7 Things To Try If Commercial Diets Aren’t Helping You Lose Weight
Shifting your focus might just do the trick
Commercial diets can be helpful when wanting to lose weight. Particularly in the short-term which is exactly what most are designed for. Unfortunately, they often don’t help you keep the weight off.
There are several reasons why, but focusing on those is unproductive. I’m far more interested in the things that do work — and especially the things that work long-term.
So what are those?
Well, it turns out it might not be that different to what you may have already tried. A mere shift in your approach, your mindset, and your focus could be all that’s needed.
If you feel you have tried everything and are getting nowhere, here are 7 things to try that might just help you lose weight, keep it off in the long run, and feel better for it.
Try focusing on the uniqueness of you
Weight-loss is a personal journey. What works for someone else might not work for you and vice versa.
Unfortunately, commercial diets tend to ignore this and fail to recognise that we are all as unique as snow flakes. Sure, we have some basics in common. Certain things that we can all do to generally keep us healthy, such as eating lots of fruits, veggies, and fiber, sticking to minimally processed whole foods, and drinking less alcohol. But that’s pretty much where the similarities stop and even that’s not as clear cut as it might seem.
When it comes to our bodies anatomy and how we react to our environment and what we put in our bodies, we are as different from each other as night and day.
Moreover, our lifestyles, beliefs, mental states, and even the way we breathe are factors that influence one’s ability to lose weight.
It’s no wonder then that diets designed for the mass population and based on generic ideas that are supposed to help everyone, don’t actually work for most people.
What to do instead
- Take a break from traditional dieting, generic health advice, and social media influencers
- Tune in to your own body’s needs and learn to listen to it
- Experiment and figure out what works for you without being influenced by others who claim to have the right answer
Focus on inclusion, rather than exclusion
What’s your favorite food? Pizza, hotdogs, sushi, chocolate dessert?
Why would you ever stop eating your favorites, whether you think of them as healthy or unhealthy? I’m not advocating consuming junk and processed foods all day every day, but it is possible to be healthy without having to make huge sacrifices. And we all deserve to have both!
It’s called integration.
Many of us tend to adopt this “all-or-nothing” mindset giving ourselves a free pass to continue down the “wrong” path when we make one little “mistake”.
Or we force ourselves to eat 100% “clean” for a period until we have a craving so strong that we “give in” and then feel guilty and beat ourselves up for being “weak”.
This is not a healthy way to live, for neither body nor mind.
What to do instead
- Give yourself permission to eat the things you like
- Start adding more nutrient dense foods to your meals rather than take anything away
- Be open to trying new things
Try to focus on the process, rather than the end goal
We’re human and we all continue to change as we go through life. Having a specific goal in mind like a certain weight you want to be at, is unproductive because our internal and external environments change continuously and with it, our weight. Some things we just cannot completely control.
Being a certain weight usually isn’t the real goal anyway. There is usually a deeper emotional reason. E.g. wanting to have more confidence, feel better about ourselves, or just to feel more healthy.
And what happens when you get to the weight you want to be at? Do you then stop dieting and regain the weight as a result?
The subconscious mind does not speak in negative — it does not understand the words don’t
Whatever you focus on, grows. The problem is, although it seems we’re focusing on what we want, subconsciously the focus tend to be on what we don’t want — to be overweight. And if the focus is on being overweight, that’s what you’re going to be, however hard you’re trying not to be.
If you doubt this, ask yourself if you are at your ideal weight?
What to do instead
- Try to dig a bit deeper and figure out your underlying emotional reason for wanting to lose weight — and focus on that
- Build small daily healthy habits and practices that are easy to do
- Learn to enjoy the process of becoming healthy and living that lifestyle, make it fun
Try to focus on the quality of food, rather than the quantity
When we want to lose weight, we tend to focus on the quantity, i.e. calories in vs. calories out.
For our bodies and minds to work optimally, we need nutrients. Nutrients come in many forms and eating a variety of foods ensures that we get what we need.
Having said that, there are huge variations in the quality of the foods we have access to these days. If not careful, these variations can mean the difference between a healthy and unhealthy body and mind.
Often times, commercial diets “allow” any food so long as you don’t eat more than X amount of calories. Where they fall short, is by ignoring the long term impact on health of eating foods with little to no nutritional value.
What to do instead
- Stop counting calories
- Focus on improving the quality of the food you eat — make it more nutrient dense
- Understand the difference between whole foods and processed foods
Try to focus on the bigger picture, rather than only on one aspect of health
Diets usually focus only on nutrition. Yet, optimal health is much more than just the food we eat. Nutrition is a huge part for sure. But so is physical activity, rest & recovery, stress management (mindfulness), mindset, and more.
All of these factors combined can create a well-balanced healthy lifestyle that lasts throughout your life to old age.
I would argue that the most important step to get right is a shift in mindset. You can eat the healthiest foods and train all you want but if you still see yourself as overweight or ‘not enough’, then things will not change.
If you are able to change your mindset and let go of any negative thinking patterns, the rest usually follows without the slightest of effort.
What to do instead
- Let go of negative self talk
- Learn to accept yourself as you are now — try positive affirmations
- Start to point out the things you like about yourself and focus on them
Try focusing on changing the inside, rather than the outside
What is your reason for wanting to go on a diet? What is your reason for wanting to lose weight? What is your reason for wanting to look and feel better?
In all the cases I have experienced with weight loss, it always comes down to low self-esteem. No commercial diet accounts for this!
Diets don’t consider the emotional state of the person. No thought has been spared to what might be going on inside. To what people are feeling and thinking about themselves. An incredibly important factor.
What to do instead
- Try to let go of the need to “look good” to be happy
- Slow down and tune in to your thoughts and what’s playing on your mind
- Try meditation
Focus on long-term gains over short-term rewards
We are biologically wired for instant gratification. This is partly why it’s so hard for us to keep the weight off when we do finally achieve our weight loss goals.
But when we’re constantly bombarded with unhealthy food choices it makes life very difficult for us.
If we can learn to ignore these compelling and irresistible advertisements and stop giving in to our cravings, we have so much to gain.
What to do instead
- Make it a game with no ending — play the infinite game
- Create a vision of your healthy lifestyle and keep that in mind when you’re faced with difficult choices
- Avoid situations where you know you will struggle to say no
Commercial diets may be a good starting point for your weight loss journey. Unfortunately, for many it means the beginning of a lifelong struggle with yoyo dieting — losing weight followed by gaining the same or more, only to go on another diet.
I am not claiming that commercial diets are all bad, though it’s true I’m not a fan. They have their place in life like everything else, and they have been helpful to many.
But if you’re more interested in creating long-term health and a sustainable lifestyle, then perhaps it’s time to reconsider using commercial diets? The choice is yours.
