The diet industry is huge! They offer easy success using pills, juice, shakes, packages, and freezer meals!
Perhaps you've tried every diet out there, only to be disappointed over and over again. You worked so hard, you're so hungry, and you spend hours in the gym, all for just a few lost pounds.
Or, maybe you've even gained pounds. It just doesn't seem fair, but you're definitely not alone. Of course, that's what the diet industry is counting on; the fact that you'll be back next January to try something else.
Here are five reasons why most diets fail
1. Bio-individuality
It's true that dieting works for some people. Many times, those people are the authors of books that tell you how you can lose weight, too. But guess what? Your body is DIFFERENT. What worked for one person won't necessarily work for you.
Bio-individuality is the combination of your metabolism, blood type, body structure, genetic heritage, personality, emotions, and thought patterns that makes you unique. You are the only you that God ever has and ever will be created. How cool is that?
Most diets don't account for all of these variables. Some people function well on a vegan diet, while others might begin wasting away in the first week. Some people feel great eating whole grains, while others bloat up like a balloon. Why? Bio-individuality.
2. Starvation Mode
A second reason why most diets fail is called starvation mode. Many diets require decreased calories, increased physical activity, or both.
To live and function, we need calories (energy) from food. The optimal number of calories depends on a person's bio-individuality. When we're physically active, we expend more energy and thus need more calories. But if the ratio between calories and physical activity shifts too far in one direction or the other, problems occur.
- Too many calories – physical activity = weight gain
- Too few calories + physical activity = starvation
Starvation mode isn't simply feeling hungry. You may not feel hungry at all when your body is in a state of starvation.
The weight may come off fast for a while, but eventually, your brain will tell your body, "Famine alert! Hold on to every bit of fat you can! We may never eat again!"
If you're in starvation mode for too long, you can experience some serious imbalances. And when you end your diet, all the weight will return quickly, often bringing a few extra pounds.
3. Nutritional Deficiencies
Starvation mode is related to a third reason why most diets fail: nutritional deficiencies. This is because we eat food not just for the calories but also for the nutrients within the food: protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
This is why food quality is so important. If you're eating 2,000 calories daily, but those calories are coming only from soda and candy bars, you'll get sick quickly because soda and candy bars don't contain sufficient nutrients.
Without a variety of foods, you won't get the wide variety of nutrients you need for optimum health. Additionally, many people have digestive problems that inhibit absorption, creating deficiencies.
Nutrient deficiencies can turn into serious illnesses if dietary changes aren't made. Diseases caused by malnutrition, including scurvy, rickets, beriberi, and pellagra, are mostly eradicated in first-world countries. But they can occur under the right conditions. Left untreated, they can be fatal.
4. Food Sensitivities
Food sensitivities are another reason why most diets fail. Along with artificial and processed food, food sensitivities create inflammation in the body, which can cause water retention and weight gain.
Without knowing what food sensitivities you might have, the foods you eat could be keeping you away from your goal. Eliminating certain foods for a short period of time can help you determine whether you have any food sensitivities.
5. Metabolic Imbalances
The fifth reason why most diets fail is that they don't solve metabolic imbalances, including insulin resistance, leptin resistance, low thyroid function, adrenal fatigue, yeast overgrowth, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and more.
These conditions might not show up in a blood test or have obvious symptoms, but they can derail your progress and make it nearly impossible to reach your goals.
So what makes up a successful diet?
To be successful in weight loss, you must change your focus to WELLNESS. A healthy lifestyle maintains weight and does not have all the many symptoms of inflammation and weight gain.
If your goal is only a number or a size, then your why will lose its meaning, and you'll go right back to where you started (and further than) you were before.
A wellness program involves:
- Determining your bio-individuality.
- Performing a weekly urinalysis to detect the starvation mode and make necessary changes.
- Eat REAL, nutrient-rich foods, nothing processed or artificial.
- Identify food sensitivities and eliminate them.
- Treat and heal metabolic imbalances.
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