Ok I’ll admit that the mistake of “Going on diets” is one of my pet hates. This is because of the devastating effect that diets can have on people lives, both physically and mentally, and especially as they are a waste of time and effort!
Now that I have got that out of my system, let’s look at what diets are and the consequences of “Going on a diet”.
What are diets?
Diets are meant to be a way to help people lose weight. The idea is that you “Go on a diet”, lose weight, and then happily get on with the rest of your life.
There are hundreds of diets and they vary so widely that they can be totally unrecognisable from each other. Would you like to know what they have in common though?
One thing you’ll notice if you look closely at any diet, is that they are all a way to reduce the number of calories that you consume. However, they do this in a way that is unsustainable and unenjoyable.
Because diets aim to reduce the number of calories that you consume, they can all work in theory. However, they don’t work in practise in terms of losing weight, keeping the weight off, and enjoying the diet.
Proof that diets don’t work
Most people of the thousands that I’ve helped to lose weight have been on a diet before. In fact, most people who want to lose weight have been on multiple diets, sometimes a dozen or more. Yet their weight is the same or heavier than when they started. This is a clear sign that diets don’t work!
There are also hundreds of different diets that you could try, yet there are more people struggling with their weight in the world than ever. This is another clear sign that diets don’t work!
Also think about – How many people do you know that have kept on a diet for 5 years, have lost weight and kept it off, and actually enjoy their diet? You are extremely lucky if have met one person. In my 25 years experience I’ve never met anyone, and believe I have more chance of seeing a yeti! Yes, this is yet another clear sign that diets don’t work!
How many diets have you been on where you’ve lost weight and kept it off for years and to this present day, and actually enjoy it? You’ve guessed it, this is another clear sign that diets don’t work!
The reality is that, being successful at losing weight involves losing weight AND being able to keep it off for the rest of your life. Diets don’t do this for you.
And just so that you know: If you can lose weight and keep it off for 5 years, you are in the top 2% of people according to a study of over 278,000 people. That’s how rare it is, but it is possible for YOU to do it.
Why diets make it harder to lose weight
Yes, it’s true that diets actually make it harder for you to lose weight, rather than easier. But why is this?
Diets don’t factor in that to be successful at losing weight, you need to keep it off over the long term.
Losing weight for a week, month, or year, and then gaining it back is just demoralising and wasting precious time in your life. The mental torture of going on a diet and ending up back where you started is something to avoid at all costs.
Also remember that if you “Go on a diet”, then you also expect to “Come off the diet”. This means that any weight you lose while on the diet will quickly return when you resume your normal eating routine.
OR you would need to “Stay on a diet” for the rest of your life if you are going to keep off any weight that you lose. How many diets would you like to stay on for the rest of your life? None! This is a key reason why diets don’t work over the long term.
Also, if you lose weight too quickly using a diet, then more of your weight loss will come from muscle which is a poor way to lose weight. Losing weight from fat is by far the best way to lose weight, rather than from muscle or water like I explain in Why you should avoid cutting out carbohydrates.
The big downside of losing muscle is that muscle burns plenty of calories. So having less muscle on your body and burning fewer calories means that you have to “Stay on a diet” and restrict your calories, otherwise you will easily gain weight. It’s NOT a good position to be in.
In addition to this, “Going on a diet” means that you are likely to be restricting certain food groups or specific foods, which can lead to your body not getting the full range of vitamins and minerals that it needs. The result is you get poorer health, you feel worse from day-to-day, and you have a greater chance of suffering from illnesses and diseases.
The good news is…
You NEVER have to “Go on a diet”.
Doing so will only negatively affect your body physically, badly affect you mentally, and make it almost certain that you will struggle with your weight forever. So please avoid diets!
For more help to lose weight the healthy way, and in a way that helps you achieve long term weight loss results, get started with the BoostMyLife Online Program. Avoid the struggle of diets and learn how to lose weight properly!
James Porter
BoostMyLife Founder
P.S. Get your FREE copy of The Top Ten Mistakes You Must Avoid When Losing Weight
