrict your intake to less than 1000 calories a day, unless you are under the supervision of a nutritional advisor. Severely restricting your intake can lead to serious health complications. It also will convince your body that it's starving and slow your metabolism so it conserves your stores of food. In other words, your body will kick into gear to hold onto your fat so you don't starve to death.
- DON'T cut out one or more entire food groups, including fats. Your body needs an adequate intake of all nutrients to stay healthy. In every food group there are "good" and "bad" choices for weight loss. Stick to the good ones, and you'll see your weight dropping without compromising your health.
- DON'T water fast for extended periods without supervision or professional support. For the same reasons that you shouldn't restrict your intake of calories to less than 1000 a day, you shouldn't embark on a water fast that lasts more than 48 hours without supervision.
- DON'T purge. Purging, whether by emetics, diuretics, vomit-induction, or laxatives robs your body of more than the nutrients that you're getting rid of. It's unsafe at any speed. You can end up with far worse problems than a few extra pounds.
Editor's Note: If you hate dieting, or a diet never seems to work for you, then perhaps you should try simplifying things. Our readers have extolled the Idiot Proof Diet as being easy to follow, quick, and showing results. Why don't you give it a try?
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