5 Reasons People Rebound Back Up After Dieting
- Stop putting timelines on your goals - When people begin they attach too much emphasis on the timeline. 21 Days, 30 day reset, 6 week transformation… The moment they begin they’re telling themself, “just make it X number of weeks and then you can go back to eating normal again”.
If they make it the amount of time they commit to the moment it’s finished they go bananas with all the things they have restricted themselves from.
On the opposite end they say, “My diet begins Monday” and go crazy up to that point. You just dug yourself a deeper hole. Even if it was only for a weekend, eating and drinking everything in sight for 2-3 days can be thousands of calories which equates to several pounds.
Countless studies show a crash diet with no regard for long term adherence will result in weight gain afterwards. Many times being more than what was lost during the diet to begin with. We all know someone who is always on the new hot fad diet but somehow is perpetually getting larger each year.
If you don’t see yourself eating/ training that way for the next 5 years it’s not likely you will sustain any success you find.
- Accountability Buddy - Studies have proven that those who commit to someone else during a process of change are 65% more likely to reach the goal they set. And 95% more likely if they have regular check-ins with that person who they are committed to.
What this tells me is your need an accountability buddy or coach. We need someone to support us throughout the journey. Someone who understands our lifestyle, our needs, and goals. Pick someone you connect with, someone who understands your lifestyle, and where you’re trying to go. If you’re a working mom who has kids, the twenty something coach who is a bikini model may not be the right coach. She may be excellent with helping other people who are her age and have a similar lifestyle get show ready but not so much with the middle age person being generally more healthy.
Invest in someone who understands your situation to build realistic habits that fit your goals. You need support, direction, and succumb to the pressure accountability. It’s going to be hard at first but you do not need to do it forever. The right person may just need you to commit for 3-12 months. Less than 3 months isn’t likely to build habits that stick and longer than a year is probably unnecessary. Bigger goals will take more time of course.
- Tracking is important - It’s normal to track your steps, workout performance, weight, or body composition with photos during a diet but what are you doing outside the diet?
People are inherently terrible at understanding how much they’re eating or eating without actually measuring. I mean absolutely terrible. All of us.
People get on the scale for the first time in 3 months and think I weigh X pounds. They step on and see they’re actually 15-20lbs more than that. They find an old photo and think “OMG I looked great, what happened??”
What happened is all semblance of understanding what you were putting into your body or coming out, in the form of caloric burn, has gone out the window. It’s a very slippery slope. You don’t know what you don’t know.
Track you weight 2-3 times a month.
Average your daily steps.
Track how often are you making it to the gym. Averaging 4-5x/ week is much different than averaging 2-3x.
Which brings me to my next point….
- How much are you moving?
People don’t realize how little they exercise until they write it down. During you diet you made a point to go no less than 3x per week but now you’re going 3x at most. That will make a huge difference over the course of a few months or years for that matter.
Additionally, how much effort or time is given when you do make it there. Slowly the effort dwindles away and not only are you doing it less frequently but what you do has also dramatically changed.
Again it doesn’t need to be tracked daily but bi-weekly or monthly averages are great to understand where you’re at.
- Build habits - Anyone can use temporary motivation to be disciplined for 4-6 weeks but how do you stay on track for 6 months, or better yet 6 years. You need to create an environment that sets you up for success.
Create systems in your daily/ weekly routine that make little room for failure.
Keep a bottle of water with you at all times - drink 16-20oz first thing in the morning, again at each meal thereafter, and meanwhile you sip on it throughout the day.
Buy snacks that are pre packaged so you know how many portions you have had. Or better yet don’t buy them at all if you know you cannot control yourself.
Pickup a new hobby that involves you being active. Could be hiking, dancing, riding your bike, ext. Doesn’t have to be in a gym but choose something fun that doesn’t involve sitting on the couch or where there will be temptations for overeating or drinking alcohol.
Ok…. Now that you made it this far I hope you understand this isn’t just about planning what will get you to the goal but more importantly what will keep you there for years to come!
If you need a coach, you know where to find me!
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