Chapter 4: Why Do People Fail with Most Diets?
The title of this article is a bit tricky. It really is. How come?
If we're going to be completely honest with ourselves, most diet programs currently on the market work. You know it. I know it. Everybody who has been on a diet of some kind knows it. This is not a secret.
After all, those books would not be on the market and people wouldn't be buying them if they did not work at some level or other. They go through some sort of selection system. The market takes care of itself.
Things that work tend to sell more and they get a lot more visibility. You only need to look at the bestseller lists of diet books to get a clear understanding that these diets do work.
The problem is not whether they help you lose pounds. That goes without saying. They wouldn’t exist if that weren’t true. If they didn’t do their job, they would not exist. They would not be available on the market if they didn’t at some level or other work.
The issue is sustainability. This is how you should define diet failures. Unfortunately, a lot of people who go on diet after diet fail to do this. They just focus on the short-term weight loss.
Maybe they have some sort of high school reunion they have to go to. Perhaps they're going to a job interview and they are under a lot of pressure to look their very best, so they go on a crash diet, they lose weight, and guess what happens next?
That's right. Just as morning follows night, all that weight comes back.
I’m not talking about some; I’m talking about all.
Given enough time, most diets fail. The reason, of course, is due to people's inability or unwillingness to focus on sustainability.
Let me say it loud and clear: If you go on diet and you don't focus on sustainability, your diet is going to fail. You can take that to the bank.
Sooner or later, your life is going to catch up to you. Sooner or later, the past ways of doing things, and these are the things that you are accustomed to doing, will come back.
Your old eating habits, your old dietary patterns, your old food preferences, all of these will come rushing back and guess what happens?
All the weight that you lost in the early or middle stages of your diet, come back. To make matters worse and to add insult to injury, you end up weighing more. It's bad enough that all that weight came back, but you end up getting heavier and heavier and heavier.
This is why a lot of people who go on one diet after another actually end up getting worse and worse. This is the reason people fail with almost all the diets they try. They’re not focused on consistency.
They’re just focused on achieving spectacular weight loss. There's no point in losing all that weight if you know for sure that you are going to gain all of it back and then some.
Sustainability Is The Key To Diet Success
You have to wrap your mind around the concept of sustainability. If you can't keep the pounds off, it’s probably a good idea to start thinking about not going on a diet at all. I know that seems harsh.
To a lot of people, it may even seem extreme. However, if you think about it hard enough, it is the most practical thing that you could ever decide. Seriously.
Think about it. Why should you go through all the hassle and effort of losing weight when you know at the back of your head that sooner or later that weight will come back? Let's not kid ourselves.
Sometimes it only takes a change in our schedule or some sort of minor change in our lifestyle and all that weight comes back.
Sustainability is the name of the name of the game.
There is good news. If you are sick and tired of going from one diet to another with very little sustainable results, try the keto diet. However, there is a way to do this the right way. A lot of people jump in with both feet and they end up repeating typical unsustainable diet mistakes.
This framework will enable you to turn the keto diet from yet another diet that you can pick up to an actual lifestyle that you can stick to for the long run. Remember, the name of the game is sustainability.
Most Dangerous Keto Diet Misconceptions
There are several misconceptions about diets. This is the reason people fail to achieve much sustainable success with diets.
Let's get one thing clear. Diets do work. If you're just looking to lose weight, any diet will take you there. As long as you follow instructions and as long as you stick with them long enough, you will get what you came for.
Losing weight is not the issue. The real problem is keeping the weight off. This happens again and again and again. It doesn’t matter the name of the diet.
It doesn’t matter what year it is. It doesn’t matter how many people are excited about a particular weight-loss system. This will always be an issue.
It all boils down to sustainability and, unfortunately, if you believe in certain misconceptions about the keto diet, it's only a matter of time until you get all that weight back.
The worst part to all of this is that it's all your fault. It's not the fault of the keto diet. It is tried and proven. It is solid gold. People swear by it because it actually works.
If you're looking for a sustainable and powerful way to lose weight, you can't do any better than the keto diet. The issue is whether you choose to believe in certain misconceptions that eventually undermine and sabotage your success with this diet.
Misconception #1: The Keto Diet Is Hard
One of the most common misconceptions about the keto diet is that involves going into some sort of dietary twilight zone. It's as if you're going into some sort of no-man’s land that people haven’t explored before.
Believe it or not, people are already keto at some level or other. They eat a lot of fat with some carbohydrates thrown in. That's how a lot of people already eat. So, if you want to go full keto, it doesn't take much of a transition. You’re already partly there.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that you have to move mountains, or you have to become a totally different person and completely reorient and change your taste buds for you to become keto.
This is discouraging; this sets up unnecessary obstacles; and it's completely false. Look at your typical meal. Chances are there are certain keto items stare already. You’re partly there.
So, don't think that this involves some sort of very difficult transition from zero keto to completely keto. It doesn't work that way. You’re already partially there.
Misconception #2: You Can't Transition Into Keto
Just as bad as Misconception #1 is the idea that there is no space for transition in the keto diet. The idea is that this is just another diet.
Think about it. The reason people fail with their diets is because they put this undue pressure on themselves to completely switch over to the new diet.
For example, if you adopted a high-starch diet or a vegetarian diet, the idea is to just go all in all at once. In other words, you go cold turkey. It's like a smoker going from two packs a day to absolutely no cigarettes the next day.
That works for some people but, for the majority of people who go cold turkey, they will fail again and again and again until somehow, some way, if they're lucky, they make it through. That is not a winning strategy.
A lot of people are able to achieve better success when they gradually or ease into their new lifestyle. That's the secret. This is not a diet. It's a lifestyle. It's a new way of looking at the things that you put in your mouth. This is a new attitude that you’re assuming regarding your food.
When you change your relationship with your food, you change your outcomes. There's no need to go through some sort of black-and-white transition. The more you think about the keto diet along these lines, the more unnecessary pressure you put on yourself.
Last time I checked, when people operate under a tremendous amount of pressure, they are more likely to break apart. They are more likely to fail.
Misconception #3: Keto Foods Are Unpleasant And Unnatural
It's very easy to develop an aversion to fat. Seriously. It's too simple really. How come? Well, if you've been told for several decades of your life that something is wrong, eventually you will fall for it.
Sooner or later, you will believe it. In fact, you will start interpreting your experience in such a way that reinforces or validates] what you've been told.
However, let me tell you a simple truth. Just because a lie or a misconception has been repeated millions of times doesn't make it true. The same applies to high-fat diets.
It’s only been recently that the scientific community has discovered that high-fat, low-carb diets are actually better for you than the standard American diet.
So, do yourself a big favor. Step beyond conventional wisdom and focus on your personal taste preferences. The good news is whatever flavor profile you like, there will be a keto-compliant meal plan for it.
If you want to permanently say goodbye to all that unwanted fat, you have to play the keto game correctly.