Seven reasons your diet is failing and how to fix it!

Is your current routine holding you back from reaching your fitness and health goals? Here are seven possible reasons why your diet is failing. (And how to fix it!)

1. You Are Stressed

Did you know that stress can lead to an increase in cortisol which can lead to holding weight in your abdominal area? If you eat well and exercise but are still carrying weight in your midsection, stress may be the culprit sabotaging your diet.

Try to drink an adaptogen tea to release stress such as Tulsi tea.
Avoid overdoing high-intensity workouts, especially first thing in the morning. Add to your routine a hot yoga class and take long walks.
Monitor your caffeine intake.
Practice meditation or mindful breathing each day. Try the headspace app!

2. You Fail to Plan and Prep

Planning and preparing are keys to diet success. Failing to do so can set you up to make bad decisions later.

Calculate your daily calorie needs and the deficit you want to hit. Use this calorie calculator.
Set up a fitness tracking app so you can hold yourself accountable. Try My Fitness Pal!
Decide what you need to eat ahead of time, enjoy every bite, and watch the results happen.
Do a meal prep for the meals you struggle with or you find you over-indulge. I do two to three days of lunches in advance so my food can stay fresh. Also, I focus on lunches only because I struggle with it the most.
For other meals, I have a magnetic notepad on my refrigerator where I have written down what I’m making for breakfast and dinner that day and I stick to it!

3. You Are Not Exercising

You can’t exercise through a bad diet. But exercising does something amazing for the body and brain that can help you get results.

the release of endorphins
the extra calories burned
the metabolism boosting benefits
also the gain of muscle and loss of fat!

Exercising too much or too intensely can increase stress and produce opposite results, so be mindful of how much you are doing and how it makes you feel. If you are feeling heavily fatigued and stressed during moments you normally wouldn’t, then these may be signs of overtraining.

4. You Are Not Eating Organic

Eating organic means that you are consuming produce and other foods that haven’t been altered with pesticides, preservatives, and other chemicals. These substances are far from natural and in fact can be very harmful to eat. Eating organic food has even been linked to a lower body mass index. Here is how and why some of the pesticides and chemicals may be affecting your health and waistline.

BPA, a plastic chemical, interferes with the hormone that tells us when we are full.
Pesticides are being called obsegins due to their reaction in our body mimicking an estrogen hormone. This may be lowering our ability to build lean muscle and promote fat storage.
Artificial hormones are given to dairy cows and animals in meat factories to gain weight. Therefore, if you consume these animals, you are consuming the weight-gaining hormones that these animals consume. The best way to avoid this is by not consuming animals or monitoring where your meat is coming from and how the animals are treated.

5. You Are Lacking Consistency

It can be a struggle to adapt to new habits day after day. Every day, have your goal in mind and eat accordingly.

3500 calories equal a pound of weight loss. So if you decide to overindulge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Sunday, you will undo the deficit you worked hard to create during the week.
Have a fun meal every once in a while, but I do not recommend an entire day of indulging. I am not saying to give up on fun meals with friends or special occasions. I agree food and drink is a big part of enjoying life! But some limitations will help you reach your goal.
I believe it’s true that the body resembles your lifestyle and diet.

6. You Are Overdoing Fat Intake

It’s all the craze right now to eat loads of fat—even healthy fats. Most people misunderstand the green light on healthy fats. Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean you can eat as much of it as you want and stay thin and fit.

There are 9 calories for every gram of fat—good or bad. There are 4 calories of carbohydrates and protein—good or bad.
To put this in perspective of how easily you can undo your day’s worth of calories, take a look at this: 30 grams of fat equals 270 calories vs 60 grams of protein 240 calories. You can consume double the amount of protein with fewer calories!
Eat your healthy fats, just monitor your portion size!

7. You Are Choosing the Wrong Diet

Quit the fad dieting! Even when enticing headlines of losing 25 pounds in a month cross your path, laugh it off and know that A) it’s unlikely and B) it’s not healthy!

Eat a balanced diet while monitoring your total daily calorie needs and your macronutrients.
Don’t overdo protein, sneaky fat calories, and added sugars.
Monitor this only as long as you need too. Once you have set yourself up with healthy habits and you know what is right for you, you can stop monitoring so closely.
Eat more whole foods and less processed.
Head to your local farmers market every week and get fresh, affordable produce that you can turn into meals or snacks.
Get rid of guilt. When you decide to have your fun meal or that extra glass of wine, don’t feel bad about it. Move on with your routine, with your next meal, and your next workout and stay consistent.

Remember: more good days than bad and more good meals than bad. Your body will start to resemble your lifestyle if you do things right, regularly, consistently, and positively!

It takes a little will-power and if you struggle on your own, ask for support from a friend, family member, trainer, or coach. Don’t be afraid to ask for a teammate and who knows… maybe this is the 8th Reason Why Your Diet is Failing: how to fix it is just a phone call away!