5 Things that Are Holding You Back from Losing Weight

Amy Taylor September 30, 2015

You’ve tried it not just once but several times already. You’ve been through that stage - working out till you drop and starving yourself to death. But like your previous attempts, you don’t seem to get the result you want. What could be holding you back from losing weight and becoming fitter?

Below are some of the top reasons why most people fail in their attempt to lose weight:

You keep waiting for that perfect time.

Most of us wait for the ‘perfect time’ to start dieting and losing weight. Whether it’s ‘after the Holiday season or your birthday’, or ‘next month when you are no longer busy’, etc. - there seems to be a lot of reasons to delay our weight loss efforts. Unfortunately, sometimes, later becomes ‘never’. Because sometimes, the ‘perfect time’ doesn’t come.

You don’t believe in yourself.

Some people choose not to give extra effort losing weight because they think they can’t do it. Believing in yourself is the key and most important step to achieving any goal you have - whether it’s about weight loss or not. Maybe you are thinking that you can’t give up ice cream or junk food, you can’t bear the muscle pain when exercising, or you can’t just quit your weekend night-outs with friends. Losing weight starts with believing that you are capable of breaking some of your habits (particularly the negative ones), making positive changes, and being more in control of yourself. After all, you need not give all these things. When it comes to losing weight, there is just one important rule: your calorie intake should be less than your calorie expenditure. You need not starve yourself to death. Practising portion control and exercising are two great ways to cut your calorie consumption.

You’re in a rush.

Losing weight takes time, and effort too. Don’t think that you can burn those extra fats you developed over the years in just a matter of week or two. You might be interested to try out some diet fads out there, particularly those that promise huge results in a short period of time. But too often, they are too good to be true. While these ‘crash diets’ may offer great results, often, they are not sustainable. Take for example the ‘juicing diet’. While it is really an effective way to cut down on calories, you wouldn’t want to be drinking juice all your life to stay fit. A great diet programme is one that has variety, and allows you to enjoy different flavours at smaller sizes.

You let negative people sabotage your success.

Some people will tell you ‘you can’t do it’. Some will underestimate your capability to make a better version of yourself. There will always be people who are critical and negative. They would see only your shortcomings and never your strengths and successes. Never let them sabotage your success. Instead, surround yourself with positive and encouraging people. Those people who will cheer you up instead of dragging you down.

You hate change.

You may be used to sleeping late at night, pigging on cookies and candies when you are tired, and having large food serving sizes. And you know that these things are actually getting in the way towards your weight loss goals. If you want to lose weight, accept that changes are going to be inevitable. You need to get rid of those old ‘bad’ habits and develop good ones. It may be hard at first, but you will get through it.

Dieting has its twists and turns. But it’s absolutely achievable. Take some time to reflect on these things. Which of these are you guilty of? Which are holding you back? And how do you go about overcoming these obstacles?