3 Reasons Your Diet Plan is Set Up to Fail
Hey momma- let’s talk about diet plans and why they don’t work. Or at least don’t work long term.
Chances are you came to this article out of frustration and confusion over why your diet just isn’t working. Do you feel completely exhausted on your weight loss journey? Mommas, I completely understand.
I am so familiar with the drama around trying to lose weight and how difficult it can feel. Check out my full weight loss journey story to learn more about me. I want you to know that I understand where you are at, and the reason I know what I know about lasting weight loss is that I’ve had to struggle to figure it out for myself. Even after ‘figuring it out’ I then had to relearn how to get my body to lose weight after baby #3. This was so hard for me, but helped me learn so much more about healthy, effective, holistic weight loss.
So, it’s time to stop feeling powerless about your weight loss, and identify the 3 simple reasons why your current diet is not working for you. And I promise you, this isn’t complicated, it just takes an honest look at your life, and creating a diet plan that fits YOU.
The Three Most Common Reasons Your Diet Plan is Set Up to Fail
It is not realistic for your life.
You need to take a diet break.
Your mindset is an afterthought.
Reason 1 Why Your Diet Plan is Set Up to Fail: It’s Not Realistic for YOU.
No matter how many different plans try to tell you, weight loss is not a one size fits all formula. From the food you plan to eat, to the amount of exercise you are supposed to do--diet plans and weight loss plans have to fit into YOUR season of life.
Reminder: In order to be successful, your diet plan must be an integrated part of your overall goals. You cannot take a generic diet plan or weight loss plan and expect it to work on top of everything else you already have going on. Momma, you are already a rockstar taking on the multiple full time jobs you already have.
In order to be successful in your diet, try to think about the amount of time you have available in your schedule, and then determine if the plan you created will work with your schedule. Or better yet, develop your plan based on the available time you do have. And remember, your preferences matter too. You should actually LIKE what you are choosing to eat. (I promise you, it’s possible!)
For example, keto might look really great on paper, and might get you good results for a few months. But, if you cannot see yourself never eating bread again, then this is not the right diet plan for you. Best case, you will be miserable. Worst case, you will cave and binge on bread like there's no tomorrow. Neither of those options have you living your best life, right?
This is what is so great about the flexible approach to dieting that I teach my clients. It allows you to create a healthy relationship with all types of food, and gives you room to develop a plan that’s right for YOU. If you need help to figure out where exactly you need to focus to calm the chaos, check out my Healthy Mom Method Assessment!
Reason 2 Why Your Diet Plan is Set Up to Fail: You Need to Take a Diet Break
Did you know that you shouldn’t spend the whole year in a calorie deficit? What?! I know it might sound counterintuitive, but take a second to really think about what you know about bodies.
One of the coolest things about us as humans is that our bodies adapt to a new situation when it is constantly presented with it, day after day. We need to take this into account when talking about weight loss and diet plans, because when you stay in a constant state of low calories your body begins to down-regulate to compensate.
For example, when you have stuck to a diet really, really well for almost a year, do you find yourself having less energy for workouts, and feeling more tired, overall? This is because of the long term calorie deficit you have created. Your body has realized that it’s taking in less energy, so it slows down all processes to conserve more energy.
Being in a deficit will also add more stress to your body, and in turn affects certain hormones that help you not only lose weight but feel good.
Think about it this way: If you have been dieting for 12 months at about 1400 calories per day, and then you buy a plan that has you go ‘hard core’ for 12 weeks, you will have to drop down even lower than that. Your body has already been in a deficit state for an extended time, and adjusted your energy output to match. With this new plan, you will be pushing your body even harder, without the adjusted caloric support it needs. You will most likely create a scenario that will end in you hitting a wall where you could binge, quit, or give up altogether.
This is also not mentioning how unhealthy it is to be eating at that level of deficit. The importance of creating a sustainable diet plan is one where your body’s needs are fully supported, and one great way to do this is to come in and out of a calorie deficit regularly.
Reason 3 Why Your Diet Plan is Set Up to Fail: Your Mindset is an Afterthought.
In my coaching, mindset is the MOST IMPORTANT part of any lifestyle change. This includes diet plans and weight loss journeys.
Most diet plans completely ignore addressing your mindset, but I promise you, it is 9 times out of 10 the thing that is holding you back from achieving your goals. If I asked you right now, I bet you could tell me 2-3 things you could do today to improve your health. But, I also bet that you are not doing them. Why is that?
Now, that’s a much deeper question for a more personal conversation, but it has everything to do with your mindset. And this isn’t your fault. There are so many influences in our lives that affect our relationships with food and weight loss, and a lot of times we aren’t even aware of them.
It’s not an information problem, it’s an implementation problem. If you spend time telling yourself stories about how you can’t achieve your weight loss, it will eventually come true.
But if instead, you look at those stories and break down why you are getting that information in the first place, you will be able to implement the correct adjustments, personalized to your unique journey.
This is why coaching can be so helpful in getting you to ask yourself those questions, and give you a wider perspective toward your goals. I am there for my clients when the scale goes up, when they feel defeated, or when they are so guilty for having a great time (and great meal) with friends over the weekend.
Those ups and downs will always be a part of your life, it’s just a part of being human. But, a good coach will be able to help you stay on track throughout.
Much of my work with my clients is changing how they see themselves so they can lose weight, say yes to themselves and their goals even if the whole family is eating fries and junkfood, and gain the confidence to prioritize self-care.
Make Sure Your Diet Plan is Customized to YOU.
If you learn nothing else from this article, I want you to take away this one thought. Because our bodies and life experiences are all different, there is never going to be a one size fits all diet. That is why I personalize each coaching plan to each and every one of my clients.
It is important when picking a diet plan to have realistic expectations of what your body can do in a certain amount of time and what your body will look like when you reach your goal weight. If a program promises you X amount of weight in X amount of days, RUN!
When creating or choosing a diet plan it should take into account these things:
Your diet & exercise history
Your food preferences
Your lifestyle goals (family, work, spiritual, etc)
Your schedule
And it needs to be longer than 6-8 weeks. Those 6-8 week programs are usually best for those who are looking to lose just a small amount of weight, or who have already adjusted their lifestyle, but need a little refresh. Often, they work better for younger people as well.
If you are anything like my clients, you have been on and off the ride so many times, you’ve seen it all. You’ve tried the shakes, the plans, the pills and you now know you need something sustainable. And that takes time, more time than 6-8 weeks.
Are you ready to get started?
Obviously, I am a coach and I think working with a coach is the best way to create a sustainable plan for yourself. As a coach, I’ve even hired a coach when I need that extra support and accountability.
When I work with my clients there is a minimum 6-12 month commitment. This allows us to find the perfect way of eating that not only allows you to lose weight, but also allows you to enjoy vacations, date night, sleep good, have energy, keep and/or improve your sex drive, and not make food be the center of your universe.
I include phases of fat loss with reverse dieting so we keep you burning the most calories possible (aka more food) while reaching your goals.
If you know you need some support and don’t want to go through another 6-12 months starting diets, getting discouraged, googling 100 other ways to lose weight, then starting the new one...I’m here to help.
Set up a call to go over your goals, or you can read about The Healthy Mom Method Coaching program.
Mommas- I am so proud of you for taking this moment to think about your goals, and trying to find a way to make them fit into your own life. You are already on the right path, and I am so excited to see where your journey leads! You’ve got this!!