Why are we so bad at dieting?
When it comes to fat loss, I'd say that most people do understand the concept of how this stuff works. You eat a bit less, and you lose fat. You eat a little bit more, you gain fat (or maybe muscle if you're lifting heavy weights). Now it's not ALWAYS that simple, but even if we broke down all the numbers, and had it down to the T with the exact calories, we'd still have a major issue. And of course that issue is ADHERENCE.
So we know exactly what to do, so why don't we do it?
Many times, there is an emotional element that stops us from taking that first step, and that comes down to the way we perceive ourselves.
We are afraid to shed the identity we created for ourselves up until the present moment - even if that 'self' is not helping to achieve the things we want out of life.
This happens at all levels - even with people who are well past the beginner's stage, and into the intermediate to advanced level of their fitness. Don't let anyone fool you. We all have shit to deal with, and the truth is that abs alone aren't going to make you happy. If you traded bodies with someone who you felt had the perfect physique, do you really think that would change anything? Now, if I asked you this question in person, you might give me a b.s. answer of "Yeah. I'll take the perfect physique!"(insert nervous laughter). But deep inside, you would know that it wouldn't change the core of who you are.
Aside from that, if you didn't work to achieve it, I can almost guarantee that you would be right back to where you started within a few months to a year, maybe even less. This is because you wouldn't have established the necessary dietary and lifestyle practices to maintain that state.
This would be similar to winning the lottery, and trying to manage those finances without the necessary financial skills. According to a 2015 Camelot Group study, 44% of those who have ever won large lottery prizes had lost all of their money within five years. Check out this article on that subject. In summation - if you haven't earned it, chances are that you won't appreciate it, nor will you be able to maintain that kind lifestyle in the long term big picture.
Me feeling pudge-y
Body image
Body image issues tend to begin in the adolescent years of our development, and this is largely due to our sociology-cultural factors, and images on social media that make it seem that perfect bodies are everywhere. Many times these photos are either:
Photo-shopped
The people in the photos are 'roided up liars pretending to be natural
All the photos were taken in a one week period before normal weight gain occurred. Not to mention that the lighting was spot-on.
Television ads, Instagram photos, and giant billboards of fitness models with washboard abs are everywhere. So now, these 5% (or probably even less) of the population who is holding body fat percentages in the single digits is now perceived as the norm - which creates a false or unrealistic expectation for people just trying to get in decent shape so that they feel better. Unfortunately, within the young adolescent population among women, these body image dissatisfaction issues increase over time.
We tend to focus on what we don't have, instead of what we already have in our lives that makes us happy. We also tend to think that if we obtain those things that we don't have, it will make us happy. Of course, this is not true.
Due to the setup of this existence on this planet, we have to continue working to stay afloat. There is no end to this work - whether we like it or not. Our bodies take work to maintain and improve - just like our minds, our business, inner self image, etc...
I think many people have the wrong idea of what's really important - and the thing that we should really focus on is our overall health. To be honest, abs really shouldn't be your end goal when you are focusing on your body, as there could even have potential health risks once extremely low levels of body fat are achieved. I've heard nutrition expert Lyle McDonald say something to the effect of, 'The problem with reaching an extremely low level of body fat is that once you gain any (marginal) weight, you feel fat as hell.' You really don't want to become a slave to your abs because that's no way to live.
Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have abs than not have them - but really, the process of obtaining them itself is where you get the enjoyment. Knowing that you have the control to shape your body into what you want, and making a game out of the process is half the fun. But all in all, you really should be focusing on how you feel. Using that as your motivation will often keep you in the game much longer. If you stick with the process long enough, then the abs will probably show up anyway.
"I can't believe it! I blew my diet again!!!!"
Emotional Eating
So when we get into the topic of emotional eating, let's first understand some of the reasons why this occurs:
Falsely thinking that we are not good enough to achieve our goal(s) (i.e. binge eating everything in sight out of self hatred)
Having false expectations of how long the process will take to accomplish our goal(s), so you inevitably give up too soon out of impatience (i.e. giving up after 1 or 2 "bad" days of eating because you "fell off the wagon")
Not spending the time to get to the root of the problem - hence not figuring out WHY you started in the first place.
Trying to be like somebody else. You will never have someone else's body. You can only have your own.
Having a negative self-image.