Weight Loss

Why dieting fails: 6 reasons

80% of Germans try to lose weight by dieting. But there is often no long-term success. Why dieting fails – Thomas ellrott, head of the Institute of nutritional Psychology (IFE) at Gottingen University Medical Center, expert Dr. eat smarter, published his findings in the journal MMW – medical progress.

It’s really annoying – this “Yo Yo effect”. Countless people trying to lose a few kilograms have to know him. After a diet, the scale usually shows more weight than before trying to lose weight. There are many reasons why dieting fails. Dr. Thomas ellrott, an expert at eat smarter, addressed this issue in detail and identified various reasons for weight loss failure. “Diet as a separate weight management measure has been successful in very few cases,” ellrott said. “There are many obstacles to prevent this from happening.” However, if possible causes are known, existing treatment concepts can be optimized, ellrott is convinced

Reasons for diet failure: many measures are too complex to sustain in the long run
Ellrott has found that many diets are so complex from the beginning that they can only last for a short time, which is the main reason for diet failure. Once the kilogram melts, the diet will end immediately. A mistake. “Only long-term changes in eating habits and lifestyle, that is, beyond the weight loss stage, can achieve stable weight loss,” ellrott stressed.

Why dieting fails: goals are often unrealistic
Another reason dieting fails is that people who want to lose weight set unrealistic goals for themselves. With the goal of losing five kilograms of weight a week, failure is inevitable. “Because these goals are likely to be unattainable, the momentum will collapse,” ellrott said.

Why dieting fails: overeating when dieting is too strict
Anyone who sets too strict a ban on diet and has no room for nutrition is likely to overeat, indicating that people think it is a failure. Many people who want to lose weight will think, “I didn’t succeed again, it doesn’t matter now!”—— This is a false assumption, which is very counterproductive to diet. Therefore, ellrott emphasizes that the concept of diet with behavior scope is much more successful than strictly prohibited diet.

Reasons for diet failure: pay attention to personal needs when dieting
Diet for everyone – unfortunately, this creed is wrong, because not every weight loss method is equally suitable for everyone. Current dietary research shows that only a certain number of overweight people can succeed through a specific diet. Therefore, you must see separately which diet is suitable for individuals.

Why dieting fails: many foods are good for calorie intake
There are more than 200000 different foods on the market. Many of them like calorie intake. XXL portions of high-energy food will also lead to more calories consumed.

Why dieting fails: problematic eating behaviors caused by growth
Those who were rewarded with sweets in childhood and used food to eliminate boredom usually had disturbed eating behavior and sometimes felt depressed or stressed. Diet is difficult to prevent these scoring behaviors, which is another reason for diet failure.

“Not all causes of diet failure can be avoided,” ellrott said. “Therefore, neither genetic predisposition nor bad habits shown over decades can be traced back to change.” Increase the success rate of dieting. “The probability of sustainable success can be reduced, or at least increased, by using behavioral strategies to stabilize weight, combining diet with increased exercise and behavioral changes, choosing appropriate dietary strategies, communicating correctly with patients, integrating into the social environment, and adopting realistic goals and flexible control norms,” ellrott said.