6 Reasons Your Weight Loss Attempts Aren’t Working

Fitness influencers would have you believe that losing weight is easy — a simple matter of calories in versus calories out. But in real life, you’ll find that it’s incredibly hard to lose pounds and keep them off. The truth is that the vast majority of people who lose weight don’t maintain it for longer than a year. For most people, the weight eventually comes back in a phenomenon known as “weight cycling.” And no, it has nothing to do with “falling off the wagon.”

Your weight doesn’t determine your health, so if you’re finding weight loss to be a frustrating and fruitless feat, you have our permission to give it up and focus on other aspects of your wellness instead. But if you’re committed to weight loss as a goal, there are some pitfalls that you can avoid to help improve your chances of success. Here’s what not to do.

Read more: Why You Should Ditch Your Diet, and What to Do Instead

A short-term attitude

Everything on this list is somewhat of a hard truth, but this is often the hardest to accept (and change). If you approach weight loss with a short-term attitude, you may not make it anywhere except on the yo-yo diet train. 

Without a long-term approach to weight loss, you may lose 10 or more pounds in two weeks and then suffer a rebound when you discover that regimen wasn’t working for you. This is all too common when people embark on strict diets such as keto or paleo, or fad diets that promise rapid weight loss. In reality, for most people, a well-balanced diet that includes all food groups and even some treats works best in the long run. 

Part of successful, sustainable weight loss — i.e. losing the weight and keeping it off for good — is understanding that fad diets, excessive exercise and “detoxes” don’t usually work. They only last as long as your willpower lasts, and I’m willing to bet that’s not more than two weeks to a couple of months. 

There are no quick fixes, miracle cures or magic pills when it comes to weight loss, despite what the wellness industry might have you believe: Losing weight requires dedication to a plan that supports long-term healthy…