Failing & The 3 Reasons We Do

One thing I have learned over years of yo-yo dieting is that it is not the diet that failed it was me. It was my way of looking at it and my way of approaching it. I have tried every diet under the sun - from watermelon only to high protein to shakes and everything in between. I have lost and gained the same pounds over and over and over again. Nothing seems to help and work but I continue to search and struggle. 

There are three key reasons I fail at all of these diets and why so many others do as well. 

1. Commitment - they all require commitment and not just a simple commitment; a major one. Buy all new food. Prepare food. Buy gym equipment or get a membership. Buy supplements. Eat this at this set time. Measure, track, weigh, hold your breath and pray. Commitment! When you ask someone to do a complete 180 it can be overwhelming and near impossible. 

2. Discouragement - oh yes I said it; discouragement. We have all had it. When follow the diet to a "t". We workout until we ache and the scale does not move. What gives? We grab the bag of chips and say screw it. Some days it doesn't seem worth it. Been there and done that.

3.  Unsustainable - it is okay to give up all real food for a couple weeks but can you continue to drink shakes every day for every meal? Can you continue to workout 2-3 hours every day for life? The thing is most "diets" are unsustainable for life. 

So... what can we do about this? Give up and settle on our current weight for life? No!!!! That is not the answer. We need to change our habits.. I love this quote because it is so very true.. 

"Successful people are simply those with successful habits. – Brian Tracy"

So let's change our habits. What is the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up? Start a pot of coffee, take a shower, watch some tv, check your email and Facebook? Chances are that you said some if not all of these things. Remember in my previous blog I said this journey is about zero excuses so it's time to change some of the bad habits into good ones and reduce the excuses and eliminate the 3 key reasons for failing. 

First off lets make a list of bad habits. I am not talking about biting your nails and crewing with your mouth open. I am talking about all the little things we do in autopilot. How many minutes do you sit and watch tv in the morning? Could you do it on a stability ball? Or from the treadmill? Small and simple change. Do you shave your legs sitting down? Stand up. Take a look at your list of 5 - 10 items and pick one at a time you can change - and do it! 

In the end it doesn't matter what diet you are trying - if you are not ready to make the changes needed and work past the 3 key reasons of failure you to will fail. So start small and keep your fitness goal ahead of you and you will succeed.