Weight Loss Survey: Why Dieters Fail To Lose Weight

Why Do they need an Incentive?

Current levels of overweight and obesity, together with weight-related disease, have made weight control a major health priority throughout the united states. Yet statistics indicate that average weight reduction on conventional diets adds up to a mere 5-8 pounds per year. So why do they find dieting so difficult? According to a new survey(1), the answer seems to be: because they make 3 crucial mistakes. they don't have a cool incentive; they allow ourselves to go hungry; and they can't cope with "bad days".

The weight loss survey conducted by annecollins.com asked dieters to select the three biggest problems they faced when dieting. The most common problems reported were: "Inadequate incentive to lose weight" (76%); "Hunger" (72%); and "Bad days" (70%). Although these results will come as no surprise to most dieters, they highlight the importance of motivation in the dieting method. they examine how these problems occur, and what steps can be taken to overcome them.

When faced with this query, lots of dieters have no answer. Those who do, typically reply: "I'll feel better" or "my health will improve". Others explain they are trying to lose weight to their doctor, or their partner, or basically because they are "overweight". Unfortunately, none of these reasons are strong to help us succeed. So when temptation strikes, they are unable to resist.

They gain weight because they take in more energy than they use. Either because they eat lots of calories, or burn few, or both. So if they need to reduce weight, they need to improve our eating and exercise habits. And this isn't easy, because let's face it - elderly habits aren't easily discarded, if they involve cutting out our favorite treats. they need a powerful incentive to help us change. Specifically, they need an answer to the query: "How exactly will I benefit from losing weight?"

What Type of Incentive is Best?

Our motivation to lose weight must be based on a selfish, specific benefit. A cool example might be an upcoming beach holiday, or a relatives occasion, or the achievement of a specific mobility or fitness aim. it has to be as specific as possible (general benefits are useless) and ideally related to a fixed date. In addition, it has to be selfish. Losing weight to others rarely works. The advice I give to my clients is elementary. Do not bother dieting unless you have a cool incentive. Because no matter how cool the diet, no matter how valuable the exercise plan, unless you have a powerful reason to change your habits you won't succeed.

Hunger Kills Diets

Most dieters are still convinced that calories are their enemy. So the less they eat, the faster they are likely to lose weight. This isn't true. In reality, the less they eat, the more hungry they get and the less hard it is to fall in to temptation. The human body is trained to eat when hungry and no amount of willpower will neutralize this basic urge. This is why binge eating is such a common response to low calorie diets.

How to Avoid Hunger

No rocket science here. Avoiding hunger basically means eating regularly throughout the day, and keeping your calorie intake above 1000-1200 per day. This prevents hunger, thus reducing the urge to overeat, and in addition helps to maintain a regular high level of calorie-burning.

they all have days when they feel extra hungry, even when they are dieting. This is no problem - basically eat more! it is always better to eat a little much than not . Might this delay your weight loss? Yes. But so what? Taking a few extra days to achieve your aim isn't a problem. The real danger isn't eating and ending up hungry and depressed. This is a recipe for a binge.

Eat Much Than Little

No dieter is perfect. The truth is, all dieters experience "bad days" or fall in to occasional temptation. Sadly, most dieters insist on "being perfect". they can't tolerate these lapses. So if (say) they visit a friend and end up eating 2 containers of ice cream and a box of cookies, they go to pieces. "I'm useless!" they cry. "I'm a failure!" Overwhelmed by guilt at not being perfect, they then quit their diet in disgust. Bad Days and The Problem of Perfection. It's the Guilt That Does the Damage in this situation, the actual binge is typically harmless. I mean, they need to eat a huge quantity of food (3500+ calories) to gain even one pound of weight. The real damage is caused by the ensuing guilt. And this is what they need to address.

Guilt Comes From Trying to Be Perfect

All dieters make mistakes and this is perfectly normal. Having an occasional binge is no cause for alarm, far less guilt. Even my most successful clients - those who have lost 100+ pounds - had regular lapses. The difference is, they didn't see themselves as "perfect" individuals. So they felt "entitled" to make occasional mistakes, and so should you. three times you accept this, you will find dieting a whole lot easier.

In order to overcome the 3 problems described above, an essential first step is to find proper support. This is as important as choosing the right diet plan, because no matter how cool the diet, it can't motivate you to stay on track - only people can do this. Dieting is ten times less hard when you receive encouragement from others. So when choosing an online weight loss program, pick one with an active forum. Because at the end of the day, it's all about people. When they are alone and isolated, the smallest obstacle can seem like a mountain. But when they have people behind us, anything is possible.

they need Support to Make These Changes

1. Weight Loss Survey (Oct 2005) by annecollins.com. A total of 17,403 subjects replied to the survey. they were asked to pick 3 from a list of 10 diet-problems. The results were as follows:

Notes:

(2) Hunger (72%).

(1) Inadequate Incentive (76%).

(4) Boredom (69%).

(3) Bad Days (70%).

(6) Interference From Others (51%).

(5) Stress (60%).

(8) Eating on The Run (28%).

(7) Much Eating Out (32%).

(9) Ill-health (5%).

(10) Lack of Sleep (1%).