Why diets offer false promises
There is an interesting phenomenon called the wellbeing gap. This describes the disconnect between knowing what we should do to lose weight or make healthier food and lifestyle choices, and the key factor: being able to make changes and then stick to them.
We are often fairly clear about what to do. We buy diet books and meal plans, join the gym or groups for accountability, download apps and trackers. We promise ourselves we will do it this time and start off full of enthusiasm and motivation.
But sadly, according to the State Of Behaviour Report commissioned by Noom in 2021:
More than half of Brits admit to starting a diet or fitness regime - fully expecting to fail.
As a result, those who tried to change their eating habits lasted an average of 11 days before giving it up - with nearly one in ten quitting within the first 48 hours.
One in six (16%) go “cold turkey” on their favourite foods, scrapping them completely when they make a bid for better health.
Others said being too stressed and not feeling supported were the top reasons for failing to see a diet through.
It’s really sad to see some of the main reasons people gave up:
I don’t know what I’m doing
Finding it hard to get going
The goals are too ambitious and difficult to stick at
I don’t have enough willpower
Finding it too tiring / don't have the energy
No pain no gain?
The main problem with conventional, restrictive diets is the reliance on willpower. We’ve usually got the mantra “no pain, no gain” in our head. So we try to push on, keep it going but it’s really difficult - because you are working against your body instead of with it!
Harsh and restrictive strategies, denial, calorie counting, meal replacement shakes can all leave you feeling hungry, demotivated, and actually obsessive about food, guilt and shame follow.
And healthy choices seem hard to incorporate into your already busy life; eating loses its joy and pleasure and it’s all such hard work. The statistics prove that restrictive diets feel like a punishment and extreme calorie restrictions are unsustainable as you end up truly hungry.
In short, these diets rarely lead to long term weight loss.
So, what’s the answer?
One suggestion is to harness psychology to help - and hack your brain!
What does that mean? Brain or mind-hacking just means trying to understand our thinking, emotions, and actions, then use that knowledge to make changes and do things in an easier, more effective way than before.
In the past few years, developments in behavioural science, psychology, and NLP have given us much better insights into why we behave the way we do, make the choices we make, and gives us strategies to control those thoughts and behaviours.
As a Health Coach I use many different tools and methods to help clients make consistent, positive, long-term change. Brain-hacking is one tool that taps into this exciting, new-frontier of neuroscience. Essentially that means using proven, science-based techniques to re-set and disrupt old patterns of behaviour and make it easier to adopt healthier habits, food, or lifestyle choices.
There are many ways to do this, and I am asked about this a lot!
One of my top tips is to ditch the all or nothing mindset. No matter how well you have been doing around making healthier choices, whether that’s food, drink, managing your stress, sleep or exercise - understanding this one can really help.
It’s the thought that“ I made a wrong choice, that’s it I’ve blown it.”
This thinking can really de-rail your progress no matter what your health goals are. Just because you ate a chocolate muffin shouldn’t mean giving up a healthier eating goal completely. If you missed the gym this week it doesn’t mean you can’t get going again. This is often our reaction to falling short of our good intentions.
Self-sabotage is an easy trap to fall into but there are ways to prevent this.
Now I’ve blown it. I’ll start again next week
It’s not great, but try accepting it, don’t beat yourself up anymore, don’t go backwards. Acknowledge you did it and move on. Try to think of one way you can move forward: can you go for a short walk, do five minutes of exercise, add another vegetable to your dinner, or swap the coke for water?
My proven techniques are much gentler that traditional dieting methods, with realistic targets. They are easier to follow and are - above all - practical for incorporating into your busy life.
No willpower needed!
If you’d like to benefit from a different approach, get in touch with me about health coaching. I look forward to hearing from you!
Suzi