If you feel as though you can’t stick to your diet at all then you will know how frustrating this can be. You may feel like you are investing a lot of time and effort into your fitness routine but not seeing results, which can leave you feeling demotivated and worn out. If you want to do something about this then this guide will help you to uncover the reason why your diet is not working for you.
Is Your Willpower Tank Low?
You should think of your willpower as being like a tank of gas. If you make a lot of decisions then this will drain your willpower, as will getting your kids to sit down and do their homework or chores. If you can, you need to prepare for any eating decisions you may have to make, ahead of time. This could involve you preparing a healthy meal in advance if you know that the kids have soccer practice that day, or making sure that you have something you are genuinely excited to eat. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is possible for you to get the result you want out of your fitness routine. Don’t feel as though you have time to prepare meals? Then using your slow cooker is the best way to counter this. Check out this slow cooker barbacoa recipe if you want a good starting point.
Are you Binge Eating?
Did you know that your willpower will lower if you let yourself get too hungry? If you want to work around this then you need to pick a time when you know you are due to eat every day. If you have a somewhat irregular schedule then make sure that you do this the night before. Ensure that your meal times are never more than four hours apart and focus on eating at these times too. If you can make good food choices then this will help you to make better decisions in the long-run. If you are stuck in a cycle of binge eating and then restricting yourself then don’t try and limit yourself to compensate. Instead, try and get back to normal so you’re not always playing catch-up.
Do you Have Too Many Forbidden Foods?
There are two major ways that you can ruin your diet for yourself. You have physiological restrictions, where you limit the number of calories that you have, and you have psychological restrictions, which is where you forbid yourself from eating certain foods. One example of this would be for you to imagine that you are only allowed to eat foods that are orange. Eventually, you may find that you begin to crave foods that are not orange in nature. If you want to avoid this then you need to try and eat what you want, but in moderation. Don’t stop yourself from eating chocolate, just make sure that you are not snacking on it all night. If you can do this then you will soon find that you can boost your mental health while getting the results you want out of your diet.
Are You Practicing Alternative Coping?
After you have overeaten, you have to understand the situational aspect of why you overate. Did you overeat because you chose to order a meal that is very high in calories at your local restaurant? Or did you do it because you ate right out of a family-sized bag of crisps? If possible, you need to try and use strategies to help you here. It may be that you try and leave food on your plate when you do eat or that you look at the restaurant menu in advance so you do not get overwhelmed with the amount of options that are available when you do arrive.
Are you Being Too Harsh on Yourself?
If you can, you have to try and limit the amount of harm that you do when you see yourself breaking rules. Be kind to yourself and make the effort not to criticize yourself too much if you happen to make a mistake. Talk to yourself in a way that is both calm and understanding if you can, as this is the best way for you to make sure that you are not pushing yourself beyond your limits. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but it is how you recover from them that makes you who you are. if you are struggling then don’t be afraid to hire a personal trainer to help you with your diet routine.
