Researchers have recently compared the results from several of the most popular weight loss programs and they discovered something interesting. The overall success rate is pretty much equivalent among all the weight loss plans studied! The researchers discovered something else that was interesting too. The most important determining factor in the success of a weight loss program for a given individual had almost nothing to do with the methods of the program. What determined success was how closely the person followed the program!

With this in mind, the following are what in my experience are the main 3 reasons why people fail to lose weight and/or fail to keep the weight off long term, and ways to overcome those reasons.

I believe the first problem that many people make is viewing weight loss as a short-term goal rather than a life-long change in eating and exercise habits. What happens is they get motivated to lose weight for one reason or another, they set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain period of time, they choose their weight loss approach, and they begin. Then they either lose motivation and quit pretty quickly, or they follow through and reach their goal (or at least get close). Many of those who do reach their goal weight soon discontinue the diet and/or exercise they were doing and begin to gain weight again. It is extremely important to begin with the concept that weight control is a life-long lifestyle choice, not a limited goal to be accomplished and then forgotten.

The second big reason why people fail to lose weight is that they don’t hold themselves accountable for what they are doing. In my experience, people trying to lose weight can often become self-delusional as to how well they are following their programs. In my practice, I often hear people say that they’ve followed the program I’ve recommended for them “to the letter”, but it isn’t working. When I review their food journals or ask them about what they’ve been eating, it quickly becomes apparent that they have most definitely not been following my recommendations.

For example, I usually recommend that people cut out bread and other refined carbohydrates altogether because insulin release in response to consuming carbs is the most powerful block to fat burning that there is. Yet, those people who complain that they are doing everything perfectly but it’s not working will almost always have things like sandwiches (on bread), toast, cereal, pasta, and even cookies and cake on their diet journals. When I confront them about it, they’ll usually say something about that just being a one-time exception – yet they have a “one-time” exception on every meal! While it can be difficult to stop self-delusional thinking, a diet journal is an excellent way to keep yourself honest. By writing down (or digitally recording it in some way) what you have to eat, when you eat it (don’t wait to write it down later when you may “forget” that brownie!), you have a record to review and help keep yourself honest. The process of writing down what you eat AND reviewing it each day (my patients who claim they have been perfect on the diet have usually not reviewed their diet journals on their own) will help you keep yourself honest, and hopefully the realization of how many times you are cheating will begin to prevent you from doing it.

Finally, probably the biggest reason people fail to lose weight and/or keep it off is that they simply haven’t found a good enough reason. I believe that part of the reason why there is such a tendency for weight loss to be approached as a short-term project rather than a long-term lifestyle change is that the reason people use to motivate themselves to lose weight is usually a temporary reason. A lot of people have motivation to lose weight that is tied to an event. For example, brides-to-be want to lose weight to look good in their wedding gowns. Some people want to lose weight before summer so they’ll look good in a swimsuit. Whatever it may be, the vast majority of the time, people want to lose weight by a set time, and whether or not they are successful, the motivation to control their weight vanishes when that predetermined time has passed.

The other part of people not having adequate motivation is that haven’t developed any intense emotion about weight loss goals. Consider the difference in motivation levels in someone casually stating “I’d like to lose 20 pounds” and someone who declares, “I am sick and tired of being a fat slob and I am going to lose this 20 pounds of flab no matter what!”.

If you can’t find some highly emotional motivating factor to lose weight, I recommend you forget about trying to lose weight until you do. People are often taken in by advertising hype for a weight loss product or program, but no matter how easy they seem from the advertising, you are wasting your time and money on it if you are not strongly motivated to lose the weight. The fact of the matter is almost all sensible weight loss programs work, but they all require effort on your part to make them work and you do need to be motivated to put forth the necessary effort.

Different things will motivate different people. Some may fear health problems if they don’t lose weight. Some are motivated to be more attractive to others. Whatever motivates you, the more emotion you can attach to your desire to lose weight, the better your chances of success.

To summarize, in order to maximize your chances of losing weight and keeping it off, you first need to begin viewing weight control as a change in lifestyle habits long-term, not as a short-term goal or event. Next, be honest with and accountable to yourself, to help you spot behaviors that need improvement and keep yourself on track with your weight loss plan. Finally, but mos importantly, you need emotionally-charged motivating factors to continually prod you to follow to your weight control program.

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