Weight Loss Tips Why Diets Fail

Most of us probably have enough fast weight loss tips to fill an encyclopedia, and also know which foods make us fat and which make us healthy. It isn't knowledge we are short of: the fact is that we tend to focus on the symptoms of the problem instead of the underlying cause.

Think how it would feel to try sailing a boat with a hole in it. You might, for a short time, be able to bail quickly enough to prevent the boat filling with water and sinking. However, a longer term and much happier solution would be to fix the hole. Similarly, diets are simply quick fixes that do not address the root cause of the problem. There are three main reasons why diets fail.

1. Being Overweight Has Become Part Of Your Identity

When you succeed in losing weight, do you feel that you don't know who you are any more? Do you find that you no longer recognize the person in the mirror, or become uncomfortable about the attention you now receive?

Losing weight can threaten major, long-held beliefs about ourselves (for example, 'I can't lose weight, I'm always going to be big, I like my food, I'm big and strong, No one will love me'). Without alternative beliefs to take their place, it can be tempting to return to familiar ground, where we feel more comfortable and safe. Believe it or not, being fat can offer great excuses for avoiding life and missing out on things.

When we are overweight we use body shape as the excuse for everything we don't have in life. ('I'll never have a boyfriend; I'm too fat to be noticed.' 'I'll never get a promotion; they'll choose someone slimmer than me.' 'There's no point me joining the race; my weight means that everyone else will be faster than me.')

I remember how I felt being overweight. I may have been unhappy and I may have felt powerless, but my weight meant that I could avoid taking responsibility for my life. My weight was something I could conveniently blame for just about everything. That kind of excuse can be hard to give up.

2 You Are Failing To Ensure That Your Emotional Needs Are Being Met

The triggers and behaviors that lead us to overeat are connected to our emotional needs too. Are you under stress? Do you feel lonely? In the absence of someone to hug you or solve your problem for you, do you reach for the chocolate/crisps/ice cream/extra portion? Many of us use food to create a feeling of immediate satisfaction and personal comfort.

By contrast, going on a weight loss diet won't meet those needs. Without an alternative source of immediate comfort, such as the warm company of friends, a physical relationship, the enjoyment of a sport, or shopping, we can abstain from comfort eating for only so long before, like a rubber band, we return sharply to our old eating habits so that our emotional needs can be met once again.

3 You Are Not Developing Sustainable Habits That Will Keep Weight Off After You've Lost It

The habits that keep us overeating can be deeply ingrained. We either choose diets that fit around our habits so that they never actually change, or we try to create new habits, but fail to meet our emotional needs (as above). Sustainable habits need to be practiced until they are automatic - programmed into your subconscious mind so that you do them literally without thinking. Your choices, of whether to reach for a glass of water, a book, a magazine, or to cuddle with a loved one or a pet, instead of snacking in front of the TV, need to be instant and automatic in order to change the moment of desire and 'see off' the food craving.

4 There Could Be An Hereditary Factor

It is thought that some people might have a genetic predisposition to obesity. If you feel this is true of you, it could be that you don't produce or respond to the relevant hormones in your body, so your hunger never feels satisfied. This doesn't mean that you can't lose weight, but it might mean you have to be clever about achieving your goal.

Three Rules To Help You Succeed In Changing Your Body Weight

1 Redefine your identity and the beliefs that will help you be who you want to be.

2 Find new empowering ways of meeting your emotional needs so you don't need to 'fill up with food'.

3 Take responsibility: learn to listen to your body and adopt the eating habits of healthy, happy people.

Following these guidelines will help you to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. You'll learn to eat what your body tells you it needs and to nourish yourself emotionally. You will find pleasure in moving your body and expanding your horizons.

You can take more exercise and take care of yourself by eating healthy foods. You can also do yourself a favor by ditching the guilt, shame, blame and other negative emotions that might block the part of your brain responsible for shutting off hunger. Work on your self-esteem and help your body chemistry to work for you by giving it the best possible chance of success. You have the power to make a choice to feel good about yourself and be kind to your body. That means keeping positive, patient and not giving up on yourself - ever.