Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight?

If you are serious about losing weight, then you should be aware of the reasons why is it so hard to lose weight. The reality of modern life is that it is impossible to eat away all your troubles; therefore, if you have made the commitment to change, you need to take action and work towards your weight loss goals. Losing weight does not happen overnight, as much of the effort is psychological. Unfortunately, if you are making excuses and denying the fact that you need help, then it will be much harder for you than someone who accepts the facts.

The all-or-nothing mindset One of the reasons why it is so hard to lose weight is that people with a short-term mindset believe that all they need to do to lose weight is to simply make a few changes to their lifestyle. Therefore, when they see that their efforts are not being successful, they look for quick fixes and do not look at the bigger picture. All weight loss, even the 3 pounds lost within the last week, would be so hard without a solid long-lasting mindset. Without a long term plan, you could easily lose 10 or more pounds within just two weeks and suffer a relapse when you find out that lifestyle was not working for you.

Lack of motivation Another reason why it is so hard to lose weight is that most people with a short-term mindset believe that life is easy, so when they start to see results, they immediately lose interest and pursue short-term goals. This usually happens when they realize that all they need to do is not diet and exercise and that they can live without eating healthy food or following a workout routine. Short-term thinking like this is the very foundation for binge eating, where you eat whenever you feel like it, regardless of how much you actually need to suppress your appetite. Once you give up this all-or-nothing thinking, you will be ready to lose weight and keep it off. You will have gained the motivation you need to get to your ideal weight.

Lack of support Those who have a short-term mindset also lack the motivation to continue on with their weight loss after it has started. Once they experience success after putting in a lot of hard work, their support base becomes minimal. They start to see themselves as failures and tend to pick on themselves for being less than effective. Once they give up on all-or-nothing thinking and pick an easier goal, they put their support behind that idea and become frustrated when they do not see immediate results. When this happens, they lose the motivation they need to continue with their weight loss plan.

Bad diet choices Those with a short term mind set have often made bad diet choices that contribute to their frustration. Some of these poor choices include skipping breakfast, going with cravings rather than what you really need, and eating more than necessary. Eating breakfast helps you feel satiated until lunch time, which helps you cut back on snacking. Cravings lead to eating things you don't need to fuel your body and can lead to compulsive eating that leads to binge eating. When you give up on all-or-nothing thinking, you make the wrong choices when it comes to your weight loss.

Poor lifestyle choices Those with a short-term mindset also make bad lifestyle choices that contribute to their frustration. For example, if they are constantly feeling hungry, they will likely to snack between meals. This contributes to gaining even more weight and can sabotage any weight loss efforts. Not only does a short-term all-or-nothing mindset lead to frustration, but it can be life-threatening!

The all-or-nothing mindset It's easy to slip into an all-or-nothing mindset when you are frustrated. For example, I have seen people waste weeks and months (sometimes years!) trying diets and exercise programs that don't work. At the end of those programs, they have literally gained back most of the weight they lost. The sad part is, they probably would have lost it without the all-or-nothing mindset! The same holds true for those who are working to lose weight.

How do we get out of a bad all-or-nothing mindset? Simple... take some time out and recharge. Take a few minutes to reflect on why you are making bad choices and how you can improve upon those choices. By taking a break from our goals, we can focus on how to reach them more easily and efficiently, which makes achieving weight loss easier and more effective.