Why Diets Don’t Work And What You Can Do

When you hear the word diet, what do you think? The first thing I think is temporary. Doesn’t it make sense that any habit that you introduce into your life temporarily offers only temporary results? This is one of the reasons why diets don’t work! If you cut out carbs for a month and go back to eating carbs the following month, you just gain the weight back, and sometimes, more often than not, gain more back.

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Diets usually involve cutting too many calories or cutting a food group, or even worse, trying a magical pill (or shot) with a host of potential side effects. Logically, this doesn’t even make sense. When someone tells you you can’t have something or you can’t do something, what’s your first reaction? Isn’t it…I want! I want! I want! This is the second reason diets don’t work. They are (more often than not) centered on a restrictive mindset.

So you want to feel healthier, have more energy, and maybe lose weight? Change your mindset to one of abundance. Instead of thinking about what you shouldn’t do or what you can’t have, think about what you should do and what you can have.

What can you do to get results?

• Clean out your kitchen and eliminate all the highly processed foods that have accumulated in your cabinets. Trust me, some of that processed food is stealth, so keep a lookout! Don’t forget about the secret hiding spots…you know you have at least one. Seriously, let’s be honest.
• If you do want to keep or buy processed foods, pick a few of your favorites. Try picking your top 3-5 (preferably fewer) processed foods and enjoy those as a special treat now and then.
• Read the ingredients in any processed food you’re even thinking about buying. You’ll be surprised by the amount of chemicals and additives that companies sneak into all of that so-called “food”.
• Stock your kitchen with whole foods.
• Meal prep! When you have healthy meals prepped and ready to go, hunger strikes, and you’re prepared with a healthy choice. (This Cowboy Caviar is an easy meal prep option!) Alternatively, you can meal prep ingredients like potato home fries, sweet potatoes, black beans, and homemade pico. Then, when you’re ready for a meal, you can just combine and enjoy!

• Exercise and exercise some more. Try integrating fitness into your day. By doing this, your life naturally becomes more active.

  • Park further away when you go places so that you have a longer walk, because every step makes a difference.
  • Do something active for 5 minutes before taking a shower. This could be taking the garbage out or doing a household task you’ve been putting off. Alternatively, you can roll out your yoga mat and do 20 jumping jacks, 20 crunches, and a 1-minute plank before you hop in the shower.
  • When you’re standing in front of the stove cooking, do calf raises, when you’re washing dishes, do a squat between cleaning each dish or pan. (Also, washing dishes is an excellent time to practice standing on one leg to keep your balance on point!
  • Go on a walk after dinner with your roomie, spouse, neighbor, or even just yourself. Again, every step, every movement makes your life more active.

Dietary Recommendations

(I personally live by and recommend a whole foods plant-based diet, so my list below is based on that.) However, if you are not ready or want to adopt a vegan diet yourself, that is entirely your choice. I do highly encourage everyone to lean into it, though, meaning consume a little less meat and dairy and eat more plants! Even a little change can make a difference! Try starting dinner with a serving or two of vegetables before you dig into your choice of meat for the evening. You’ll probably eat a little less meat than originally planned, and you’ll eat more vegetables! In my book, that’s a win-win!)

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Beans + Legumes
• Whole Grains

The great thing about eating a plant-based vegan diet with little to no processed foods is that the old mindset of calorie restriction is no longer worth a second of thought. When you are eating a whole foods plant-based diet, you can just eat more. Eat more vegetables, eat more fruits, eat more whole foods! So when you’re hungry, eat!

So the next time you’re thinking about trying a new diet, don’t. Why not? Because diets are wack! The next time you’re flirting with the idea of a new diet, think about what changes you can make to your lifestyle instead.