Have you ever started a diet only to find it hard to continue and end up giving up? You try hard but don’t see results, struggle to stay motivated, and often give in to temptation. For many people, starting a diet feels easier than sticking with it.
Why is it so hard to continue dieting? And how can you sustainably, enjoyably, and effectively keep going? This article will uncover the fundamental reasons why diets don’t last and introduce sustainable diet methods tailored to you, based on scientific insights and the habits of successful dieters.

Why Diets Don’t Last and How to Make Them Succeed

Behind the difficulty in continuing a diet are various intertwined factors. Understanding these causes is the first step to identifying your own dieting challenges and planning effective strategies.

Unrealistic Dietary Restrictions Are Unsustainable

Extreme calorie restriction or completely eliminating certain food groups might lead to short-term weight loss. However, this can cause your body to mistakenly believe it’s in starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism. It can also lead to nutritional imbalances, causing poor physical condition or chronic fatigue. Furthermore, the intense stress of constantly depriving yourself of what you like can lead to an overwhelming urge to eat, resulting in binge eating or emotional eating, and often rebounding. Excessive restriction is also mentally taxing, generating negative feelings like “I can’t do this” and pushing you away from dieting altogether.

Your Body’s SOS Signals Due to Nutritional Deficiencies

Extreme dietary restrictions, especially diets that drastically cut down on carbohydrates and fats, often lead to a lack of necessary energy and nutrients. A lack of carbohydrates, the brain’s primary energy source, can cause poor concentration, irritability, and severe fatigue. Fats are essential for hormone production and cell membrane structure; a deficiency can lead to dry skin, brittle hair, and in women, menstrual irregularities. If protein is insufficient, muscle mass decreases, further lowering basal metabolism. These nutritional deficiencies are “SOS signals” from the body indicating it’s not functioning correctly, and they unconsciously make the diet feel unhealthy, becoming a factor that hinders continuation.

“Guilt” Around Food Exhausts You Mentally

Fixed ideas like “I shouldn’t eat this” or “Eating this will make me fat” distance you from enjoying food and create strong feelings of guilt. If you deviate even slightly from your plan, you might blame yourself, thinking “I’ve failed” or “I have no willpower.” This becomes more stress, which in turn can paradoxically increase appetite, leading to a vicious cycle. Eating is not just about nutrition; it’s also a source of enjoyment and a means of communication. When it’s accompanied by excessive restriction and guilt, you become mentally exhausted, and dieting itself becomes a painful experience.

Failure to Establish an Exercise Routine

It’s common to join a gym or start high-intensity training with enthusiasm only to quickly get bored or become too tired to continue. One reason is viewing exercise itself as “painful” or an “obligation.” If you can’t find joy in exercise and see it merely as enduring something for calorie burning, it won’t last. Setting overly ambitious goals or choosing exercises that don’t fit your physical fitness or lifestyle is also a cause of failure. For example, someone who doesn’t usually exercise starting daily hour-long jogs is likely to experience physical fatigue and a higher risk of injury, making it difficult to maintain motivation.

Issues with Exercise Location and Time

If you live in an urban area, gyms or parks might be far away or have limited operating hours. Many people also find it difficult to secure dedicated exercise time amidst busy work, household chores, and childcare. Physical constraints like difficulty exercising outdoors on bad weather days or limited space for home workouts can also hinder the establishment of an exercise habit. These physical hurdles tend to amplify the feeling of “it’s too much hassle” before starting exercise, often leading to a situation where you can’t bring yourself to act.

Not Feeling the Changes from Exercise

When you first start exercising, even if you experience muscle soreness or fatigue, visible changes in weight or body fat percentage may not appear quickly. Especially with strength training, your weight might temporarily increase as muscle mass grows. If the expected results don’t appear immediately, you might feel discouraged, thinking “All this effort is pointless” or “It’s not working for me,” leading to decreased motivation and giving up exercise. Without understanding that the effects of exercise take time to show as changes in body composition, people are likely to give up early.

Mismatch Between Goal Setting and Planning

Setting unrealistic and difficult-to-achieve goals like “Lose 10kg by summer!” or “Reduce body fat by 5% in a month!” is like planting the seeds of failure from the start. When goals are too high, even small setbacks can lead to feelings of frustration and trigger giving up, thinking “I knew I couldn’t do it.” Also, without a concrete plan and just vaguely thinking “I should watch what I eat” or “I should exercise,” it’s unclear what and how much needs to be done, making it hard to take action. Trying random information without a plan, failing, and losing confidence can lead to a cyclical pattern.

Getting Too Caught Up in Short-Term Results

Diet success is achieved by maintaining healthy habits over the long term. However, many people get overly fixated on short-term fluctuations in weight. Weight naturally fluctuates daily due to factors like water retention and food intake, and a temporary increase doesn’t immediately mean fat gain. Becoming excessively focused on short-term results can make motivation unstable, and even a slight deviation from the plan can feel like everything is ruined, making continuation difficult.

Lack of a Vision After Achieving the Goal

Even if you temporarily reach your target weight, if you lack a long-term vision of “how to maintain that state,” you are highly likely to rebound. Thinking of dieting as “finished once the goal is achieved” often leads to relaxing your efforts and reverting to old habits. Rebounding is also mentally damaging, and the feeling of “I failed again” can diminish the desire for future diet attempts.

Mental Barriers

The success or failure of a diet is significantly influenced by mental factors as well as diet and exercise. Stress from work or relationships, lack of sleep, etc., are known to promote the secretion of appetite-stimulating hormones like cortisol and cause impulsive behavior. Actions like excessively consuming sweets or fatty foods to relieve stress, or engaging in “emotional eating,” are strongly linked to mental factors.

Low Self-Esteem

Thinking patterns with low self-esteem, such as “I’m no good anyway” or “Effort is futile,” reduce motivation for dieting and lead to giving up with the thought “I can’t succeed.” Some people may have lost confidence due to past diet failures. Negative thinking limits action and makes it difficult to initiate positive changes.

Pressure and Comparison from Surroundings

Casual remarks from friends or family, or comparing yourself to seemingly perfect diet success stories seen on social media, can also be a mental burden. Falling into despair with thoughts like “Why can’t I be like that?” or feeling impatient can lead to resorting to unhealthy methods or losing confidence. It’s important to progress at your own pace rather than comparing yourself to others.

Incompatibility with Lifestyle Habits

If your diet plan doesn’t align with your actual daily rhythm and habits, continuation becomes extremely difficult. For example, planning to “wake up at 5 AM to go for a run” when you get home late from work every day will cut into your sleep, leading to accumulated fatigue and ultimately failure. Also, setting a plan focused on extreme home cooking when you frequently eat out or attend social gatherings can lead to needing to decline social invitations or experiencing stress from strict restrictions.

Sleep Deprivation and Irregular Appetite

Chronic sleep deprivation is known to decrease the secretion of leptin (which suppresses appetite) and increase the secretion of ghrelin (which stimulates appetite), hormones that control appetite. This can lead to increased hunger and cravings for high-calorie foods, making diet management difficult. Lack of sleep also causes fatigue, reducing the motivation to exercise. Healthy sleep habits are the foundation for diet success.

Environmental Factors (Family Support, Workplace Environment, etc.)

Dieting is not just about individual effort; the surrounding environment also significantly impacts it. An environment where family doesn’t cooperate (eating tempting foods in front of you, criticizing your diet), or where there are frequent snacks and gatherings at work, can be a factor that makes continuing a diet difficult. You need to consider how you can make healthier choices easier within your own living environment.

Methods for Successfully Continuing Your Diet

To make dieting a sustainable part of a healthy lifestyle rather than a temporary event, a realistic and continuous approach based on understanding the causes is necessary.

Realistic Goal Setting and Planning

First, goal setting is very important. Set not only a final goal (e.g., lose X kg) but also small intermediate goals along the way (e.g., first, lose 1kg in a month, exercise twice a week). Set intermediate goals at a level that feels achievable, and it’s also important to praise yourself when you achieve them.

Make Goals Specific with the SMARTER Rule

The “SMARTER” rule can help with goal setting.

• Specific: Clearly define what and how much you want to achieve (e.g., lose X kg, reduce waist by X cm).
• Measurable: Set metrics to track progress (e.g., weigh yourself, measure dimensions).
• Achievable: Set goals that are realistic and attainable within your capabilities and circumstances.
• Relevant: Is the goal aligned with your ultimate dieting purpose and values?
• Time-bound: Set a deadline for achievement (e.g., in X months, in X weeks).
• Evaluate: Regularly assess progress and revise the plan as needed.
• Reward: Prepare a reward for yourself upon achieving intermediate or final goals (ideally something other than food).

Make Plans Flexible, Emphasize Habit Formation

When planning, it’s crucial to be flexible and consider your lifestyle rhythm, preferences, and unavoidable events (like eating out). Instead of aiming for perfection in everything, focus first on “continuing.” For example, instead of “perfect diet every day,” aim to “eat healthy meals on 5 days a week,” and instead of “exercise 1 hour every day,” start with “just 20 minutes, 3 times a week.” Starting at a manageable level and gradually increasing the difficulty makes it easier to form a habit.

Manage Diet Sustainably

Focusing on a balanced diet rather than extreme restrictions leads to long-term success. Be mindful of your PFC balance (Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates) and get necessary nutrients from a variety of foods. Particularly, consume protein actively as it helps with satiety and is essential for maintaining/increasing muscle mass.

Creative Ways to Enjoy Meals

Rethink meals as something to “enjoy” rather than something to “endure.”

• Don’t Completely Cut Out Favorites: Set specific frequencies like once a week or a few times a month for “cheat days,” or find healthy alternative recipes.
• Eat Colorfully: Be conscious of the colors of ingredients and arrange them creatively on your plate to get visual satisfaction.
• Try New Recipes: Finding and cooking healthy and delicious recipes keeps things interesting and helps you continue.
• Be Mindful of the “Eating Order”: Eating in the order of fiber (vegetables, mushrooms) → protein (meat, fish, soy products) → carbohydrates (rice, bread, noodles) helps suppress rapid blood sugar spikes and increases feelings of fullness.

Utilize Food Tracking

Recording what you eat, when, and how you felt at the time helps you understand your eating behavior patterns. Since you can objectively see things like “when I tend to overeat” or “what nutrients are lacking,” it becomes easier to identify areas for improvement. Many smartphone apps are available now for easy recording.

Enjoyable and Sustainable Exercise Habits

Viewing exercise as enjoyment rather than obligation is key to continuation.

• Find Exercise You Like: Look for exercise you find “fun,” such as walking, jogging, strength training, dancing, yoga, or swimming. Exercising with friends or family can also help maintain motivation.
• Incorporate “Exercise While Doing Other Things”: Find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily life without forcing it, such as stretching while watching TV, walking one train stop during your commute, or using stairs.
• Track Progress and Visualize Results: Recording exercise time, distance, weight lifted, etc., helps you feel your own growth and maintains motivation. Utilizing smartwatches or fitness apps is also a good idea.
• Break Down Goals: It’s also important to lower the hurdle when starting, such as planning to “exercise for just 20 minutes once a week” instead of “go to the gym once a week.”

Comparison of Exercise Types and Their Effects

There are various types of exercise, and each offers different expected effects. Choose according to your purpose and preferences.

Type of Exercise	Main Effects	Characteristics	Suitable For
Aerobic Exercise	Fat burning, improved cardiovascular function	Walking, jogging, cycling, swimming	Those who want to lose body fat, maintain health
Strength Training	Increased muscle mass, improved basal metabolism, body shape change	Squats, push-ups, dumbbells, machines	Those who want to increase basal metabolism, aim for a toned body
Stretching/Yoga	Improved flexibility, posture correction, relaxation	Static/dynamic stretching, various poses	Those who want to improve body flexibility, relieve stress

Combining multiple types of exercise often leads to more balanced results.

Mental Health Care

Stress during dieting is unavoidable, but managing it properly can support continuation.

• Get Enough Sleep: Aim for regular sleep habits, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
• Find Stress Relief Methods: Find relaxation methods that suit you, such as making time for hobbies, listening to your favorite music, or incorporating meditation or deep breathing.
• Let Go of Perfectionism: Don’t blame yourself too much if things don’t go according to plan; think positively, like “Today didn’t go well, but I’ll try my best tomorrow.”
• Positive Self-Talk: Use affirmative words to yourself instead of negative ones, such as “I’m doing great,” or “I’m making progress, little by little.”
• Professional Support: If stress is too high or if there are tendencies towards eating disorders, consider consulting a doctor or counselor.

Progress Management Through Tracking

Tracking not only weight and body fat percentage but also meal content, exercise, sleep time, and daily mood helps you objectively understand your condition.

Specific Tracking Methods and Their Benefits

• Weigh Yourself at a Fixed Time Daily: Weighing under the same conditions every day, such as after waking up and going to the restroom in the morning, helps you grasp long-term trends without getting hung up on daily fluctuations.
• Body Shape Photos and Size Measurement: Even if your weight doesn’t change much, your body shape might become more toned. Regularly taking photos or measuring your waist, hips, etc., helps you see changes in your body.
• Exercise Log: Recording the type, time, intensity, and calories burned of your exercise contributes to a sense of achievement and helps maintain motivation.
• Food Diary: Recording what, when, and how much you ate helps you identify imbalances and areas for improvement in your eating habits.
• Mental and Sleep Log: Also recording your mood, sleep time, and stress levels can reveal connections with appetite and exercise volume.

These records are valuable information when consulting with a diet coach or specialist.

Overcoming Weight Loss Plateaus

Even if your diet is progressing smoothly, you might encounter a “plateau” phase where your weight or body fat stops decreasing. This is a natural phenomenon that occurs as your body enters energy-saving mode or gets used to the new weight. Many people get discouraged during this plateau, but it’s actually a sign that your body is adapting to the changes, and overcoming it will bring you closer to your goal.

Mechanism and Duration of the Plateau

As your body adapts to weight loss, basal metabolism decreases, and it becomes able to function on less energy. This makes it harder to lose weight with the same amount of food and exercise as before. A plateau generally lasts for a few weeks to a month, but it varies individually. It’s important to be careful during this period not to panic and further reduce food intake or exercise excessively, as this can lead to health problems or make you more prone to rebound.

Approaches to Break Through a Plateau

A plateau is a good opportunity to review your diet methods.

• Review Your Diet Content: Beyond calorie counting, review the quality of your diet, such as whether your PFC balance is appropriate and if you’re lacking vitamins or minerals. Incorporating a “cheat day” where you temporarily increase calorie intake slightly can help your body exit starvation mode and activate your metabolism (however, doing it too often is counterproductive).
• Change Your Exercise Routine: Your body might have become accustomed to the same exercises. Introduce new stimuli to your workout by changing the type of exercise, increasing intensity or duration, or incorporating interval training.
• Improve Sleep Quality: Sufficient sleep regulates hormone balance and is involved in appetite control and metabolism. Make an effort to get enough sleep and ensure its quality.
• Manage Stress: Stress is a factor that can prolong a plateau. Make time to relax and try not to accumulate stress.
• Don’t Rush, Don’t Give Up: Understand that plateaus are a natural phenomenon that happens to everyone, and approach them with a long-term perspective without panicking or giving up. Looking back at your records and confirming your past achievements can also help maintain motivation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dieting

Here are answers to common questions people have about dieting.

Why isn’t my weight decreasing, or why is it increasing during my diet?

Weight fluctuates not only due to body fat but also muscle mass, water content, bone density, etc. There are several reasons why your weight might not decrease or temporarily increase during a diet.

• Water Fluctuation: The amount of water in your body can vary significantly due to factors like salt intake, hormone balance, and physical condition. Your weight might temporarily increase due to swelling.
• Increase in Muscle Mass: Especially when you start strength training, even if body fat decreases, your weight might not decrease significantly or could even increase due to increased muscle mass. It’s important to look beyond the number on the scale and also consider your body fat percentage, appearance changes, and body measurements.
• Plateau: As explained above, this is a period where your body adapts to weight loss and metabolism stabilizes, making it temporarily harder to lose weight.
• Insufficient Fine-Tuning of Diet Content: Your calorie intake might not match your activity level, or you might be eating more than you think. Review your food diary.
• Stress and Sleep Deprivation: These can disrupt hormone balance and make weight management difficult.

Don’t get too caught up in weight fluctuations; focus on long-term changes, body composition, and overall health.

What are the risks of extreme dieting in a short period?

Extreme dieting aimed at significant weight loss in a short period carries various risks.

• Rebound: When your body perceives it’s in starvation mode and tends to store ingested energy as fat, your weight is likely to increase rapidly if you return to your original diet after the diet ends.
• Muscle Loss: With extremely low calorie intake, your body breaks down muscle for energy. Loss of muscle mass lowers basal metabolism, making it harder to lose weight and easier to gain it.
• Malnutrition: Excluding certain food groups or drastically reducing meal portions can lead to a deficiency in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and protein, potentially causing weakened immunity, skin and hair problems, anemia, fatigue, and menstrual irregularities.
• Gallstones: Rapid weight loss increases the risk of developing gallstones by increasing the concentration of cholesterol in bile.
• Impact on Mental Health: Stress from excessive restriction can lead to irritability, depression, and eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia).

Healthy dieting is recommended to be done slowly over time, aiming for weight loss within 5% of your body weight per month.

What are the 3 key elements (3 C’s) necessary for diet success?

Three important elements are often cited as crucial for diet success and continuation, known as the “3 C’s.”

1. Commitment: Having a clear goal and strong determination for why you are dieting. A strong desire for your own health and ideal physique becomes the driving force to overcome difficulties.
2. Consistency: Maintaining healthy eating habits and exercise routines consistently, not just trying hard temporarily. It’s important whether you can continue making healthy choices overall, even if not perfectly every day, when viewed weekly or monthly.
3. Control: The ability to manage your appetite and behavior. This means not only resisting temptation but also understanding the connection between emotions and appetite, and developing self-awareness and coping strategies to make healthy choices regardless of stress or mood.

Being mindful of these three elements and cultivating them in a balanced way is key to successful dieting and preventing rebound.

Summary: Find a Sustainable Diet That Works for You

If your diet doesn’t last, it’s not because you lack willpower. In many cases, it’s because you chose an unsustainable method or there was incompatibility with your lifestyle habits or mental state. The key to success is not striving for perfection, but finding a “sustainable method” that fits your body, mind, and lifestyle.

As introduced in this article, realistic goal setting, creative ways to enjoy meals and exercise, mental health care, and objective progress tracking through records are powerful tools for establishing dieting as a healthy habit. Don’t panic when a plateau arrives; try the methods to overcome it.

Dieting is not a temporary hardship but a wonderful journey to face yourself and become healthy in both body and mind. Don’t be afraid of failure; try and adjust one step at a time to find the best diet method for you. By continuing, you will surely get closer to your goal.

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Disclaimer:
This article is for general information purposes only and does not provide medical advice or diagnosis. If you have a specific medical condition, are taking medication, or have concerns about your health status, please consult a doctor or specialist before starting a diet. Also, the effectiveness of the methods introduced in this article varies individually.