6 Reasons Why Your Diet Isn’t Working
In an ideal world, we’d all start a diet and wake up 2 weeks later at our ideal weight. Fantasy, yes, but you’d be surprised how many people lose enthusiasm for a diet when they haven’t seen the results they want in this time. On the other hand, it can be incredibly frustrating to stick to a diet and exercise regime for weeks or months and still see very little progress. If you’re doing everything right, what’s going wrong? Unfortunately, you may be making mistakes in your diet which you aren’t aware of. Here are some possible reasons why a diet might not be working as effectively as it could.
You’re Not Eating Enough Fat
Fat is often regarded as a dirty word when it comes to diets, but the truth is that cutting fat from your diet completely could be preventing you from losing weight. Many people remove fat from their diet but replace it with sugar and salt which don’t give us the same feeling of fullness we get from fat and can even trigger us to eat more. There are bad fats such as saturated fats and trans fats which everyone should avoid if aiming for a healthy lifestyle, but healthy fats like those found in avocado, raw nuts and eggs should be included as part of your diet to keep your body functioning and help you feel fuller for longer.
You’re Eating Too Many Calories
A calorie deficit will usually result in weight loss at the start of a diet, but your body will adapt over time, and your metabolism will adjust to use fewer calories. This means that sticking with the same diet and activity level may cease to be effective eventually. You may need to reduce your calorie intake or increase your activity to create a deficit again.
You’re Not Sleeping Enough
Sleep is essential to ensure that our bodies can repair and refresh overnight and continue to function at maximum capacity the next day. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you’re placing your body under stress which is counterproductive for weight loss. A lack of sleep increases the amount of ghrelin which is a hormone which makes us feel hungry and reduces the amount of leptin which makes us feel full. People who get less sleep tend to eat more calories to make up for the energy they’re missing, so make sure you’re getting 7-9 hours every night.
You’re Guessing Your Portion Sizes
You may well have started your diet by religiously weighing each ingredient so you could track the calories and nutrients in each meal exactly. However, as we get into a routine, we may feel we can estimate the right portion, and this may lead to a gradual increase over time. Be as precise as you can with your portion sizes. There are calorie controlled diet plans such as result plan which deliver balanced meals to your door to remove this guesswork and keep you on track without the need for shopping, weighing or cooking.
You’re Eating Too Much Sugar and Processed Food
A low-calorie diet made up of sugar, and processed carbohydrate is unlikely to result in effective weight loss. When we eat food high in sugar, our blood sugar levels rise, and our body releases insulin, sending this sugar to our fat reserves, and you release insulin.
You’re Taking Weekends Off
Diets and exercise plans shouldn’t stop at the weekends. Consistency is key to sustainable and steady weight loss, so keep those cheat days to a minimum!