Why Diets Fail
There are a lot of us out there who have tried and tried again to lose weight and a lot of us fail over and over again even if we do everything by the book. Well, here are some reasons diets fail.
Underestimating Calorie Consumption
It’s important to write down everything you eat including bites and tastes of food because it all adds up. Writing it down raises your awareness of what you are putting in your mouth. Now that a lot of meals are consumed outside the home, a lot of restaurant portions are more than one serving and higher in calories, so if you are going out to eat, ask for a doggy bag right away and put half of your meal in the bag and out of sight so you won’t be tempted to eat the whole thing. If you don’t want to carry around a food journal in your bag, there are several apps to help you keep track of what you eat and your exercise habits. My favorite is Lose It, but you can click HERE for the Top Ten Apps to Help You Lose Weight.
Speaking of exercise, we typically need to cut over 500 calories per day, seven days a week to lose one pound per week. That equals out to 60 minutes a day of moderate exercise and who has time for that? A more sustainable goal is 30 minutes of vigorous activity every day but broken up in ten minute increments. We can all find ten minutes to play tag, take a vigorous walk around the block or do jumping jacks.
Poor Meal Timing
We need a steady stream of glucose to maintain your energy and prevent your metabolism from slowing down. Try not to go more than five hours without eating a healthy snack. I have discovered Belvita Breakfast Biscuits (blueberry is my fave) and Think Thin bars. They both fit in your bag or desk and they actually taste good.
If you get less than six hours of sleep per night, you have higher levels of a hormone called ghrelin that simulates your appetite and makes you crave high-carb and high calorie foods.