21 Reasons Why Your Diet Is Not Working

Why Is Your Diet Is Not Working?

It’s frustrating if you’ve set you mind to lose some weight, but your diet is not working. The basic formula to lose weight (and keep it off) is to eat the right foods, not overindulge, and to do exercise to burn up the food you’ve eaten.

But it’s not always as straightforward as that, is it? If you are struggling with your weight loss, here are 21 common reasons why your diet is not working. Every point will not necessarily apply to you. It may only be a couple that are relevant to you or maybe even just one point is causing the problem. If any of these apply to you, take action to change it and you’ll be one step closer to your weight loss goals.

1. You’re Consuming Too Much Sugar

Commit to eating less sugar. Sugar is loaded with empty calories (energy) that your body stores for later days. But the ‘later days’ never come and eventually all that built-up energy is turned into fat.

2. You’re Not Moving Enough

Set a goal of getting in 15 minutes more exercise this week. Try simple indoor activities such as dancing to music, or setting a timer during household chores forcing you to work faster and harder, thus burning more calories.

3. You’re Not Eating Enough Raw Fruit And Veggies

The original fast food is good for you no matter what anyone else says. The sugar and fat in fruit are always better for you than any other food. If your diet is not working switch out snacks and other processed foods for raw fruit and veggies (skipping the high fat dips) and you’ll notice the difference within about a month.

4. You’re Eating UnHealthy Snacks

Depending on your diet, it’s important to have snacks nearby to avoid problems with being overly hungry. The secret is to have healthy snacks on hand and ready to eat. Cut up and store fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator so you can grab them when you feel hungry. Other healthy snack options like low-fat, low-calorie granola bars, rice cakes, fig rolls, dried fruit, nuts and seeds can be kept in the places you might need them, like your desk drawer, your bag, and your car.

5. You’re Not Lifting Weights

Lifting weights and gaining muscle is one of the fastest ways to lose body fat. Adding muscle increases the body’s ability to burn fat. Women tend to avoid lifting weights because they’re afraid that they will “bulk up.” But woman do not naturally have enough testosterone to develop a  bulky male body builder shape.

6. You’re Not Planning Your Meals

One of the biggest reasons why your diet is not working is that you don’t have a plan. Plan before you shop, and then plan your meals before each day so that you’re never in a hurry and tempted to grab a calorie-packed takeaway meal.

Why Is Belly Fat So Difficult To Lose? (Free Report)

7. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is directly connected to weight loss. Did you know that people who regularly get a good night’s sleep weigh less than those who don’t. Good quality sleep helps balance your hormones, mainly those responsible for regulating your metabolism. Sleep also helps you feel more energized to follow through on your exercise plans and it helps you make better food decisions so you’re not craving for high-calorie foods.

8. You Need More Exercise In Your Day

You can get more steps into your day by parking far away from every entrance. Not only will you be walking as you shop or run errands but you’ll get in those extra steps that can make a huge difference in your fitness level.

9. You’re Drinking Too Much Soda

Whether you call it pop, soda, cola or soft drinks, they’re not good for you. They’re not even a real beverage. If you like the fizzy feeling you can replace your soft drinks with naturally carbonated waters and juices. Watch out for alcohol too. It’s very high in calories and a night on the booze can add up to a lot of consumed calories.

10. You Don’t Have A Workout Buddy

Not only does exercising with another person make you accountable to them, it also makes it harder to skip a workout. There are many ways to get an accountability partner now. You can look close to home or you can look across the country using Fitbit and other online communities to help you stay on track with your fitness goals.

12. You’re Eating Too Much Processed Food

Even when the label says it’s healthy if it’s processed, you can do better. Processed foods, generally sold in a box, can, bag or carton, usually contain high levels of chemicals, salt and sugar to add flavour and prolong shelf life.  Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, staying clear of aisles and you’ll find it easier to find whole foods.

13. Your Stress Is Out Of Control

Stress releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol does many things in the body during stressful times. This includes slowing digestion and increasing the body’s ability to store fat. Stress does other things that can lead to an increase in body fat as well, including emotional overeating and stress binge eating. Unfortunately, we live in a chronic stress environment. If you’re doing everything right and still not losing weight, then you should check out your stress levels and do all you can to reduce it.

14. You’re Not Enjoying Exercise

If you find exercise boring and a chore, you’ll soon find excuses for not doing it. Exercise covers every type of physical activity and it’s  the best way to burn fat. Playing catch with your kids, taking your dog for a walk around the park and mowing your lawn are all examples of exercise. Find ways to keep physically moving with activities you actually enjoy, and you will find yourself ‘exercising’ more frequently, and you’ll enjoy it too.

Free Report: 15-Minute Fitness Workouts

15. You’ve No Clear Goal

If you don’t have any goals in relation to your health and well-being how will you know if you’ve achieved them? It’s important to write them down. Not only that, write down how you’ll achieve them so that you’ll have a map to follow. If you’re willing to change your lifestyle in a few ways you will soon notice positive results.

16. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Water flushes your system of any potentially harmful toxins and helps to fill you up so you won’t feel too much of an urge to eat tempting foods. You should aim to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds (approx 68 kilos or 11 stone), you should drink at least 75 ounces of water each day, which is about 2 litres or 6-8 glasses of water each day.

17. You’re Sitting Too Much

Most people have sedentary jobs these days. Try to get up and walk or move around every 90 minutes at least for about three to five minutes. One great way to combat getting a bigger rear-end from sitting a day, along with blood clots and other things that happen to sedentary people,  is to invest in a standing desk so that you can stand and work.

18. You’re Not Allowing Yourself Any Treats

You might think that your diet is not working because you’re eating all the wrong foods. That maybe partially true, but you deny yourself an occasional treat you’ll start to resent your diet and be more likely to give it up. Allow yourself to enjoy some of your favorite foods in moderation. This will create a healthy balance which allows you to stick to your diet and achieve the weight loss goals you want.

19. You’re Trying To Do It All By Yourself

It can be a lonely process when you’re trying to lose weight, but if you know someone else who is on a diet you can work together and give each other encouragement. Knowing that someone else is counting on you for support and motivation will increase your own determination to succeed.  Also, let your family and friends know that you’re trying to lose weight so that they can encourage you with positive reinforcement.

19. You’re Expecting Too Much, Too Soon

The weight you want to lose probably has taken some time to accumulate and it’s not going to disappear in a few days. So start slowly, be patient, and take baby steps. As humans, we have a strange compulsion to compare ourselves to others when it comes to weight and looks. But, this isn’t a good thing to do because everyone’s situation (and genetics) are different. Feel good about what you have and work to make it better in a realistic way.

21. You’re Being Too Hard On Yourself

Getting your body in shape is a life-long process. If you fall off the weight loss band wagon, it’s a setback not a disaster. Start back onto that diet as soon as you can. Just don’t get into the habit of falling off the wagon too often. If you do, you will need to re-evaluate why it is you want to lose weight and what is setting you up for trouble.

If Your Diet Is Not Working You’re On The Wrong Diet

In your desire to lose weight, your exercise routine may actually be hindering your weight loss efforts. There are certain mistakes that are easy to make which can keep you from losing weight and even cause you to gain weight! Download this free checklist that reveals 5 exercise mistakes which slow down your weight loss, and you’ll soon be able to hit your target weight much quicker.