10 Reasons Why Your Diet Isn't Working

If you are like most people you have started a diet for the summer.  Every year, people start and quit their diet before seeing their desired results.  This article is going to help you understand why your diet's not working and you're not losing fat.

As someone who has lost weight and gained weight consistently, through trial and error, and through reading different materials on diet and nutrition, I have been able to learn how to lose fat.  These are the 10 reasons why your diet isn't working.

1: You're diet has no structure

When you start a diet you need to have a plan.  Once you pick a plan, you need to make sure you are executing it to the best of your ability.  This means, if the diet says 6 oz of chicken breasts, that's what you need to eat not 10 oz.  You need to learn what proper portion control and food measurements are.  After that you need to understand calories.  If you're on a keto low carb diet, you need to stick to high protein and moderate fat.  If you're on low fat, high protein, moderate carb, you need to stick with that.  The whole point is to execute the diet.

You need to stick to it and see it through the end.  If you're diet's not working it's because you have no structure.

2: You're starving yourself

While it's true that you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose body fat.  That doesn't mean that you need to starve.  When you're in a deficit, I recommend keeping it at 300 calories under maintenance.  You might be wondering, well how do I do that?  Multiply bodyweight x 15.  After that you subtract 300.  That's a proven way to lose body fat.  I would recommend eating as much protein and good fats as possible.  Fats are great for hormone production.  They also promote satiety, which means you'll feel full while dieting.  Remember, this doesn't mean eat 1,000 calories per day.  Eating 1,000 calories means you will start to tap into to your hard earned muscle.  During a diet you want to keep every ounce of muscle on your body.  Or at least as much as possible.

3: You yo-yo diet


These people are the best.  That's sarcasm, they are the people that bulk one week, and cut the next.  When you start to diet you need to stick to it for 90 days.  I recommend dieting for a full 90 days.  That's the most effective way to go.  You can try longer if you have to, but you won't know if a diet is working or not if you don't stick to it.  Eating correctly for two weeks, won't change 10 years of bad eating.  This means you need to be consistent.  Stay on your diet, meaning in a calorie deficit, for a minimum of 90 days.  Program your cheat meals, and don't eat them when they're not on the schedule.

4:  You pick diets you can't stick to

When you start dieting you need to be 100% confident in the diet you picked.  You need to believe that you can stick to the diet.  If you believe it you will achieve it.  It's cliche, it's corny, and it's true.  When you believe you can stick to the diet you will.  Unfortunately, most people overestimate the amount of discipline and will power they have.  If you love eating red meat and eggs, why would you start eating tilapia and egg whites?  Sounds silly right?  Yet, I see way too many people doing this.  This is a foolish mistake.  Pick the diet you will stick to, that's the best one.

5: You're over training

Yes guys, contrary to popular belief, it's very possible to over train.  Most overly ambitious people will try to work out every single day when they are dieting.  This is simply unnecessary.  You need to use the minimum effective dose here.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that you need to work out as little as possible to create the desired result.  This means that you need to be efficient and train hard.  You won't have as much time for talking and shooting the shit with your buddies.  You need to be on a mission and get out of the gym in less than 1 hour.

If you keep your workouts shorter than 1 hour while you're dieting it'll be easier to not over train.  Also, your workouts are longer than 1 hour it can have a negative effect on testosterone production.

6: You're eating too much

Just like starving yourself, eating too much is also hurting you.  You need to change your mindset, food is not a reward, food is just fuel.  You need to feed the machine that is your body.  Don't feed that weak inner child inside.  That weak inner child is holding you back.  The simple way to know if you're eating too much is if you're feeling hungry.  If you don't feel hungry during a diet, you're eating too much.  That's a simple way to see if you're eating too much.  You should be losing 1-2 lbs per week.  Any more than that will mean you're losing water and muscle too.

7: You have no discipline


If you lack discipline and mental fortitude, you'll never be in shape.  That's a sad reality.  Luckily discipline can be developed.  It will suck and you will suffer but you will get the prize of a new attractive physique.  You need to remember that you won't be motivated every day.  Any one can do something when they feel like doing it.  You need to learn to diet whether you feel like it or not.  That's what discipline is.

8: You make excuses

When you start a diet, you can have results, or you can have excuses, but you can't have both.  You're going to have to suffer and just barrel through the diet.

9: You are too restrictive

If you stop eating certain foods that you like cold turkey, you will fail at dieting.  Now, this is within reason.  I assume you're not counting ice cream and cookies as foods you like.  I'm talking about, cutting out red meat when you love beef.  If you love beef, keep it in your diet.  Very simple and to the point.

10: You think it'll happen overnight

No diet will work over night, I would say that you need a minimum of 60 days to see real changes.  If you diet and train correctly, you will be able to see results in that time period.  That's how long it will take to make lasting changes.

Thank you for reading.

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