Never Diet Again with Max Lowery

#80 Why "I’ve Tried Everything" Is the Biggest Lie Holding You Back

• Max Lowery

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Sound familiar? If you’re a woman over 40 who’s spent years chasing weight loss through diets, plans, and programs, only to end up back where you started. This episode is the one you can’t afford to skip.

Because here’s the truth:
You haven’t tried everything.


 You’ve just tried the same thing but wrapped up in new packaging: points, macros, juice cleanses, and willpower-based meal plans that never fit your life, never addressed your root causes, and left you blaming yourself when they failed.

In this episode, Max Lowery exposes why the weight loss industry keeps women trapped in a cycle of restriction, rebound, and self-doubt—and the ONE belief that's secretly sabotaging your progress:
 👉 “I’ve tried everything.”

You’ll learn:

  • Why this belief is the biggest block to real, lasting change
  • The hidden damage diets have done to your confidence, identity, and relationship with food
  • What actually works when nothing else has—and how to finally break the cycle

Whether you’re burned out from failing, terrified to try again, or scared nothing will ever work for you—this episode will show you it’s not too late, you’re not broken, and there is a better way.


Watch my The Cravings & Fat-Burning Masterclass:  https://www.neverdietagainmethod.uk/register-podcast

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.lowery/

Book a Food Freedom Breakthrough Call: https://www.neverdietagainmethod.uk/call-ig

Max:

Every single day I hear women say to me, I've tried everything, nothing works. And I get it, because when you spent years putting in the effort, starting again and again, and always ending up back where you started, it really does feel like you've tried it all. It's exhausting, it makes you feel like a failure, and it's no wonder so many women start to believe they're broken or that nothing will ever work for them. But in this episode, I want to show you why that belief isn't true and why holding onto it might actually be the biggest thing standing in the way of finally finding a real, lasting solution. So when I speak to women who come onto my program, I hear the same story over and over again. A typical client of mine will tell me she's done the diets, weight watchers, sliming world, keto, fasting, low carb juice cleanses, and they would lose a bit of weight. But it always came with hunger, restriction, and rules that didn't fit her life. And as soon as she stopped, the weight crept backed on. Then she moved on to the next level: meal plans. Maybe it was something she downloaded from an influencer on Instagram or a PDF guy that promised quick results. She followed it for a few weeks, but again, it wasn't her food, her schedule, or her life. It was someone else's template, and it fell apart as soon as real life got in the way. Some go even further and work with nutritionists, personal trainers, or even coaches. And yes, there's more structure and support, but often it's still focused on the same thing calories, macros, and strict plants. They might tell her what to eat and how much to eat, but never address why she eats. After enough rounds of this, the cycle is the same. She does well for a while, then slips up, feels guilty, gives up, and starts over again. And every time it happens, she blames herself instead of the approach. So when she looks back at the long list of failed attempts, the logical conclusion to come to is I've tried everything and nothing works. But here's the thing: when women tell me they've tried everything, I sometimes have to smile. Because if you really think about it, how could you possibly try everything? There are thousands of approaches out there. Some good, most of them terrible. But it would take a lifetime to actually try every single one. What's really happening is this most women have only tried variations of the same thing. One diet gives you points, another gives you shakes, another tells you to cut out carbs, a trainer hands you a meal plan, a nutritionist tells you to hit your macros. On the surface, it all looks different, but at the core, it's the exact same approach. Restriction, rules, willpower. And that's why it feels like you've tried everything. Because you've done the same thing over and over again, but just dressed up in different packaging. And after enough failed attempts, it's easy to see why women look back and tell themselves, I've tried everything. But there's a big problem with this belief. It doesn't just describe the past, it actually dictates and shapes your future. When a woman tells herself she's tried everything, she stops trying. She closes the door on the possibility that something different could actually work. She convinces herself there's nothing to learn, no other option to explore, and that belief becomes the barrier that keeps her stuck. Even if she does decide to try something new, she doesn't go all in. She goes in half-hearted, already expecting to fail. And because she's not fully committed, she ends up proving herself right and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And here's where I see it the most. When women are shown something completely different, something that could actually finally solve their problem, they can't see it for what it is. They tell themselves this isn't different, I've already tried everything. And that belief blocks them from even giving themselves the chance to succeed. That's why I call it one of the biggest blockers for women. Not because it's true, but because believing it makes it true. It stops them from ever stepping into the solution that could actually change their life. If you want to find out more about how we help our clients and our step-by-step system, click the link below to get access to our cravings and fat loss masterclass. It's 100% free and it'll teach you everything you need to know about how to lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life. How do you create a life that allows you to lose weight, eat the foods that you love, and sustain the results? Over the last 10 years, I've helped thousands of people do exactly that. I'm Max Lowry. I'm an author, personal trainer, and weight loss coach. In this podcast, I'm going to share my top tips and tricks from within my one-on-one coaching program. It's my goal to give you the tools and understanding so that you never diet again. So the real problem is not that women have tried everything, it's that they've only ever been shown one type of approach, restriction and dieting. So let's break down what diets actually do, because when you see it clearly, it makes perfect sense why they don't last. Because diets don't just fail you, they hurt you. They tell you what to eat and what not to eat. They give you rules and numbers and lists of good and bad foods. They put you in a box where your entire worth is measured by what's on your plate or what the scale says in the morning. And in the short term, sure, you can stick to it, but there's a big cost. Diets damage your self-confidence. Every time you can't keep up, you don't blame the diet, you blame yourself. You tell yourself you're weak, lazy, or broken. And with every failure, your belief in yourself gets smaller. Diets destroy your relationship with food. They make you fear carbs, fear sugar, fear a glass of wine. You don't see food as fuel or enjoyment anymore. You see it as numbers, points, guilt, and shame. Diets mess with your identity. You start to see yourself as the dieter, the one who can't stick to anything, the one who always fails. And when you wear that identity for years, it becomes part of who you believe you are. Diets even impact your relationships. Think about it. How many times have you skipped dinners, turned down invitations, or felt anxious going out with friends because you were on a diet? How often have you felt judged by family members or partners when you failed again? Food should bring people together, but diets turn it into isolation. And the cruelest part, diets train you to believe the problem is you. Not the unsustainable rules, not the deprivation, not the fact that life will always throw stress, emotions, and challenges at you. They convince you that you don't have enough willpower, and that belief is the heaviest thing that you carry. Each attempt chips away at your confidence, your joy, your freedom, until eventually you feel trapped, scared to try again, but miserable staying the same. When you look at all that damage, the loss of confidence, the broken relationship with food, the isolation, it's no surprise people feel stuck. But let's go even deeper because it's not just the diet that hurt you, they're designed to fail. And here's why. So firstly, they ignore real life. Diets are designed for perfect conditions when you have total control, no stress, no social life, no curveballs. But real life is full of birthdays, travel, stress at work, late nights, and family demands. And when the plan doesn't fit into your life, you feel like you're the failure. Secondly, they depend on willpower and motivation. Both of those are temporary. Willpower runs out when you're tired, stressed, or emotional. Motivational fades after the first few weeks. Without habits and identity change, you're left white-knuckling your way through every day. Thirdly, they address symptoms and not root causes. They tell you to cut out carbs, reduce calories, or fast longer, and that might lower the number on the scale for a while, but it doesn't fix the emotional eating, the food cravings, the stress or the guilt you feel around food. Which means the moment life hits, you're back in the same place. Fourthly, they create rebound weight gain. The more extreme the restriction, the bigger the bounce back. The hunger hormones increase, the cravings get louder, your body fights to get back to normal. Which is why most women end up heavier when they first started. And lastly, they destroy self-trust. Every time you fail, you chip away at the belief that you could ever succeed. Eventually, you stop trusting yourself around food, around cravings, even around your own body. And without self-trust, no approach will ever work. So it's not your fault. And when I tell women this in real life, many of them break down because for years they've been carrying the guilt, the shame, the pressure, and the blame. And that's an incredibly heavy load to live with. And this is exactly why I want you to hear me clearly. It's not your fault. The diets have failed you, not the other way around. And I don't just say this to make you feel better. I say this because I've seen it over and over again. In the last 12 years, I've had more than 5,000 one-on-one conversations with women over 40 about their weight loss struggles. And I'd say that 99% of them have told me the same thing. I've tried everything. But when we dig deeper, the pattern is always the same. Lots of diets, lots of plans, sometimes even working with coaches or trainers, but always focused on calories, macros, and food rules, never on the root cause of why they struggled in the first place. That's how I know this isn't your fault. Because if 5,000 women are all saying the same thing, clearly the problem isn't with them, it's with the approach that they've been sold. For years, the weight loss industry has sold women quick fixes, false promises, and unsustainable plans. They've told you that if you just had more discipline, if you just tried harder, if you just stuck to the rules, you'd succeed. But that is a lie. The blame sits with the diets, not with you. And that's why so many women break down when I tell them this. Because they realize they've been carrying the shame, the guilt, and self-blame for years. But it was never theirs to carry in the first place. But here's the key. Even though diets have failed you and it's not your fault, it is still your responsibility to do something different and to stop going back to quick fixes. You cannot do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Because now that you know better, you have a choice. You can keep repeating the same cycle, or you can take responsibility for finding a different kind of solution, one that actually works in the long term. And that shift, moving the blame away from yourself, but taking responsibility for your future is the turning point. So, what does it actually take to get long-term success? What do you need to look out for? Well, firstly, most likely you're going to need one-on-one support. Not a PDF, not a calorie target, not being one of thousands of in a faceless group. Real conversations with a coach who understands you, who helps you uncover what's really holding you back and who can guide you through the challenges of life when it gets messy. You need structure and clarity, a clear roadmap that shows you exactly what to do step by step. So you're not left second-guessing yourself or relying on motivation to carry you through. You need to learn how to enjoy your favorite foods and lose weight. If you can't eat the pizza, the chocolate, or have a glass of wine without guilt or ruining it, then the approach is doomed from the start. Long-term success means being able to include the foods you love without it sparring into guilt or sabotage. You need to be able to go out for dinner, enjoy social events, and go on holiday without feeling like everything is ruined. Life isn't lived in a bubble, and whatever you do has to work in the real world, otherwise it's not a real solution. You need emotional and psychological tools, strategies to handle stress, boredom, and overwhelm without turning to food. Tools that help you pause, respond differently, and stop repeating the same cycle of eating, guilt, and shame. You need accountability, someone outside of yourself or your family who can keep you moving forward when your motivation dips. Because it will dip. Accountability is what stops you from falling back into old patterns. You need a supportive community, a space where other women who actually get it can encourage you, celebrate your wins, and remind you that you're not alone. Most women's partners, friends, or families don't truly understand what this struggle feels like. And that community can fill the gap. And you need an approach that fits your reality as a busy woman over 40. Your hormones, metabolism, responsibilities aren't the same as they were in your 20s. You need a way of living that works alongside your career, your family, and the stage of life you're in now. That's what lasting change requires. Not another diet, not more restriction, not another burst of willpower, but the right structure, support, and environment to finally succeed. Really quick one for me, guys. I don't run ads on this podcast, and I do aim to give you as many high-value tips and tricks as I can for free. All I ask in return is that you help me spread the word. That way I can help as many people as I can to never diet again. The way to do that is to rate, review, and share this podcast. A review will only take 30 seconds, but it would mean the world to me. But more importantly, it could help change the life of someone else. So stop telling yourself you've tried everything because you haven't. You've tried diets, you've tried meal plans, you've tried approaches that only ever looked at the surface, but you haven't tried addressing the root causes. You haven't tried building an approach that lets you enjoy your favorite foods, go out for dinner and still make progress. You haven't tried having the right structure, the right accountability, and the right support around you. That's why you felt stuck. Not because you're broken, not because you failed, but because you've been given the wrong tools. And once you realize that, everything changes because now you know it's not that you've tried everything, it's that you've been missing the very things that make success possible. If this episode has hit home for you and you're done at doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results, then the most powerful next step is to book in for a free food freedom breakthrough call with me. On the call, I will help diagnose what are your root causes. I'll then explain exactly how our never die again method might fit into your life. And if we mutually decide that working together is a good idea, then I'll explain exactly how that works. The call is 100% free. There is no pressure or obligation to do anything. And there's also no guarantee that I will offer you a spot on the program. We are incredibly selective with who we work with. This is a small, intimate community of high achieving women who are 100% ready to prioritize themselves. If you're not ready for a call, no problem at call. Just send me a message on Instagram with any questions that you have and I will personally reply and send you any free resources which might benefit you. Either way, just stop telling yourself that you've tried everything because you haven't. And the right next step could be the one that finally changes everything for you. I'll see you on the next one.