How to Stop Setting Yourself Up for Weight Loss Failure

Weight loss failure can be a much bigger problem than it seems. There is, of course, the obvious issue associated with it. After all, it means that you didn’t reach your goal. However, it can go much deeper than that.

The Deeper Pain of Weight Loss Failure

When you suffer a weight loss failure – especially if it was a genuine let-down – it can be damaging to your motivation. Motivation is the key to any successful weight loss strategy. When it’s harmed, it can lead to further setbacks. In fact, it causes some people to give up entirely.

After all, this type of setback can hurt. Trying to lose weight isn’t easy. It involves a considerable amount of learning and changing your habits. If you’ve ever tried to build one habit or break another one, you know it’s not as simple as it sounds. When attempting to drop the pounds, you are attempting to build several new habits and break several others.

After all that, weight loss failure can make it feel like it’s not worth it. All that time and effort seems to have gone to waste. It can make it hard to pick yourself up and try again.

Getting Past Weight Loss Failure

The best way to rise above your weight loss failure is to learn from it. Discover what sent you along the wrong path and then make the necessary changes to stop that hurdle from getting in your way.

Here are some of the most common ways your strategy can become derailed, causing you to face weight loss failure:

• Stop Setting Unrealistic goals – It’s true that you shouldn’t set your goals too low. If it’s too easy to achieve your goals or if you give yourself too much time, you’ll lose interest and motivation. Equally damaging is if you’re unrealistic about what you can achieve. Most doctors recommend trying for 1 to 2 pounds per week, depending on your starting weight, health and other factors.

• Emotional eating – Do you eat when you’re stressed, sad, or even bored. Do you find yourself responding to hunger even though you know you’ve had enough food to eat? Do you eat to feel better? Is it an activity you enjoy just because it’s there? Find alternative habits to self-soothe when you’re upset and to entertain you when you’re bored. It will save you hundreds of calories at a time!

• Beating yourself up – Telling yourself you need to lose weight because you’re fat or ugly can be detrimental to your success. Feeling guilty every time you make a mistake is more likely to lead you to weight loss failure. Treat yourself with respect. Have a positive attitude. Know that you’re beautiful. Give yourself a break.