Why is it so Easy to Become Demoralised on a Diet?

It is very easy to become demoralised when you're on a diet, because humans are designed to want to eat food. Food provides you with nourishment and energy; it also makes you feel good. When you go on a diet, you're usually left feeling hungry and lethargic, and you can't stop craving all those foods you shouldn't be eating. What makes the situation worse is that when you step on the scales, you have never lost as much as you wanted to. Even if you manage to lose two pounds; in your head you should have lost more, despite the fact that experts recommend that a loss of one to two pounds is healthy and sustainable.

However, that one or two pounds of weight loss doesn't make up for the fact that your social life ends up on the back burner. You may want to go out with friends, but you know that going out for a meal at a restaurant or going clubbing and getting drunk will interfere with your weight loss. Sometimes, you tell yourself you don't care and you go out regardless. You have a good time, eating and drinking what you want, though you try to make the most sensible choices you can. You usually feel bad afterwards, though, especially if on weighing-in day you have actually gained weight. The trouble is that when you're feeling down, you may be inclined to binge on junk food.

Thus, once you've become demoralised about the progress you're making on your diet, you may feel like simply giving up altogether. If you're losing weight at a rate of one to two pounds a week, it can take time to actually notice a difference. You therefore have to find ways to motivate yourself to continue. You may decide to buy a dress that you hope to get in one day or to visualise what you're going to look like in a few months' time. You may be trying to lose weight for a special occasion, such as a holiday or wedding and this keeps you focused.

Everyone has their emotional ups and downs, which can have an influence on their weight. However, when you're on a diet you tend to become so fixated on losing weight that any slip-up can leave you feeling depressed and demoralised. Instead of staying positive about the changes you've made and how far you've progressed, you end up concentrating on just how far you have left to go. Sometimes, this negativity can become so overwhelming that you just give up. You want to go back to what is comforting and familiar, even though you know you don't like being overweight.

The trouble is, if you go back to your old routine you will just end up gaining back any weight you lost and feeling worse about yourself. You therefore have to try to keep positive, even though this can be easier said than done. Ultimately, losing weight is part of the wider process of managing your weight in the long run. You have to learn not to beat yourself up for 'failing' and to concentrate, instead, on the positive action you're taking for the sake of your long-term health and well-being.