A diet can fail you for many reasons. If we were in a room full of people right now, I’m sure everyone could raise their hand and tell us about a time they were disappointed by a diet. So what do you do when your diet fails you?

Most people’s first thought is to try a different diet. But that’s not the answer.

Before we can get into what to do after a diet has failed you, let’s first talk about the reasons it failed in the first place.

Reasons diets fail

In my experience both personally, and working with countless women, diets fail us for one (or more) of the following reasons.

Five reasons diets fail

The diet ends

Diets are designed to fail because every one of them has an expiration date. Once you reach the end of the diet you’re left without a plan.

The diet is too restrictive

When we tell ourselves we can’t have something we end up wanting it even more. There’s a clear reason for this seemingly uncontrolled desire for the food you can’t have. According to anthropologist Helen Fisher, levels of dopamine – the pleasure chemical in the brain – increases when we can’t have something.

The diet didn’t give you the results you hoped for

We’ve all been there: you start a diet with the grandest hopes assuring yourself this diet will be the magic bullet. But at the end of the diet, you’re just more frustrated than when you began. You don’t want to see another prepackaged meal or eat any more chicken and broccoli (or whatever guidelines the diet demanded you adhere to). You didn’t get the body you wanted and you can’t bear the thought of continuing with the diet.

You have unrealistic expectations about the diet

Back in my dieting days, I remember falling victim to this. I wanted to drop X number of pounds by the end and I was going to look great, feel great, and be ready to take on the world. Instead, I rarely hit the target weight loss and when I did, it left me feeling crappy, craving real food, and nowhere near ready to take on the world.

You didn’t follow the diet plan

The problem with all the previous reasons is that they make it very difficult to follow the plan. And in the end, whether it’s one day, one week, or one month, you stop following the plan…

But friend, don’t worry. It’s not just you. Diest suck. So I want to show you what to do when your diet fails you.

What to do when your diet fails you

Now that we understand why the diet failed, let’s find a better solution – not a better diet, but a healthier way to reach your weight loss goal.

First off, you need to change your mindset. I get it – you want to lose weight. Maybe you want to look great for your next beach vacation or maybe it’s that little red dress hanging in your closet that you’ll be wearing at an upcoming event. You want to be the envy of the room when you put it on!

Whatever the reason you have for losing weight I want you to change your priorities. Your first priority should be your health. And yes, losing a few pounds can impact that.

But too often we try to lose weight at the cost of our health rather than the improvement of our health. What do I mean?

Crash diets might be a good way to lose weight. But where is that weight coming from? Usually, it’s mostly water weight and lean body tissue (i.e. bone and muscle tissue). This type of weight loss is neither healthy nor sustainable.

A three-month study of CrossFit athletes following a ketogenic diet revealed that their calf muscles were actually shrinking due to the nutritional deficiencies created by the diet. They were losing weight, but it wasn’t the right kind of weight. Their body was losing lean muscle and bone tissue.

So, instead of making weight loss your number one priority, change your mentality. Place your health at the top of your priorities. Then you can find safe, long-term methods to shed unwanted fat and provide a healthier plan for yourself.

Things to consider when trying to lose weight

There are 6 things I want you to consider while trying to lose weight.

Stress levels

Take a look at your life and see how much stress you’re experiencing. Stress does crazy things to your body. It will not only impair your weight loss goals but also cause you to gain weight. Identify stressful areas and see what you can do to either eliminate or lower the amount of stress. Maybe you need to start going for walks, having some time to yourself, or begin a meditation practice.

Water intake

Too few of us get enough water each day. Your body is made of at least 60% water. Literally every cell in your body needs water to function. If you want to know how much water you should be drinking each day check out my daily water calculator.

Sleep

Your body needs sleep. Five hours is not enough. A lack of sleep will cause you to crave more junk food and also increase stress levels. Be sure to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night. If that doesn’t seem possible, then you need to check out the following consideration: your habits.

Habits

Our habits can affect every area of our life. If you tend to stay out all night it will affect your sleep. If you tend to stay up late binging Netflix this too will affect your sleep. And a lack of sleep will make it much more difficult to find the motivation to exercise and be active.

Exercise

I truly believe that 90% of the weight-loss equation is in the kitchen with how and what you eat. But exercise does play a part. Plus, when we workout we tend to feel better about ourselves and desire to eat healthier.

Nutrition

And of course, nutrition. Avoid snacking late at night and try to eliminate as much processed food from your diet as possible. Instead, focus on consuming more whole planted based nutrition. That includes consuming a healthy amount of fiber each day.

Bonus tip: Community

Everyone loves a good bonus. So, I want to give you a little bonus tip. If you want to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, then you need to surround yourself with others who have the same goals and will support you in your mission.

I want to invite you to join the free Life Well Lived Community. It’s a group of like-minded women helping you stay committed to your goals and providing support and accountability along the way.

Living a healthy, sustainable life can be difficult alone (trust me…I lean on my support group often). And that’s why I invite you to join me in this community. Click here to join.

Join the Community

Conclusion

The 6 things I previously listed to help you lose weight are not a complete list. But you should consider each of these things – your stress levels, water intake, sleep, habits, exercise, nutrition – when your diet fails you and you’re trying to lose weight. But remember, your first goal should be to live a healthier life, not simply to lose weight.

But what about you: how have you overcome a failed diet? Tell me in the comments below.

What to do When Your Diet Fails You