#61 - Why Diets Fail.

Ever wonder why your diet has failed you ?

In this episode we dive into why, but also how to set your self up for long term success when it comes to shaking the shackles of that unwanted body fat forever. 

Remain proactive in your approach and stay ahead of the game.

Got questions? simply email or dm us with those questions

Larry IG https://www.instagram.com/larry_doyle_coaching
Daniel IG https://www.instagram.com/danieldalycoaching
Website https://www.larrydoylecoaching.ie
Coaching with us https://www.larrydoylecoaching.ie/1-1-premium/
Email : info@larrydoylecoaching.ie

Got questions? simply email or dm us with those questions

Larry IG https://www.instagram.com/larry_doyle_coaching
Daniel IG https://www.instagram.com/danieldalycoaching
Website https://www.larrydoylecoaching.ie
Coaching with us https://www.larrydoylecoaching.ie/1-1-premium/
Email : info@larrydoylecoaching.ie

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

You are welcome back to another episode of the Gem Pop Podcast, where this week, myself and co-host Daniel, we're going to dive into why diets fail. Daniel, have you ever had a had a diet fail on you?

SPEAKER_00 0:12

I think I've had more than one diet fail on me. I think uh my first three or four years of training was unsustainable approaches, which unsustainable approaches are gonna bring you unsustainable results, really. So I think more often than not, you will at the start of your, if you want to call it, training career, follow some sort of an unsustainable means of dieting because you're always going to latch on to, you know, the secret approach that every coach is putting out there that's going to be the one key thing you're not doing, and you're going to make that your whole identity. So whether that is going low carb or whether it's going just pure protein shakes or fasting, whatever it is, you'll think it's great for a couple of weeks, but then it just all goes to shit and you put all the weight back on again.

Unsustainable Approaches Lead to Failure

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Well, it's that shiny object syndrome. Like, I mean, what is the sexier thing? It's like, oh, this zero uh I had an ad pop up on YouTube the other day saying if I went keto, I would lose£25 in the first week. No joke. That was literally what popped up. And I'm like, you know, if we're trying to sell our like long-term sustainable approach to people who's like, oh, we're probably going to look at a pound to a pound and a half a week, that's not near as sexy as losing 20 to 25 pounds in a week, even though we know it's ridiculous. But someone at the start of their journey who's maybe at a point of desperation and they want to have that immediate return and result and get it done quicker, yeah, they're going to employ those absolutely ridiculous strategies with the whole thing. So, what are you seeing most common with the reasons in terms of why it actually fails from chatting to various clients over the years?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

I think one of the most common things I see, apart from following unsustainable diets, is people's approach day-to-day, is that like this time of year, we're getting back into a new school year, people's routines are changing, and you see this multiple times across the year when routines change that they just don't set it aside time to themselves to actually eat, or they don't set it aside time to actually prepare food. So they get up in the morning, they're rushing around trying to get the kids ready for school, they're trying to get ready for work, they're trying to balance million one different things. By the time they actually eat, it's lunchtime, and they're going to be so starving that they're just going to eat whatever's in front of them. So it doesn't matter what sort of diet uh dieting model they're trying to follow, if they don't have their structure in place, they're going to fail regardless.

Structure and Planning Matter

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, you're just absolutely winging it at that point and kind of you know it's an afterthought where everything else will be taught to the end degree, like they'll be packing the kids' school bags from the night before, they'll have all their work gear laid out, and then it's like, oh well, whatever about food, shall I have to eat at some point? But they just end up skipping a meal or getting super hungry, they end up overeating, they're just putting themselves in a position that's ultimately is going to lead to failure. Um, and then employing like those unsustainable practices too, it's just not going to lead to right, you might lose, you know, a pound or two in the first week and it seems all great, but then it actually just can't be sustained as well, too. Um, something you know I want to look at is kind of like those key anchor habits of what we need to actually put it in. Because like I don't want to make this what it is a podcast about why diets fail. Let's make it a positive as well, too. What can we actually put in aside from routine and structure that's going to lead to far better outcomes?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

I guess like good dieting practice as well as like, as you said, having a routine in place, but like not leaving long gaps between meals, ensuring that you're eating, you know, fruit and veg with each meal, having a protein source with each meal, not completely removing food groups or denying yourself certain foods that you enjoy. And like I always say to clients that like the approach you're taking to dieting is and should be pretty similar to the approach you would take to your diet even after you finish your dieting, because the less things you can change, the better outcomes you're going to have. Because if you're looking to maintain results, once you get to that point, you don't want to be completely overhauling your approach to your diet. You want to be changing as little as possible so that the friction is a lot less.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah, and that's huge. And like ultimately, if we look at right, what it comes down to, it's not the diet. Like every single diet that has ever worked in the history of diets has been fundamentally based on having some form of a calorie deficit. If that's you remove all carbohydrates, you've now reduced your overall energy intake. You've you've created a deficit somehow. So if we know that a deficit is absolutely required to lose fat, why don't we pick the means of transport with that deficit to be as easy and low friction as possible? And that's not, you know, bread isn't a problem. It's not uh overeating fat, it's not whatever. It's just having a structure where we can put a deficit in that's most sustainable, most enjoyable for you. And now all of a sudden the magic happens because there's less friction. We can actually sustain it for you know more than two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, five weeks, six weeks, ten weeks, you know, the whole thing. And now all of a sudden it's more of a lifestyle approach because we enjoy the foods we're eating, and now it's far less on off because it's now just an enjoyable practice that's becoming part of our life, as opposed to I can't eat that because it's off limits, or that's a sin, or that's a whatever input negative association with food here.

Psychological Aspects of Eating

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Yeah, and I guess like I always say to clients that we kind of place so much importance on the physiological factors, like as we said, like the different types of diets and the foods you're having, but there's a huge psychological component as well when it comes to dieting. Because people aren't going to just eat food because they want to lose weight or because they want to build muscle. People eat food because they're bored, they're stressed, they're tired. We also eat for celebration, that's why like when it comes to like things like Christmas, birthday parties, there's going to be foods associated with these things. So you also need to recognise that there's going to be more reasons than just because like I'm looking to build muscle or I'm going to the gym and I want to prioritize my protein intake. There's going to be a million or one different reasons why you eat. So you need to identify those as well. And that is why we try our best to look at lifestyle factors as well when we're coaching clients, because if we can see that they're highly stressed, hunger's obviously probably going to be higher as well. That's going to be a huge component that's going to drive up hunger. Because a lot of people will, when they get stressed, they could be kind of in two camps where they're going to either be incredibly hungry or they're going to lose their appetite completely. So if you can actually just identify why am I craving something or why do I feel hungry, then that's when you can put things in place that maybe you can kind of navigate that in the future. So instead of thinking, oh I'm hungry, you need to increase my uh potato intake because they're the most satiating food out there. It's like if you're, you know, psychologically hungry rather than physiologically hungry physiologically hungry, no matter how much potatoes or no matter how much fruit or veg you're going to eat, you're still not going to satisfy that craving. So you need to kind of have a good handle and a good hold on the whole psychological triggers around hunger as well.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

And I think that's something that's really important to stress. It's like in the modern world that we're in, like, when has anyone actually been truly like hungry? Do you know what I mean? Like when have they been to the point of like absolute, like I am actually starving? And you know, thankfully it's a first world problem that we just don't encounter at all. Um, that most of it is going to be triggered, and food can be that coping mechanism for people, and it's a huge trigger with that. And you know, people will have various different vices that they turn to, but you know, it's not the bread or the chocolate's fault. That's just really easily accessible foods that you can just wolf in and get a lot of calories in very quickly. And that was a stress response. That wasn't the bread attacking you, or it wasn't the chocolate jumping off the shelf and jumping down your neck. So, again, once you can actually figure out the the root cause of why the diet is failing, you know, when you actually look back over and analyze your week, is it every weekend it's blown out? Is it every Thursday? Okay, what's actually happening on Thursday? Okay, my day is so busy that I don't have time to actually plan out my food and put structure in. Okay, well, what gaps can we put in on a Wednesday then to make that easier to actually succeed on Thursday? Or maybe it's the fact that, okay, we get our shopping in on a Sunday and food runs out and it's gone dry by Wednesday evening. Okay, how can we address that? So there's very like easy telltale signs that are going to be there when we actually look back at the evidence, you know, because people will say, oh, just sweep it under the rug and get on with it. But there's a lot of, you know, success leaves clues, that old uh saying, but also failures will leave a lot of clues as well, too, and how we can actually address that and how we can make it better. But if we're continually ignoring it and then every Monday saying, Do you know what? I need to cut out even more chocolate and bread out of my diet because that chocolate and bread was the issue, and now it just becomes a bigger thing again, and we're not addressing the root cause, and ultimately we're going to be spinning our wheels and on that roundabout, right?

Finding Your Sustainable Approach

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah, and I think like there's no right or wrong approach when it comes to dieting because it's very individual. Because like I always say to clients that if they come to me and they'll say that like I prefer to eat low carb, who am I to tell them that you shouldn't do that? I can I can say to them, it's like, okay, you but you know you don't have to do that. But my job as a coach is to be helpful, it isn't to be right, it isn't for me to say, but research says that you need to have X amount of carbs to you know to um have enough fuel on board so that you can actually get stronger in the gym or to manage cravings and whatnot. If they genuinely don't like eating carbs and they want to follow a low carb approach and they prefer to have higher fats, run with it. But just because somebody tells you X, Y, and Z is the best approach, by all means try it, see if it works for you. If it doesn't, it's not your fault, it's just something that doesn't work for you. Try something else. Find something that is sustainable for you in the long run, as opposed to thinking of four, six, eight weeks. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

And this is where I'll always suggest that like it's eat the foods you like and the foods that like you when you're picking your dietary approach, right? Because again, if we know that that deficit is needed, let's pick a deficit with the foods we like, enjoy, can factor into our week. We know there's gonna be stuff coming up, but I think that's another one we'll touch on is like people being oblivious to the fact that there's gonna be like more social events and stuff on as well, too. But if you can pick a dietary setup that's far more in line with your preferences, exactly what you noted, chances are there's gonna be less friction. If there's less friction, there's more results. So if we look at that, uh and this is something again on consultations or with clients, I'll look over and say, okay, what's coming up over the next four weeks? At the start of a month, it's a great time to assess it where you'll say, okay, what's actually coming up over the next three to four weeks? That's gonna be a roadblock for us to work around. And they'll say, Oh, there's no, there's nothing on, relatively clean and clear. Okay, let's actually go a bit further. Are you sure there's nothing on we need to navigate? Okay, well, it's actually our anniversary in the third week, and the kid's birthday is in the middle of it, and then I've got two days away with work and I've got another event on the weekend with the lads. Okay, cool. Let's actually figure out a practice that we can put in that's gonna make things easier, and that might actually be not dieting on those periods as well, too. And this is where people might try to fight against it, and they'll say, Well, I'm supposed to diet for this month. Well, cool, you can diet for five days and get back up to maintenance for two. We're still dieting. It's not this stop start, it's not this kind of again, a negative association with I can't manage it, so fuck it, the diet has failed. And this is again where we can forecast in advance, and I'll come back to the same basic principles all the time. It's like forecasting in advance will allow people to ultimately reduce all that friction because now we're aware of what's coming up, we're more proactive, less reactive with the approach, and now all of a sudden the magic happens because we're able to actually factor in the events, and people are saying, Well, I've never been able to eat as much, and I've never had as much good social life, and I've been doing all the things, but I'm still getting my fat loss, I'm still getting my weight down. It's because we've paid attention to the things that usually are roadblocks, and we've put in interventions around that that now allow us ultimately to get the outcome that we want. And that's massive for people because it can be quite liberating. And now all of a sudden they realize that yes, I can actually include the social events. Yes, I can take the piss, I need to be mindful and aware. But now all of a sudden I am a person who can actually succeed with a lifestyle here as opposed to someone who's in a constant state of failure and can't manage those social events.

Breaking Goals Into Manageable Chunks

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Yeah, and I think it's it is key when you kind of break things down like that. So instead of thinking about, you know, spending nine months in a diet, think about spending like four to six weeks maybe in a diet, then a week of maintenance, basing that around whatever commitments you have, whether it could be holiday that's coming up or you know, there's gonna be a work party on or coming into Christmas now, there's going to obviously be like two weeks there where there's gonna be a lot of social activity. Um because we'll have a time and time again where people come to us saying that like I've been trying to lose weight for the last year, and it'll feel like they've been dieting for a year, but it's more than likely they've been dieting for two weeks, then they'll go off the rails for two days, and then that'll kind of set them back two weeks. And they're constantly just spinning their wheels. And it's because that they've probably got, you know, a substantial amount of weight to lose that they're kind of looking at it like, okay, I've got nine months of a diet, and I need to be an all-or-nothing approach for nine months when there's not a person alive, no matter how much you've how disciplined they are that they're gonna be able to stay like rigid with their approach for nine months. But if you can break up that nine months into small little bite-sized chunks that you just tick off along the way, it's gonna be far more manageable.

Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Yeah, and you're taking it pound by pound or half pound by pound, and that's just like instead of saying, I need to lose 20 kilos now, it's okay, what have we got coming up in the next four weeks that's gonna get us closer to losing four to five pounds over that month? And again, it's less daunting, it's less of a long journey, less of a long slog with it all, because you know, realistically, there is gonna be stuff that pops up. And if you think that there isn't, again, we're in a fantasy land all the time thinking that there's gonna be nothing coming up and nothing that we need to work around or navigate. So again, it's like paying attention and forecasting again, really, really key. Um, if we cover over some key points on this, because I think it's like it's an easy one for us to navigate, but it can be a very tricky one for others who aren't as aware or maybe as long on the tooth with the journey with it all. Putting some structure in, it doesn't have to be absolutely rigid, it's not this all or nothing approach, but a structure, a plan, a routine allows you to navigate. And again, once you have a plan, think of it like Google Maps, you've set it from point A as home currently, and you want to get to point B. That map can and will reroute at times, and that's completely okay, but you're still moving towards that better outcome all the time. You're still moving towards point B, albeit it may be a slightly different version, might take a little bit longer, might take a little bit shorter, but that's the goal is to move towards that. Once you have a plan and a structure, now you can navigate it. If you're winging it, you're just winging it, and chances are, not chances are, the realistic thing is that it's, you know, chances are it's just gonna fail, right? Um, the next thing is having uh removing that all or nothing approach, actually forecasting around it all again, and where we can look at that and actually say in advance, okay, what is coming up? What do we need to navigate around? What do we need to put in? Where do we need to punch smarter and where do we need to punch a bit harder? Because sometimes, right, you may be able to go that little bit more all in, and other times we need to be a little bit more all out, right? And that's gonna be key again where we can navigate around that. Um, picking more sustainable diets again is the thing where it's picking the foods you like and the foods that like you, that we can actually fit them into our intake, and that's gonna be like completely crucial to the whole thing. Um, we don't want to have someone, you know, getting an outstanding result, but after like 12 weeks, like hating every minute of it because they had to chew on chicken and rice cakes to get there. This is not something that's required at all. You can absolutely eat the food you enjoy. If the only food you enjoy is pepperoni pizza, right, you're gonna be eating very little of it because it contains so many calories. But let's find some foods that you actually enjoy and like and can sustain and fit into your intake. And now chances are you're gonna sustain that diet much longer for as long as needed to actually be able to get the result and outcome that you want. What other bits are you gonna throw into the ring there with that then, and in terms of what needs to happen?

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah, I think to kind of just touch on and to expand on what you're just saying there about keeping the foods in that you enjoy, and that's something I always say to clients, and I call them your stay-sane foods, that like if somebody likes to have two biscuits with their cup of tea in the evening, it's like I'm gonna do everything I can to keep that in there because for a lot of people that could be the one thing that's you know preventing them from telling their boss that they're a prick during the day. It could be the one thing that's prevented them from screaming at the kids because they're running around the house. Because if they know that I've got two biscuits with my cup of tea in the evening when I sit down to relax and I got time to myself, that could keep them on track for the entire day. And that's the one thing that they're actually going to latch onto. So that's why it is always good to have those foods that you do really enjoy, that you don't have to just follow the whole chicken and broccoli approach. That like you can be flexible, you can include all the foods, but as you said, if you're looking to try and fit in pepperoni pizza or tub and beningerries, like you're going to struggle. There's no way you can set up your diet that you're going to be able to like fit in a full tub of Ben and Jerry's or like a large pizza. But there's ways that maybe we could look at it as you know, across the course of the week that maybe we could, if you're going out for pizza on a Saturday, we can bank your calories across Monday to Friday, that you can actually allow yourself to have that pizza at the weekend. So I think the other thing that I probably would add to here is to also remind yourself that it's not something that's going to be forever, that you're choosing to put yourself in this position to reach a certain goal that maybe you're just looking to get in shape for a holiday, or maybe you're just looking to improve your overall fitness. But it's not something that you're going to have to sustain for like an a prolonged period of time. For some, it might be six months, others it might be four months, it could be a year, depending on your. But again, as we said, break things down into smaller chunks and just remind yourself that it's you at the end of the day, it's kind of choosing to put yourself in there. There's no one that has a gun to your head saying that like you can't eat these foods, you have to do X, Y, and Z. It's like you're actively choosing to put yourself in this position.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

And that's massive again. Like just taking that ownership and um it's personal responsibility as well, too. It's whatever, but it's been aware and managing your own expectations. And this is like again a huge role that we have, and people just think we just prescribe calories and sets and reps. Like, while we do that, it's like the biggest part of our role as the coach is just to manage expectations for people. Or saying, okay, the goal you want to have of losing 25 kilos in the next four weeks, we're gonna have to chop off your arm to do that, and that's the only way we can get there. But now this is actually gonna take a year, but here's how we're gonna navigate it with the easiest path possible. So that one year from now you're gonna be significantly closer to it as opposed to exactly where you are right now at the minute, still pissing around and spinning your wheels with the whole thing. So again, I think they're really, really key points and key uh insights for people to be able to understand about why the diet fail. It's not the actual diet, it's the approach you're employing, it's the unsustainable practice, it's not that dieting is negative or like there's this whole, you know, there was a bit of a movement there that just diets don't work. It's the diet you've employed hasn't worked. Diets do work, and being in a calorie deficit does work. It's the only way that we can lose fat. It's not a case that you're stuck with it forever and that's just going to be your life. Yes, you can lose fat, you can lose it in a sustainable way, and it's how we manage it with all our clients. And again, the big thing for us and something we look at, and I want to get people to understand it as well. It's not the before and after. Yes, we want to lose weight and we want to look awesome, but how do you look six weeks, six months, six years after that diet is finished? And can we actually employ it as part of our lifestyle ongoing? And that's like a key takeaway as well, that now we can actually sustain this. This is the really key thing is how does it look later on as opposed to just a crash diet? So again, take away what you need from this. It's not going to be all applicable, every single part of it, but I'm sure some of it has hit home and will give you a great realization on how we can actually set up your diet for greater success down the line. If you feel you still can't manage that, reach out and touch base with us and we'll be able to help you out, we'll be able to give you some steer, we'll be able to give you some direction, clarity on what you need to do and how you can fix it, how you can make it a better, more long-term, sustainable approach, and you can absolutely get the results you want. Daniel's been an absolute pleasure as always. Any last words?

SPEAKER_00 19:54

I think the main thing to take away from this is find something that works for you. So don't look at something on paper that's the best or the most optimal. It's like it is still individual. So always look at what your preferences are and work off of that. So find somebody sustainable for you, and that's what you're going to be consistent with.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Powerful as always. Until the next one.