Hi! I'm Melanie. A little birdie told me that possibly you aren't subscribed to this site. Are you nuts?
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Have you been struggling to lose weight most of your life? It’s clear that many people already know a lot about dieting. But, why do so many find it difficult to lose weight, or indeed maintain any weight lost?
There are many possible answers to this questions, but few certainties!
For sure there are those who suffer from medical conditions, which prevents them losing significant amounts of weight, but setting that aside for now, here are a few other possibilities.
So, what’s keeping you fat?
#1 You skip breakfast
Studies show that those who consume breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight. Check out 25 Breakfast Ideas for the Bleary Eyed for fresh ideas on what to eat.
#2 You starve yourself
Depriving yourself of food in an attempt to lose weight is counter productive. If you miss meals, food tends to get stored up, therefore metabolism slows down, which is the total opposite of what you want to happen!
Eating small, regular meals is much more effective for most people.
#3 You eat in response to emotions
If you get stressed by the things that go on in your life, try writing about them in a journal. Expressing your thoughts is one of the best ways to deal with them. Do you have particular trigger situations? How can you deal with this in the future without resorting to food? Write about this to.
#4 You don’t plan ahead
What would you like to achieve? You should note down 1 or 2 specific, realistic goals, which you display in a prominent place, and then read over frequently to help you stay focused.
Check out Getting SMART with Goal Setting for more tips.
#5 Your home is packed to the brim with unhealthy foods
Is it more like temptation city, than a haven of healthy foods? Okay if that’s the case, you can change it! Get rid of the junk, and replace it with healthy foods you enjoy (or re-train your taste buds to enjoy).
But, remember to allow yourself a treat now and again - healthy eating isn’t about excluding all your favourite foods, it’s about getting the proportions right.
#6 You eat too fast
Do you eat so fast your stomach barely has time to signal the need to stop?
Try chewing each bite, and putting down your fork between mouthfuls. Remember that TV watching can lead to unconscious overeating, so instead sit at the table, and try to become more familiar with your hunger state.
#7 You’re too lazy
Come on challenge me on this one! What activities do you enjoy? What skills would you like to improve? Try putting extra effort into all of your daily activities for accelerated calorie burning, and better quality of life long-term.
#8 Other things take up your time
What do you spend most of your day doing? Are you a full-time mom, a pro blogger, or a business exec? It’s possible that you simply don’t have enough time to get healthy. How can you change that? Is it an organisational skills problem, or something else?
#9 You don’t have hobbies
What does your spare time consist of? Is it taken up with watching TV, or sitting at your computer? What can you do instead? How about taking up a new hobby, walking to your friends house, or perhaps taking the kids to the park more often?
It doesn’t have to be something particularly energetic, just something you enjoy, it’s better than being parked in front of the telly all evening, right?
#10 You’re too confident
Do you drop 10 or 20 pounds, then start thinking you’re a “Weight Loss” champion? Next thing you know, you’re back on the pizza and beer, and rapidly gaining back your original weight.
How can you avoid this yo-yo scenario in the future? Well, it’s simply about goal setting. So, with each 10 pounds you drop, reassess your diet, and set new goals for the coming weeks, rather than slackening off on your new healthier habits.
#11 You have a negative attitude
Believing that you can change is really important. If you tell yourself you can’t succeed, you won’t - simple as that! Empower yourself by thinking positively, and believing that you really can reach your goals.
#12 “Tomorrow” never seems to come!
Remember, weight loss is a journey, and unfortunately it doesn’t become any easier if you wait. So, why not get the most difficult part over with right now by starting today?
#13 You just don’t care enough
I actually already know this isn’t true - you wouldn’t have reached the bottom of the page if it were. So, it’s time to start taking care of your body! What are your goals for achieving a healthier lifestyle?
I’d love to hear from you - what difficulties do you have? What would help you overcome some of your weight loss struggles?
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily!” - ZIGLAR
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These are all very good ideas. You’ve talked about this here before, but the importance of having a plan can’t be overstated. Planning in terms of what you want to accomplish and how to accomplish is are vital. This is especially true when it comes to nutrition. Without setting out what you want to eat, it is easy to fall of the wagon and eat poorly. Having a set plan for diet and nutrition helps with decision making, and ultimately leads to better eating habits.
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Having just recently recommitted myself to working on my health, I have to say that many of these hit home for me. In the past I have usually been one to skip breakfast but have found eating a nice breakfast is really helping me.
In addition, I have used my schedule as an excuse in the past but am now making exercise and healthy eating a priority to my other commitments. So far I am pleased with my progress and results and am looking forward to the work ahead of me.
Also, I have created a spreadsheet to track a few things and I have found that has helped me stick to my plan.
Derek’s last blog post..Just A Quick Note About Leaving Comments
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Most of your points are right on. But, #7? Ouch! Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins — you can burn in hell for that. Maybe I’m just being an over-sensitive American.
Here are another couple of good ones:
* Your plate is too big. Plate sizes and portion sizes have increased dramatically in the last few decades. Dinner plates from the 50’s look like luncheon plates to us today. Switch to smaller plates so that adequate portions won’t look stingy. And choose sensibley-sized serving spoons to help get the right size portions.
* You eat until you are full. Some people just don’t feel full until after they have eaten more than they need. Some don’t ever feel full. This is really good if you live in a society that has frequent famines, but not so useful when food is always available. There is a Japanese phrase about eating until you feel 80% full, so they must know about this problem there, too. Walk away from the table and get involved in your new hobby. Eventually, your stomach will realize it is not growling, not starving, not empty.
Family Nutritionist’s last blog post..The Right Chocolate for your heart
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Ok, I was a little bit wrong. The phrase “Hara Hachi Bu” is from Okinawa, where the culture is different from mainland Japan.
Family Nutritionist’s last blog post..The Right Chocolate for your heart
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Hi Tom,
Do you have any tips to help people stay ON a plan? I think they also find this difficult, but it’s definitely easier than if they don’t have one, as you said.
Hi Derek,
That’s great news! What do you think is the most important thing that’s helping you stay on track this time? My last post was about helping guys eat healthier, any thoughts on this one??
Hi Family nutritionist,
Great suggestions as always, you’re always straight to the point with what you say, I think this is what people need to hear!
It’s definitely an interesting study of how much our portions have grown over the years, quite shocking really.
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Melanie, a lot of it is because my wife has been exercising and eating healthier for a few months now and I have now joined her efforts. In addition, we have a trip to Disney planned later this year and I don’t want to be so self-conscious about jumping in the pool with the kids, lol.
About helping guys eat healthier, it really does come down to the guy wanting to eat healthier. In our house, my wife typically does most of the grocery shopping and the best thing she has done to help is that she avoids buying the junk food at all. If it isn’t in the house, it is harder to eat as that would involve going to the store to get it myself. As I said above, seeing my wife eat healthier also has really helped me adopt a healthier eating lifestyle.
Derek’s last blog post..Blogging For Money :: May 2008
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Derek,
It’s interesting to note that it has been a few simple changes, and the good influence of your wife that has really helped you - useful info for other readers, thanks for sharing!
ps sorry for late reply - a few tech problems lately.
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These are great ideas. Nothing is, unfortunately, new for me, since dieting and excercising has been part of my life nearly every day for years now! And, on many of those days, I’m either sharing or receiving advice on what is the right thing to do, what to eat, and what not to.
I stay overweight and at my current weight (235lbs; 5′11) for two reasons: 1) I’m an emotional eater, and I’ve come to rely on food as the instantaneous escape I need in/outside the office; 2) I eat at night after my workouts, which average 1.5 to 2 hours per day, and average of 4 times per week.
On the positive side, I’ve been very good about having a decent breakfast (oats; wholegrain bread with cheese; cereal with milk; etc); not snacking in between meals during the day; and eating salads (with protein and light sauces) for lunch on most days of the week.
What can I do to change?
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Hi Alex,
It’s difficult to say with limited information, but I’m wondering:
1) Are you actually eating enough in terms of lean proteins and low GI carbs? While dieting is about eating less, you also need to be eating adequate, good quality foods, otherwise your body tries to hold onto calories (starvation mode).
2) Is snacking the result of emotional eating, or the result of too little being eaten throughout the day? It’s okay to snack on foods throughout the day if you need to, it’s more about making healthy choices.
3) If you truly are eating due to emotions, how can you overcome that? Would removing unhealthy foods from your home help? Do you have a hobby that would help take your mind off food? Can you get support from a friend?
4) Are you losing any weight on your present regimen? If not, has something changed in your routine or eating since your last bout of weight loss?
I would suggest using a food diary for a week to find out if there are any patterns in your overeating - if there are you may be able to come up with a plan to overcome this.
Any other questions I’m happy to help!
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It also has a lot to do with the type of diet the person goes on. If you are doing something that you can’t do your whole life (crash diets) then this isn’t the right way to go. You’ll just rebound back.
-Francis Lornet
Lose 10 Pounds A Week’s last blog post..Lose 10 Pounds A Week
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Hi Francis,
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I dislike the whole “diet” mentality that so many people fall into. I’ve written about it quite a bit in the past too. Thanks for your comment.
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These are really good reminders that we can change if we want to. Sure it takes work, but what that’s worth having doesn’t. I’ve found that making changes that result in having a more balanced relationship with food a la the Structure House program has really helped me to not only lose weight, but have a better life all round.
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Hey Ruth,
I’m so glad you’ve found success in your weight loss and health as a whole! Does the book talk about diet as well as changing habits?
I assume you would recommend this book? I would be interested in taking a look at it, I’ll have to check out my local book store.
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I am new to this. I am very overweight. I don’t eat a lot, maybe 1 real meal, and am searching your sight for healthy finger snacks because I am a heavy snacker always having something in my mouth. It is mostly small things like m&m’s or other small candies. What can I switch to that I could also have on my desk at work to substitute? I am not going to lie, I don’t drink but maybe 2-3 glasses of water per week because I don’t like the taste of it. I know it would be incredibly hard to stop the snacking but if you could advise of what to snack on it would be most appreciative.
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Hi Karena,
Thank you for your comment.
I think it would be important for you to focus on getting 3 meals, rather than only 1 meal, and then snacking constantly throughout the rest of the day. It is very easy to overeat when you don’t have set meals.
Snacking is fine, and can be a great additional sources of nutrients in your diet, but you really should focus on eating a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I’ve written a number of posts in the past on snacking, here are a couple of them:
http://www.dietriffic.com/2008/09/12/25-healthy-snack-ideas/
http://www.dietriffic.com/2007/06/17/healthy-snack-ideas/
I’d also encourage you to try to drink more water; this will help you to snack less, because you fill up on water, rather than high cal snacks.
Have you tried water with a slice of lemon, or how about a sprig of fresh mint to give it extra flavour? What are you drinking in place of the water?
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