Why do diets fail?

When faced with a client desperate to lose weight, there is often evidence of several failed attempts at starting a diet only to fall at the first hurdle. I have also seen people who have yo-yo' dieted - losing weight rapidly and then putting it back on again plus extra pounds.

So, why do diets often fail? Common reasons are that people feel they have to change their eating habits drastically, are unable to build the new eating regime around their existing lifestyle, and often don't include any exercise in the whole mix of things. Another of the most frequent problems is that the goals people set themselves are so unrealistic that they give themselves virtually no chance of achieving them.

But, the main problem is that people are emotionally unprepared for a diet or a change to a healthy eating lifestyle. If you understand why a diet has not worked for you in the past, you will have a better chance of succeeding next time as you can avoid the pitfalls from before. It needs a new mindset, a new healthy attitude towards food and lifestyle, and the changes need to be small and achievable. You also need to consider what might cause you problems in the future with your new lifestyle, planning ahead for the changes and creating a proper structure for yourself.

You didn't put weight on in a few weeks, so it's not going to come off in a few weeks, so plan for the loss being a gradual process. I'm not a dietician, but I am sure they would talk about a balanced and nutritional approach to any diet or lifestyle change and exercise, no matter how minimal to start with, can make all the difference.

So, how does counselling help the dieting process? I will spend time with a client looking at their past lifestyle history, consider the benefits of losing weight (and these can be numerous), look at ways of setting realistic goals, sensible measuring of progress, and providing a support network, perhaps with other people on a regular basis. It is also important to look at the emotional side of things to see what might hinder the process, and what might benefit from a move in the right direction. So, together, we would build a plan in which the client has maximum input, one they feel comfortable with and one that can be returned to time and again, adjusting their path as they adapt to their new lifestyle.

In essence it is about knowing who you are as a person, learning about what you can achieve with the right mindset and then making the goals, small ones to start with, and then moving on from there. It can be done, it just requires a different approach, one which looks at you first and then the diet afterwards.

WORKSHOPS Two one-day workshops - A Healthy You and Overcoming Low Self-Esteem - are available through John Sayer. The maximum number of delegates is 10 but he will happily work with just four people. If you are interested email John at tangerinedream@tiscali.co.uk and please put 'workshop enquiry' in the subject box. The workshops are held in Hagley and cost £45 each.

NEXT WEEK: Employers and your emotional well-being.