It's a well-known fact that 90% of dieting attempts fail. Considering that over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and that we have a huge dieting industry giving Americans a myriad of choices from which diets to choose, it's apparent that people are attempting to diet but failing at it. This doesn't make much sense, does it?
It does make sense if we consider how the human brain thinks compared to how most diets are designed. It's the key to why diets fail.
Why Most Diets Fail
- Most diets are rigid, stipulating black and white rules of what you can and can't eat.
- Most diets eliminate some foods completely (usually our favorite foods).
- Most diets give unrealistic expectations (such as impossible weight loss expectations or suggesting one will achieve some sort of perfect body)
- Most diets don't put enough focus on exercise which is the most fat-burning behavior one can engage in.
- Most diets cannot be easily followed for a lifetime.
How the Brain Works
The brain doesn't like rigidity especially when it comes to what we eat. It does like a flexible plan of eating which says things like, "I want to strive to gradually reduce my portions," rather than, "I have to stick to my diet perfectly. I can't eat anything that's not on my diet."
The brain responds better to small steps and feels overwhelmed by large goals. It's easier to think about losing five pounds than a hundred pounds, for example. It will want to resist a plan that says it has to run three miles daily when one hasn't been exercising at all, rather than one that asks that we go out and just walk a few minutes and gradually increase the distance.
The brain will also tend to resist the thought of not being able to have its favorite foods at all instead of incorporating favorites into the plan.
The Brain Can Be a Friend to Your Weight Loss Goals
Most diets are designed so contrary to how the brain thinks that it will resist attempts to stay on the diet. That is why staying on a diet gets harder the longer one is on it. Sooner or later the dieter quits, thinking the failure was his or her fault rather than the fault of the diet itself.
Instead, if the "diet" or, better said, "the weight loss life plan" is set up to be flexible, positive, realistic, can easily be followed for the rest of ones life, and includes all liked foods, our brain will be our friend rather than resist our efforts. Understanding why diets fail is the first step to success with weight loss.
Lavinia Rodriguez - Lavinia Rodriguez, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years experience helping people with food and eating problems, and eating ...
