Why Your Diet, Weight Loss, Workout or Fat Burning Plan May Fail

We have all told ourselves that we are going on a diet and if not, we have probably heard a friend say that they are going on a diet. Perhaps you have just read about a diet or workout plan with great results such as p90x or the Atkin's diet. Before you start on anything life-changing however, take some points into consideration.

You will fail.

Okay just kidding, but in all honesty, changing your body image is NOT an easy task.

But it is completely possible. We all know... larger people who have lost weight and look fabulous, or skinny people who put on some muscle and in both cases, they usually look much better!

I will use myself as an example and also to make this article just a bit more legitimate. I was always a fat child. At the height of my obesity (Freshman year of high school), I weighed in at 180lbs and stood 5'6". To top this off, I had barely any muscle so most of that weight was indeed fat. I steadily became healthier and presently, I stand at 5'11 and weigh 160lbs. There is only a net loss of 20lbs, but take into consideration the 5 additional inches of height and also muscle mass and you can see a real noticeable difference in physique.

But enough about me, here is the number one reason why most people who go on a diet fail: Diets are too restricting.

Yes, eating nothing but chicken breast and vegetables and going to the gym 4-6 days a week is going to change anyone's physique to something awesome within a few months. Unfortunately, reality of following a strict diet is it is difficult. Following a strict diet takes not only a load of discipline, but also passion.

About passion in changing your body image. This is extremely important if you want to do anything. The driving force behind me losing weight and finally deciding to get in shape was... a girl. I won't bother to lie about it, getting turned down by the girl of your 15 year old brain's fantasies can really hurt the ego. I won't go into looks versus personality, that's an entire different topic, but if there was ever an event (doesn't have to be a girl) that made you think about changing your body image, I say capitalize on it, feed on that passion and once you see results, it will push you to keep going.

Back to dieting and workout plans though. Yes, if you keep it up you will reach your goals, but everyone has different goals and passions in life. If being a body builder makes you happy, then by all means, you already have what it takes to follow a strict diet and workout plan. For the rest of us however, I doubt that you will want to follow a strict weekly routine for the rest of your life, which brings me to the second factor of why your diet may fail.

Number 2 reason why your diet may fail: Diets have an expiration date.

When I think of diet, I think of something short term. For example, p90x is a 90 day regimen. Assuming you follow through with p90x to the letter (which I give you props because it involves a strict diet, and intensive 6 day a week workouts) chances are, you will be very healthy. But what will happen when the 90 days are up? I am going to make an assumption and say that most p90x-ers are not going to just rewind the tape and do it all over again every 90 days. Chances are, you are going to be burnt out from a diet regimen and just want to relax, so what happens after the plan is essential. You do NOT want to go back to doing nothing for too long because you may become complacent! Just because you have made incredible gains, do not let that make you lazy.

So I suggest to you, the exact opposite of what a diet is; lenient and instead of having an expiration date, make it a lifestyle change. This way, you should feel comfortable being living a healthy lifestyle. You shouldn't feel like you can't do something, or you have to do something in order to keep yourself in good shape.

But what is a healthy lifestyle and how do you adopt one?

The most important part of a healthy lifestyle is not what you eat, when you eat, or how active you are. The very first thing you should do when trying to make a lifestyle change is to understand how your body works. This way, you don't have to worry about following a strict diet or workout plan every day. Understand exactly how eating something, or doing an exercise will affect your body. Understand how calories work, how different types of calories affects you (sugars, simple/complex carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc etc) because contrary to popular belief, ALL calories have a place in your diet (yes my dears, that includes sugars and fats). Understand how what you eat and the exercise that you'll do will affect each other. Understand the importance of timing your meals and metabolism.

Because when you understand these concepts and more, you will be able to make your own judgment on what you can or cannot eat or do.

As a general rule of thumb however...

Easy on the soft drinks
Be wary of fast food
Try to stick to complex carbohydrates versus simple carbohydrates (Whole wheat/grain instead of white bread, etc etc)
Careful on juices also, while they are filled with vitamins and minerals, they are often packed full of sugar, giving nearly the same effect as sodas.
Stay active (Take the stairs concept)

For more details on how to life a healthy life style, you can check out my Guide To A Healthy Life Style Part One and Two