Diets often don’t work, and not seeing results from your diet is incredibly common. It’s possible you’re making mistakes that you’re completely unaware of, you’re eating out too often, you’re forgetting to count your liquid calories, your portions are too big, or you’re eating right but not exercising enough.
Some people count calories haphazardly, where they don’t count things like condiments, sauces, and other ‘small things’ that actually add up a lot.
There are countless other reasons why you might not be seeing results from your diet. Below, we’ll go over some of the common reasons people are not seeing results from their diet, and what they could do to start seeing results faster:
1. You’re Not Cooking at Home or Meal-Prepping Enough
Many people who eat out at restaurants too often are not seeing results from their diet. It’s very common to believe that you’ve ordered something healthy at the restaurant, and it’s not healthy at all. Perhaps you’re unaware that the salad dressing in the salad you’ve ordered is loaded with sugar and calories. Or perhaps the seafood entree you’ve ordered has an entire stick of butter in the sauce. The problem is that unless you made it yourself, you just don’t know.
If you’re not seeing results from your diet, try cooking at home more often. This way, you know exactly how much oil you’ve used, how much butter you’ve used, and your control over the ingredients makes it easier to count calories.
You’ll see results from your diet even faster if you start to meal prep from home. You’ll be significantly less likely to cheat on your diet if you have meal prepped for the week, and you have healthy food in your fridge ready to eat.
2. Forgetting to Count Your Liquid Calories
Perhaps you’re forgetting to count your liquid calories by accident, or perhaps it’s simply inconvenient to moderate your alcohol intake. Unfortunately, you have to moderate your alcohol intake if you want to see results, and you also have to count other liquid calories such as pop and juice. That can of coca-cola and that glass of orange juice contain lots of sugars and calories, as does that glass of wine or those beers you’re drinking.
If you’re not seeing results from your diet even though you’re eating healthy, it’s probably because what you’re drinking is not healthy, and you’re drinking a ton of liquid calories. If you want to see results, start limiting and moderating your liquid calories. Switch to water, unsweetened iced tea, and other low-calorie beverages such as blueberry coconut milk smoothies.
3. You’re Not Counting Calories or Watching Your Portion Sizes
Perhaps you’re eating relatively healthy foods and you believe your diet is healthy, but you’re not seeing results because you’re not counting calories. It’s not that you’re just forgetting to count your liquid calories – you’re not counting calories at all.
If your portions are too big, and you’re not ensuring you’re in a caloric deficit, even if you’re eating healthy you could fail to see results from your diet because you do need to achieve that caloric deficit to see the results you’re likely expecting. Losing weight is all about calories in vs calories out, and if you eat healthy but you don’t measure portions or count calories, this could be why you’re not seeing results. Just because you’re eating healthy foods doesn’t mean you don’t need to count calories, especially if one of your goals is weight loss.
4. You’re Not Seeing Results Because You’re Making Mistakes and Doing the Diet Incorrectly
Certain diets are very easy to mess up if you do it incorrectly. For example, it’s very common to make mistakes on the Keto diet, and that’s why you won’t see results. Some people don’t realize how many carbs are in their sauces or condiments, for example. Other people on the Keto diet are so focused on counting their carbs, they completely forget to count their calories. Check out these common Keto diet mistakes.
It’s also very common to make mistakes on the intermittent fasting diet plan. You won’t see results, for example, if you accidentally break the fast by drinking a diet soda while you’re fasting. You could be making mistakes you’re unaware of, and not seeing results because of that. By educating yourself and reading up on the diet you’re trying to do, you could start to fix some of those mistakes. Read this article on the surprising ways you could be breaking your fast on the intermittent fasting diet.
5. You’re Mindlessly Eating or Late-Night Snacking
Unfortunately, it’s very common for people to eat healthy all day long, and suddenly start late-night snacking or mindlessly eating late at night. If you’re guilty of late-night snacking, you’re not alone. The key to combat this bad habit is to practice mindful eating. Don’t eat when you’re bored, in front of the TV. Or, at the very least, eat something like frozen berries which have barely any calories.
6. Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is Not Active Enough
It’s possible you’re not seeing results from your diet because you’re simply too inactive and too sedentary. When it comes to weight loss, your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) matters. If you have a sedentary job, you’ll have to get creative to get more activity into your day.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for a walk during your lunch break. Take a break to do a plank or some squats. Set challenges for yourself such as 100 squats per day and do 25 squats at a time, at different points in the day. Sign up for workout classes at your local gym. Try to exercise more often, because even though weight loss is mostly about diet, exercise is important to add to your routine.
7. You’re Not Following the Best Diet for You, Based on Your DNA
Based on your unique DNA, there might be certain types of diets that suit you best. Your genetics can make you more sensitive to carbs, or more sensitive to fats. Your genetics can make you have a much stronger sweet tooth, as well, which is why you might be better off not keeping any sweets in the house.
To find out your genetic appetite control, your genetic likelihood of having a sweet tooth, and to find out the best diet for you, based on your DNA, read your genetic diet and nutrition reports from CircleDNA.
