6 Reasons Why Your Last Diet Didnt Work

If youre at the end of your rope with trying diets and eating programs that arent working, it might be time to face the music. You might be falling into diet sabotage without even realizing it. Diet sabotage can happen to anyone, and usually we dont realize how harmful simple ideas or words can be to our day to day actions until its too late. Here are 6 reasons why your last diet didnt work, and of course, some tips to help avoid these in the future.

You Went In Expecting to Fail

If you go into a diet program feeling skeptical of it, or feeling insecure in your ability to do it, youre setting yourself up to fail. With each new opportunity you approach, you need to feel 100% confident in the process and in your ability to stick to it.

• The wrong mindset: "Ive failed at everything else Ive tried, Im sure this will be no different. But Ill give it a try."
• The right mindset: "This time its going to work because Im going to make it work."

Your Goal Wasnt Realistic

While confidence is crucial to success, over-confidence is not. Going into a diet with the idea that its going to fix all your problems and help you lose half your body weight with a few weeks of better eating is just plain unrealistic. Its also worth mentioning that if your goal involves dropping below a healthy weight, its not realistic. Be sure to check out your BMI while you set your goal, then create a realistic timeline to help you reach your healthy weight. There will be good days and bad days, its all a process and its important to acknowledge the process when defining your goals.

• The wrong mindset: "Im going to lose 30 pounds this month and finally get down to 110." 

• The right mindset: "My goal is to lose 2 pounds per week and get out of the overweight category on the BMI chart by end of the year."

You Didnt Ask For Help

At times you might feel like youre all alone in your weight loss battle, and when youre struggling, that can be hard to deal with. The truth is, youre not alone. Even if none of your friends and your family support you, there are forums and Facebook Groups out there dedicated to supporting people who are trying to lose weight. You can always find encouragement and get answers to your questions when youre struggling. All you have to do is reach out and ask for help.

• The wrong mindset: "No one understands what Im going through."
• The right mindset: "I am going to look for people who can help support me."

You Failed to Plan

If you know you have a huge party coming up or if youre planning around a vacation, you might not want to start a diet until those events are completed. Starting a diet and having to take a break mid-way through and start up again can be really difficult. Its not impossible to navigate events, but it does require planning, including taking lunches or setting a timeline for getting back on track after the event is over.

• The wrong mindset: "Oh, I forgot I have a wedding coming up. I guess Ill just quit my diet now since Ill be eating cake."
• The right mindset: "I know I have a wedding coming up, I need to make sure I eat before I go and avoid the cake table so I can stick to my diet."

You Werent Committed

Commitment issues arent just for relationships. Committing to a diet can be just as tough as finding a lover you can settle down with. Commitment means staying focused on what you want long-term and giving up what you want in the moment. Being committed to your diet means avoiding the doughnut shop on Friday mornings and hitting the gym instead. Just like you wouldnt cheat on your partner, you shouldnt cheat on your diet. If you cant commit to that idea, then you shouldnt start a diet until you can.

• The wrong mindset: "One little cheat wont hurt."
• The right mindset: "I know I want this treat now, but I want to fit into my size 7 jeans even more."

You Werent in it for the Long Game

Its so important to remember that dieting is not a permanent fix. If you go back to how you were eating before you started the diet, youll most likely gain the weight back. Remember that once you finish your diet program, youll still need to make healthy, balanced choices. While it may only take a month or two to reach your goal weight, its going to a much longer commitment to smart choices in order to maintain your weight loss.

• The wrong mindset: "Once I finish this diet, Im going to eat a large pizza all by myself."
• The right mindset: "Once I finish this diet, Im going to make sure I plan healthy meals so I dont go back to eating fast food every night."

Have you done any of these? Remember that you can lose weight. Dont sabotage your own success and always make sure youre mentally prepared before you start. Being involved 100% in your desire to get healthy is critical for success. When you prepare mentally, youll see success physically!

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How to Stick to Your Diet During the Weekend

Am I the only one who has to fight the urge to stuff my face during the weekend? Theres something about Fridays sweet, sweet arrival that makes me want to eat all the food in the world, and its really frustrating the way eating poorly for a couple days on the weekend can completely undo all of my work to lose weight from the week before.

This has been such a struggle for me lately and its one Ive been trying to deal with and figure out. Heres the thing: I work so hard during the week to let two little days ruin everything. Ive tried a few things that Im please to report have worked and since the weekend is fast approaching, I figured Id better pass those along to you!

Tips for Weekend Dieting 

Start your day with a morning workout - First thing Saturday morning, 

wake up and workout. This sets a precedent for your weekend. Do your workout first thing in the morning before you day starts getting really busy. One of the things that has worked for me is going for a run Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.. It helps me wake up and taking the first few steps is like making a commitment to myself that Im seriously about being strong this weekend.

Follow your workout with a healthy breakfast - Skip the indulgent breakfast of waffles and bacon and spend time making something healthy instead. Eat a piece of fruit, shake up a protein shake, or scramble eggs. The healthy options are endless, but the point is to make sure that your first meal of the day during the weekend is healthy. It will set the tone for the rest of the day.

Take water with you everywhere - Theres just something about carrying around a bottle of water that makes you want be healthier. Not only are you less likely to cave to sugary/carbonated beverages when youre sipping on H20, but youre also staying hydrated which is important for controlling your appetite.

Set limits for yourself - Dont go into the weekend with a free for all mindset. As much as wed like to think weekends dont count, they do. All of the calories you are eating add up, so set limits for yourself. Maybe you do increase your calories a little bit on the weekend. For instance maybe instead of eating 1500 you allow yourself to eat 1700 calories. You still feel like youre getting a little splurge, but youre still tracking what youre eating and staying conscious of where you are for your daily caloric total. You can also make your weekend reward not associated with food. Set the limit to stick to your diet, but reward yourself with a new pair of paints or a purse. Its completely possible to enjoy your weekend without going off the deep end.

Take ownership - Its easy to say, "Well, Im so busy on the weekends, its just impossible to eat healthy." Thats a cop out and you know it. Weekends are busy, of course they are.  We all know this. And since we all know this, we can plan around this. Own your diet. Own your health. Decide that you are going to eat healthy no matter where you are or who you are with, because deep down you know that your health is mor important than any celebration with food. You also know that youll feel 100 times better come Monday morning when you weigh in and see a number that is lower than what it was on Friday. You know all of these things. So own it. 

So those are the things that Ive tried. I hope that helps you a little bit. What are some things that youve tried to stay focused on the weekend? Post them in the comments section below!

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