What are the main reason behind your failed diet attempts?

ilovefood9998
ilovefood9998 Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Personally for me it has mainly been a lack of will power combined with the lack of visible results. When I see no physical changes it makes me question the entire process and I end up quitting and feeling sorry for myself. I also find that once I begin eating bad foods it then spirals out of control and I continue to push the limits and then I realise that my diet has completely messed up and as a result I give up. I then end up eating whatever I like without thinking about the consequences for a few weeks until I come to my senses and the cycle repeats itself. Currently for the first time ever I am successfully dieting and have lost around 12 pounds in the past 3 months which is crazy. I have a long way to go with a further 14 pounds to go to slip into a healthy weight ratio but 25 pounds away from reaching my target weight. Unfortunately I do not see the physical changes even after 12 pounds of weight loss but I know I just need to stick at it no matter what. What are everyone elses experiences like when it comes to failure with diets and your successes
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Replies

  • HarlemNY17
    HarlemNY17 Posts: 135 Member
    Sometimes you don't see or notice it . Other ppl will though. As far as me I use to eat kinda bad while in a deficit which leds to up and down scale movements. But I've gotten it all the way together because I have to make this change for ME and I understand that only ME will be able to accomplish this goal . I definitely wish you luck losing weight isn't a easy thing at all just stay committed and believe in yourself.
  • soufauxgirl
    soufauxgirl Posts: 392 Member
    Laziness.
  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
    That's the mantra that works for me. I mean no disrespect to anyone.
    I gained weight after bending my left knee 75 degrees backwards and spending nearly 2 years between a full leg cast, surgeries and therapy before I could put some weight on it again.
    Took 3 before i was confident in movements again.

    Before embarking on a 'diet', i had to learn to eat for nutrition.
    Nutrition keeps the organs working while you put the system through a caloric deficiency.
    3,500 calories = 1lbs of fat.
    Work it in your math and cut calories as needed to achieve your goal.

    Don't track weight. Track measurements, particularly your waistline. (I chose a t-shirt from before the injury and been working to fit on it)
    Improve your flexibility. This may sound weird, but being able to touch your toes without bending your knees prevents a ton of back injuries.


    The main reason a diet fails, is because you're making a change that is impossible to keep for life.
    That's a choice that anyone who's truly interested is losing weight needs to make.
    High carb, low carb, paleo, atkins, 1000kcal, 1500kcal... Those are all quick fixes, which can be quite handy to achieve a specific short term goal, but can't be sustained, especially, if you're cutting food groups to achieve your goal.

    Hope this helps.

  • newlark01
    newlark01 Posts: 474 Member
    tlpina82 wrote: »

    The main reason a diet fails, is because you're making a change that is impossible to keep for life.
    That's a choice that anyone who's truly interested is losing weight needs to make.
    High carb, low carb, paleo, atkins, 1000kcal, 1500kcal... Those are all quick fixes, which can be quite handy to achieve a specific short term goal, but can't be sustained, especially, if you're cutting food groups to achieve your goal.

    This. I tried WW, SW, low carb and other "book" eating plans/diets - couldn't stick beyond a few weeks as it wasn't a good fit/too restrictive/complicated etc. even if it worked short term. Never managed more than 10-15 lbs which went back on within a few months. I've been logging daily on mfp for 72 days, have lost 22 lbs and am eating normal food for me that fits with my life - my current diet is completely sustainable long term (I only have another 10 lbs to go) and the logging is so easy it really isn't a burden. I'm eating at a level that means loss will be slower long term but I don't feel hungry - the first 10 days I set my mfp calorie level to 0.5 lb per week so hunger wasn't an issue and once my body adapted I increased to 1lb per week (have lost more due to not eating exercise calories)

    I am tracking weight though - plotting daily so I can see that the normal fluctuations are normal and part of an overall downward trend. On paper there were 10 days when I lost no weight but on the graph you can see that the weight on day 1 of those 10 was at the bottom of the range for that period whereas the day 10 weight was at the top of the range for that period.
  • Niki_Fitz
    Niki_Fitz Posts: 951 Member
    I failed so many times by crash dieting and over-restricting.

    I've failed by failing to change the thought processes behind my poor choices.

    By having big huge end goals without day-in, day-out process goals.
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  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
    For me it was laziness, giving up is it seemed like too much work, didn't have the right knowledge, depression and just plain denial thinking and telling myself I was happy with how I was and always making the joke "the only diet I am on is a seefood diet, I see food and I eat it" and the other joke "I'm allergic to exercise, it leaves me sweaty and unable to breath" lol I was just not dedicated and family telling me I needed to lose weight I would just ignore them, I regret letting my weight get so bad but I think turning 30 made me realise I need to change :)
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    Not focusing on what I need to do and what works for me (staying in my lane!) Revisiting old methods that clearly didn't work for me because they are comfortable standbys (hello, WW). Complacency. Letting other people's, especially my family member's, issues get in the way of my goals. Perfectionism, and doubting that CICO works. It's not sexy as heck, so I doubt it. I don't know why I doubt that I can eat one sensible portion, adjust my day and be alright. :/
  • Big_YEET
    Big_YEET Posts: 152 Member
    Eating less than 3,000 calories + moving my body more than 50 feet in a day used to feel like mild torture to me. It took years but I basically had to "brainwash" myself into believing that I didn't want to lay on the couch and use potato chips to scoop an entire jar of nutella into my mouth, and that I didn't want to sit on my *kitten* all day, until it became mostly true.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Failure- Cutting out a lot of foods. Too restrictive, not sustainable long term. No knowledge of the actual calories I needed, was taking in or burning. Losing quickly but no plan to maintain. Setting unrealistic goals and getting frustrated.

    Success- Eating food I would normally eat and that the people around me eat. Moderation. Realistic and easy to sustain long term. Knowing how many calories I should have. Logging my food every day.
  • arianapolitis
    arianapolitis Posts: 12 Member
    I just graduated law school. In the beginning three years ago I told myself I would bring my meals with me to school and plan accordingly for any deviations. That was a big failure on my part. I let late night study sessions give me an excuse as to why I should go to the local deli or subway or fast food place nearest school and order a shmorgasborg of food.

    First year I was okay, well within a 5 pound range of what I at the time normally weighed. Then second and third year came along, and I really just let myself go. I knew I was gaining but I still continued to let myself spiral. I also discovered that white wine was my favorite alcoholic drink, and it's loaded with sugars, so when you're drinking a huge bottle every weekend, that also doesn't help. I kept telling my boyfriend oh I'm starting X diet Monday, wish me luck! And would do it for one week, if that. My excuse again was "too much work on your plate, take the cheap way out" and order food.

    Once I took the bar exam July 25-26, I promised myself that now that I have more time, I need to stick to a committed lifestyle change and NOT a diet. I'm in 2 weeks and already seeing noticeable changes. It really is YOU as a person that gets to choose whether you want to be committed or not. There are no excuses for that.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    At first it was lack of knowledge on how weight loss actually works. Later on, my mother died and it hit me hard... a few pet deaths as well.

    But I am back up again. I know my father isn't going to live much longer being 81... but I'm going to be prepared this time (premade foods, shakes).

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