Many people spend their entire lives trying to lose weight, and the quest to find the perfect diet has taken a significant amount of their time and effort and yielded underwhelming results if any at all.
There have always been numerous diet choices available for people to try, but over 95% of these diets fail. A review of almost 30 studies that looked at long-term weight loss revealed that most individuals gained about 50% of the weight they lost back by the two-year mark, and the situation continued to escalate. By the time they reached the five-year mark, most had gained 80% of their lost weight back.
Today we are going to shed some light on why most diets fail and provide some solutions that can make a significant difference during a weight loss journey. If you are among the individuals who desire to lose weight but have become frustrated with yo-yo dieting, don’t give up! Keep reading! This article will explain the pitfalls of dieting and provide you with some strategies and options that can help you reach your goals!
Why Do Most Diets Fail?
As you are most likely aware, the incidence of overweight and obesity in the U.S. has skyrocketed to almost triple in the past few decades, however, an interesting fact that may surprise you is that the number of individuals “dieting” at any given time has also tripled. Crazy right? More people are attempting diets year after year, but the obesity epidemic continues to get worse. How does that even make sense?
Researchers at UCLA came to the conclusion that there was no conclusive evidence to support that any of these so-called “diets” would result in long-term weight loss or lasting health improvements. There are several reasons that “organized” diets often fail, including:
They Are Impossible To Sustain
Most diets, even the ones that have been around forever, have so many restrictions that they are impossible to follow for any length of time. They often also border on dangerous as they exclude food groups that are important for your health. Counting calories and totally denying yourself access to certain foods may result in some initial weight loss, but sadly, this approach normally leads to food cravings, eating binges, weight gain, and frustration.
They Take A One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Most diets do not take into account that everyone is different and that no one’s body and metabolism are going to respond in the same way to weight loss initiatives. Your genetic make-up, nutritional needs, hormone levels, and any underlying conditions that you may be dealing with will influence your ability to lose weight and keep it off. For a weight loss plan to be successful, it needs to take all these elements into consideration while being tailored to meet your needs and circumstances.
Viewed As Just Temporary
When most people decide to go on a diet, they usually choose a specified length of time that they will follow it. This temporary “quick fix” mindset does not do us any favors because we may be able to drop a few pounds but will quickly gain it back again. Unless we modify our behavior and implement healthier habits that we sustain for a lifetime, we will continue to struggle with keeping a stable weight.
They Do Not Address The Power Of Our Brain
The brain and our stomachs have a love-hate relationship, which can wreak havoc on a weight loss journey. Most people understand that it takes your stomach about twenty minutes to get the signal from the brain that you are full, which, for many, happens past the point of being uncomfortably full. Overeating leads to excess weight, so this disconnect is a problem for many.
Another thing our brain does is make determinations based on what our eyes see or our ears hear, and then it influences our behavior. One interesting study divided the participants in half, giving one group-specific restrictions on foods they were not allowed to eat, such as chocolate, cookies, etc., while no restrictions were given to the other group. Guess what happened? The group with the restrictions ate more than 130% of these off-limits foods, while there was no increase in the group where the restriction was not mentioned.
One strategy that weight loss experts give their patients is to use a smaller plate when eating a meal to help them curtail the amount they eat. This is done to outsmart the brain, because if the eyes see a big plate with a small amount of food, then the brain sends a message to the stomach, telling it that there is no way it is going to be okay with the small amount of food that is coming. When a smaller plate is used, it visually appears to hold more food, and the brain does not send a message to the stomach that will encourage overeating.
They Offer No Strategies for Emotional Or Stress Eating
Many people eat for the wrong reasons. They are not eating because they are hungry but rather because they are upset, sad, or under a great deal of stress. Sadly, most of us are never taught effective strategies for dealing with our big emotions or the increasing levels of stress we encounter as we get older. Some individuals turn to food to make them feel better, but this solution usually backfires and leaves them feeling sluggish, defeated, and depressed. Most diet plans do not offer strategies or support that help circumvent these behaviors.
They Underestimate The Power Of The Metabolism
Most diets include a significant decrease in calories, which causes a negative reaction in our bodies. First, your brain sends out signals to the body to release ghrelin into your system, which is a hormone that creates powerful cravings for food, your stomach tells you that you are about to die from starvation, and the built-in preservation system in your body slows everything down to delay your imminent death from starvation for as long as possible. These are all normal functions that come pre-programmed in our bodies to keep us alive, but quickly become our adversaries when it comes to allowing us to lose weight. Most diets fail because they all trigger these responses, slowing down our metabolism and making it almost impossible to create a calorie deficit in the long term.
If Almost 95% Of Diets Fail, What Can I Do To Reach My Goals For Losing Weight?
The course of action to take will look a bit different for each person, but the first step is the same. Instead of looking for a miracle diet to save the day, find a doctor who is an expert in the nuances of obesity and the complications that come with it.
Doctors like Stephen Batash with Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center work with a team of other experts, such as registered dieticians, exercise coaches, behavioral specialists, and more, to create an individualized plan. Tailoring a weight loss plan with your specific circumstances, underlying conditions, and goals in mind can break through the barriers that have held back your progress in the past and fire up your motivation to continue to move forward.
This Is The Key To Losing Weight Successfully!
Having a 6-month weight loss plan can help you lose weight and form lifelong habits to sustain that weight loss after reaching your ideal weight.
Sustainable weight loss is not something that can be accomplished using a temporary diet, and there are no quick fixes. Most diets fail because people unknowingly believe that they can quickly lose weight by changing their behavior for a few weeks, but then they quickly revert back to their normal routine and reverse any progress they made. Maintaining a weight that is healthy requires changes that last a lifetime; however, these changes must be strategic and personalized to your unique metabolism and circumstances.
Why Should I Partner With Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center?
Partnering with a weight loss center that Is known for providing an exceptionally high standard of support and phenomenal patient results is always a good choice. Dr. Batash and his team can offer you a variety of non-surgical tools and strategies that can make the hard work you put in pay off in numerous ways.
Endoscopic procedures that assist with weight loss, like gastric balloons or Suture Sculpt endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, are tools that do not require surgery but can make your stomach smaller and slow down the digestion process to help you eat less and stay full. Special prescription injections can suppress your appetite, shut down cravings, and boost your metabolism to help you lose weight faster and easier.
These tools can help you lose weight more efficiently and reduce some of the challenges that hinder weight loss, such as:
- Constant hunger;
- Cravings for food;
- Fatigue;
- Underlying issues (hormonal, medical, emotional).
Having an extensive support system to help guide you through the weight loss process while providing solutions that are science-based and that really work can eliminate your frustration and feed your drive to succeed. Don’t waste your time on diets that fail 95% of the time! Team up with the experts at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center, and we will help you reach your goals for weight loss and your health!
