Maybe this sounds familiar: you’ve tried the diets, shakes, free meal plans, and maybe even some paid ones from influencers.

Nothing is working and you’re frustrated. At the end of the day, you just want to get your energy back or maybe lose that 10 lbs that has been hanging on as long as you can remember.

I get it, I’ve been in your shoes before.

Believe it or not, my friend there is an answer to your problems. I can’t tell you the specific answer (you’ll understand why later) but I can tell you there are a number of reasons that it’s not working.

In fact, I pulled together 10 reasons that diet isn’t working.

Let’s start there on today’s podcast.

10 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working

Number 1: You’re dehydrated

Often one of the biggest changes my 1:1 clients and I make right away is upping their water intake. When you are dehydrated, your body can’t flush out the toxins it needs to. Give yourself an extra boost of water for a few days and see if you notice a difference, you’ll be amazed!

Number 2: You are focusing on quantity over quality.

Sure, tracking macros and calories is a great thing to do. At the end of the day, weight loss technically comes down to calories in and calories out… but when you’re eating 1600 junk calories vs. 1600 nutritional calories, that can play a big role in how your body responds. How much nutritional value is in the food on your plate?

Number 3: Are you really sticking to your diet as much as you say you are?

Gut punch, I know.

If you are saying “just a little bite here, or I’ll finish my kid’s pb&j here,” time over time this adds up. There is NOTHING wrong with this approach in being flexible with what you eat, but it will not necessarily bring on results as fast as you would like.

Try using a food journal for a week and see how many little snacks you’re fitting in. You might be surprised.

Number 4: Fast food is still junk food.

There is this myth that getting a grilled chicken sandwich from a fast food place is a healthy choice. Is it a better choice? Yes, is it a good choice? Eh.

Take Chick-Fil-A for example, at the time of recording this podcast, a grilled chicken sandwich with a bun has over 60 ingredients. At least 30 of those are in the chicken. Oh and that doesn’t include any condiments.

A conversation I have regularly as a nutrition coach is to really pay attention to your fast food intake. There’s nothing wrong with fast food once in a while, but if you find yourself in a chick-fil-a drive-through more than once a week it’s time to re-evaluate.

Number 5: You’re not eating enough protein

Protein and fiber are what are going to keep you full for longer, this will result in less snacking and a more filling meal. No matter what diet people say they’re doing, I will always go back to vegetables and protein.

Track your protein for a few days and see where you end up. Where can you increase it?

Number 6: You are averaging less than 6 hours of quality sleep a night.

Sleep, movement, and nutrition all go hand in hand. A poor night’s sleep can lead to

• Poor decisions
• Your body not responding well to what you eat
• Lack of movement
• Overall not feeling great

Number 7: You’re eating too much sugar

Similar to talking about quality vs. quantity, it’s important to realize just how much sugar you’re eating on a daily basis. We’ve talked in depth about how much sugar you should eat before, but just paying attention to food labels can be very eye-opening. The average American eats 24 tbsp of sugar a day, most often without even knowing it.

Number 8: You’re not moving your body.

As we discussed in number 6, sleep movement, and nutrition all go hand in hand. You can eat all of the healthy food in the world but if you aren’t getting some movement in, you’re not going to see the results you want.

Number 9: You’re only focusing on cardio.

Okay, okay, I am not a certified personal trainer, but calling from experience only focusing on cardio will only get you so far. Branch out, try some weights, yoga, or something else to keep your body moving in different directions. Sometimes that little shift can make a big difference.

Number 10: It’s not custom to you.

Fad diets are just that. Keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, etc. There is a reason they work for some and not others. We are all individual people therefore our nutrition should be individual to us.

No diet will work if you are not familiar with how your body works with different types of food. In my Best Self Method, our first step is always research so we can figure this out together.

I promise my friend, there is a way to see the results you want. Take a step back and look at these ten options, where are you struggling the most?

One of the most underrated ways to stick to healthy eating habits is meal planning and meal prepping. However, sometimes meal prep can get a bad reputation for being a boring way to make lunch for yourself or a way to waste your Sunday afternoon. Getting started with meal prepping doesn’t have to be overwhelming and it can benefit you more than you might think.

Meal prepping can make life easier, help you stay on track with your goals, and take A LOT of thinking out of your week. Our brains work enough during the week; any chance to give it a break helps more than you might think.

The most important thing to remember is that there are so many levels of meal prep. It doesn’t have to be an all-in or waste your Sunday situation.

Let’s chat on the podcast today about getting started with meal prepping and meal planning.

Basic Levels of Planning

If you have any form of a nutrition goal, you should be doing SOME level of meal planning. It doesn’t have to be detailed for 21 meals a week, but being able to look at your plan for the week and know what you will eat for most of your meals. This not only helps you stay on track but also helps you plan your grocery trips.

When it comes to meal prep, you don’t have to go all in. Something as simple as organizing your fridge to make sure you have all of the ingredients you need for your weekly meals is a basic level of meal prep.

You don’t have to have everything pre-cooked or in fancy meal prep containers, just organized with recipes so you know exactly what is needed when you start to cook. Not only does this take the thinking out of your evening, but it takes the panic of missing ingredients out too.

This is a great way to get started meal prepping. Just take the baby step, plan and organize your week.

Next Level Prepping

Moving up to the next level of meal prep means getting things organized but also cleaned and maybe partially cooked.

For example, if you plan on eating 3-5 meals with chicken throughout the week, get all of the chicken cooked at the start of the week. By doing this level of prepping, you’re able to take some of the cooking steps out of the recipe you’re making. This can save you time throughout the week.

Another piece of next level prepping is washing and cutting up your fruits and veggies. Ultimately, the goal is to take the hard part out of eating healthy. By having fruits and veggies cut and ready to go, there are less excuses to keep from eating unhealthier foods.

All-In Meal Prepping

This is where meal prepping can get a negative reputation… the all-in mentality. There is the cute meal-prep containers, the hours spent on Sunday and meals planned every moment of the day.

Granted, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways to cut down on the amount of time spent and meals needed to be cooked.

My number one tip is to stick with one type of protein. Instead of cooking 3 or 4 different proteins, pick one protein and cook it 3 to 4 ways. For example, chicken can be made into chicken salad, a salad with chicken on it, taco bowls, nachos, chicken Alfredo, etc. This way, you won’t get bored with your food every day, but don’t have to spend as much time cooking on Sunday.

Tell me in the comments below, are you going to get started with meal prepping? What level of meal prepper are you?