There are plenty of reasons why it’s hard to stick to a diet. Yes, I used the awful “D” word that none of us like to hear. If you’ve tried to diet, but you just can’t seem to make it stick, it’s time to figure out why. The following list gives my personal reasons why it’s hard to stick to a diet. Maybe you can relate?
It took years for me to realize I had a full-blown sugar addiction. Since I was a teenager, I could never understand why I craved sweets all the time. Every time I started detoxing from the sugar, I experienced these intense cravings. Many so-called “diet foods” are highly processed and cause major blood sugar spikes, too. If you’re as addicted to the “white stuff” as I am, this is probably one of the main reasons why it’s hard to stick to a diet.
If you’re low on the brain chemical, serotonin, you’ll probably have a tough time sticking to a diet. Low serotonin causes depression, fatigue and massive sugar cravings. Your body craves sugar sometimes because it’s trying to raise your serotonin level. How can you naturally raise it? Exercise is a great way, but sleep, good nutrition and stress control all help raise serotonin levels, too.
How do you expect to have any willpower if you are living on coffee and Diet Coke all day? Silly girl, if you get too famished, you’ll eventually end up binging on everything in sight. Keep your blood sugar level stable by eating at regular intervals throughout the day. Your metabolism will speed up and you’ll also have much more control at meal times. This way, you can make good food choices, binge-free.
Having an all-or-nothing diet mentality is asking for failure. So what if you slip up and eat a doughnut at the office? Resist the urge to give up and start over again on Monday. Start over right now! You can get your diet back on track the minute after you swallow that last bite of doughnut. The goal should be progress, not perfection.
Are you tempted to eat when you’re tired, bored, angry, happy or sad? I used to crave sweets when I was tired, without even realizing it. If you are not truly hungry but you really want to eat something, take a time-out. Force yourself to drink a big glass of water and distract yourself for 20 minutes before you take that bite. No, it’s not easy at first, but you’ll get stronger every time you resist.
It can be the most discouraging thing in the world to diet with a friend who loses weight faster than you. Life’s not fair. You might not lose weight as fast as someone else, but that’s not an excuse to quit. If you’re dieting with a guy, don’t get discouraged because males tend to drop weight faster than us. Rather than feeling sorry for yourself, keep plugging on and imagine how great success will feel.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Okay, I know you’ve heard that saying a million times, but there’s a lot of truth in it. Don’t leave your new eating plan to chance. It’s much harder sticking to a diet when you don’t make preparations ahead of time. Leave some diet-friendly foods in your desk at work and in your boyfriend’s refrigerator. It may seem like a pain right now, but trust me, planning ahead will become second nature in no time.
For me, these are the top 7 reasons why sticking to a diet has always been a challenge. What are your main hurdles when trying to stick to a diet?