Reasons you failed your diet

Your diet failed. You blame the macro-nutrient ratio, the calories, the timing, the supplements, and Aunt Donna's low-fat muffins, the fact that pizza is the most awesome and easy thing to order ever, and Chinese food rains from the sky.

But maybe it's not the diet that failed. Maybe it's you. The diet didn't work because of your own self-sabotaging mental habits.

Let's take a look at the most common, and often surprising, causes for diet failure and figure out how to avoid them.

 

Reason #1: You Attach Negativity to Dieting

Make two lists: one containing the pros and one containing the cons of your diet. Now, compare the lists. Which is more compelling?

Until the "pros" list wins, your diet will never truly succeed.
Drug addiction works the same way. Why do people stay addicted to drugs? Because the pleasure the drugs provide outweighs the pain of quitting. You'll stay addicted (to drugs, junk food, or whatever it is) until the pain of staying addicted is greater than the pain of quitting.

To people who achieve the success they're looking for, dieting means improvement, achievement, and winning. That greatly outweighs the occasional cravings and the social inconveniences. Dieting, to them, isn't something that generates negative thoughts. It's a tool for success. It's what they do and who they are.

If you want to win at the dieting game, you have to learn to associate pleasure with dieting – the pleasure of losing fat, gaining muscle, appealing to the opposite sex, becoming more healthy and fit, and improving your quality of life. When these pleasures outweigh the pain of dieting, you'll no longer have issues.  Learn to LOVE your diet, or at least the results it can bring. Revisit your list of pros and cons often, especially if you start to feel the pull of the "dark side."

Strategy In Action: When I struggle or clients of mine struggle, I tell them to think about why they started in the first place. What motivated them to make a change? Why did they contact me to begin with?

They started the diet for a reason, and usually just a simple reminder of what compelled them to start is enough to get them back on track. Very simply put, you either want it or you don't.  So keep your OVERALL goals in mind, they are important to you because you determined them!

Reason #2: You Over think it

Newsflash: There is no perfect diet! There never will be. And what works great for you this week probably won't work for you next week. So rather than wasting your time and energy trying to make sure everything is perfect, just get to work and let the pieces fall into place on their own.

Yes, you need to spend some time putting together a sensible plan, but don't turn it into some massive research project that prevents you from ever getting the ball rolling. Procrastination manifests itself in many ways, and "analysis paralysis" is one of the most potent.

Be smart about your diet, but don't over-think it. The simpler you can make something, the greater the likelihood that you'll be consistent with it over the long haul. Consistency over the long haul = success.  So figure out what you need to do, make some changes and START NOW!

Reason #3: You Expect Miracles

We live in a world that is overflowing with infomercials, magazine articles, and slick sales pitches. We as a society have come to expect radical physique improvements in minimal time, and with minimal effort. Anything that takes more than a couple of days wears our patience thin.

Now, granted, there are some diets, training approaches, and supplements that will help you reach your goals much faster than others, but the bottom line is that an awesome physique takes years to build. There's no way to get around that.  Rome wasn't built in a day, nor were the pyramids, nor will your ideal physique.

It's often said that people overestimate how much they can accomplish in one year, and underestimate what they can accomplish in ten years. This applies on a smaller level as well – many will try to cram what should take four months to achieve into a two-week period (if even that).  You know who you are, the people who slack all winter. "It's winter, I wear sweats anyway, no one can see me." Then come April, you think: I gotta step it up and get in shape for the summer.

WRONG!!! Getting in shape takes a long time, and being in shape is a year round job.

You can only rush a diet so much before you run into problems with maintaining muscle and strength, keeping metabolism elevated, etc. Realize up front that the task at hand will not come easily, nor will it come quickly. The sooner you realize that, and the sooner you get to work, the faster you'll get to your goal.

Reason #4: You're Hanging Out with the Wrong Crowd (and reinforcing the wrong habits)

What do your friends do for fun? Do they have similar interests as you in terms of fitness?  If they only want to go to unhealthy dinners and drink tons of alcohol, then they aren't helping your cause.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not tellling you to not hang out with your homies, but try to do something active or at least something that's not unhealthy.  The crowd you hang out with will impact what you do and who you become in a major way, so make sure you choose wisely. Having peers with similar interests and goals will propel you toward your own goals much faster.  Try to hang out with friends who are also trying to make positive changes, or maybe persuade your friends into trying to get more fit. If they see how well you are doing, trust me, they'll want to make some improvements as well. Weed out the people (and activities) that hold you back from being your best. The sooner, the better.

Reason #5: You Compare Yourself to Others (in a non-constructive way)

It's human nature to make comparisons, but they'll get the best of you if you don't watch yourself. Comparisons are good when they make you step out of your comfort zone and step up your game. If you see a guy in the gym with arms twice the size of your legs, or a girl who's stomach looks unbelievable, use that as motivation to work harder and eat smarter. Realize that time and effort went into building those arms or abs, and commit to doing the same.

Comparisons are not good when they make you feel inadequate, or cause you to beat yourself up. If you see a guy or girl with an awesome, ripped physique, it's not productive to think, "I'll never have genetics like that!" or "I'd look like that too if I spent my whole day working out and had a personal chef." Toss the rationalizations if you want to make real changes. It's important to remember that successful people had to bust ass for a long time to get where they are. Of course there is the occasional genetic freak who eats poorly and barely works out and still looks fantastic, but we aren't talking about them.  Most people who look that good had to work super hard, and overcome setbacks, and grow into the lifestyle they now lead. It's easy to just focus on their successes, but it wasn't "Presto alicazam!" and BOOM! Awesome body.

Make sure you're using comparisons to drive your success, rather than hinder it.

Summary

• Figure out why you're dieting. A strong enough why will help you through the how.
• Don't overcomplicate the process. Getting started is far more important than having the "perfect" plan.
• Respect the process. Have patience and realize that awesome physiques are not built overnight.
• Create an environment for success by hanging out with the right crowd.
• Harness the constructive power of comparison. Use comparisons as a tool rather than a handicap.

Our life is determined by the choices we make and how we respond to the situations we're faced with. Make sure your choices and responses are in line with your values and goals.