We all know how it goes, time and time again, cycling through nutrition programs but never sticking to just one for the long-haul. Everything we see on the market has been designed “to work” and advocates exactly what the consumer wants, “fast and simple” weight-loss. The hard-work is already being done for you, all you need to do is invest in the full program: buy the meals, drink the shakes, take the supplements, use the technology, read the books, promote on social media, follow the workouts…RESULTS-RESULTS-RESULTS!
If everything were as simple as the way these programs have been made to appear, America would be the healthiest-fittest-thinest-sexiest country in the world, and certainly wouldn’t be leading as the most obese. And why? How come we continue, as a society, to disregard the common factors resulting in monotonous nutrition program failures?
This week I wanted to take this question just a little further, to dig just a little deeper, and to really breakdown the three ABCs of why your nutrition program keeps failing.
A – is for Accountability
Ask any nutrition coach, wellness promoter, health specialist, fitness guru – – what does it take to be successful on any nutrition program?, and I bet you will hear them use the word ACCOUNTABILITY half a dozen times. The concept of being able to either hold yourself responsible or to be coachable and allow someone else to hold you responsible are two HUGE factors in what helps establish a successful nutrition program.
I am a strong believer, as a coach and as someone who has been coached, that there needs to be a heightened level of accountability from both the individual and the program in its entirety in order for things to be successful. Accountability is what binds the user and the program together, it’s that simple. It won’t work unless there is a some degree of keeping on top of yourself – – your actions, your choices, your decisions. It is is the difference between success and failure because its forces us to take ownership instead of allowing things to go to the wayside through excuses.
B – is for Body Shame
How high are your expectations to look a certain way? How high are others expectations for you to look a certain way? I think this is a topic that we don’t talk enough about, and we should. Society puts so much pressure on men and women to present their bodies a certain way that we begin to both externally and internally body shame ourselves for not meeting them. When you choose a nutrition program, do you consider the source and the marketing technique? Is the program using a certain body type or is it giving value to all body types? Does it show before and afters of heavy-obese-rundown individuals that have transformed into skinny-tight waisted-overly exuberant individuals now that the weight is gone? This is body shaming you guys, and it’s a technique used to make us think we aren’t good enough for the program unless we get ourselves into that same position.
Body shaming is my letter B for why our nutrition programs keep failing us because we don’t know how to be happy with who we are and to appreciate the meaning behind actual good health. Instead, we have been taught to stay fixated on reaching a certain number on the scale, fitting into a certain clothing size, and walk around according to the standards of a society driven by aesthetics.
C – is for Challenges
Whenever I scroll through my social media platform I encounter some type of ad for a nutrition program challenge. There are the same set of guidelines and results are always guaranteed. It doesn’t sound bad at the start, you are given all the tools you need, sign a contract mandating your participation, and if you are successful you win some type of prize or can rollover your winnings into another round. Challenges are great, right? Wrong – challenges are a surefire way to failing on future nutrition programs and healthy ventures that promote long-term change.
There is something extremely appealing about the short-term and fast physical effects challenges provide. But what about the aftermath, the sustainability of the time and hard work you just put in? I think comparing the short to long-term transition is the best way to get my point across with this one. Challenges create a very fast change without any focus on establishing the skills, knowledge, and confidence to carry healthy changes forward. With programs being designed to deprive the body to a certain state, without any consideration for factors that are very important and very different among individuals, it becomes a cookie cutter for long-term nutrition program failure. Instead of building a foundation of healthy habits, positive food relationships, and self-confidence in the choices we make for our bodies, challenges teach us the “my way or the highway” technique. You either do things exactly as they are laid out, or you will not see successful results and win.
My endpoint on this one is simple you guys. Without the proper accountability, self-value and confidence, and realistic short and long-term outlooks, the nutrition programs we choose are becoming less and less realistic and manageable, which is setting us up for failure and disappointment faster than we can recognize it happening. Take the time to really assess how you are preparing to invest in your health, think about what hasn’t worked before and compare it to what you are considering in the present. Start visualizing the whole picture, see yourself being successful on the nutrition program you are choosing and take action!
If you or someone you know has experienced ongoing nutrition program failures, and these ABCs sound all too familiar, lets connect. Whether you are searching for a healthy avenue to finally get your mind and body back on track, or are ready to settle on a nutrition program that is focused on your quality of life, overall health and long-term changes, I am beyond confident my Balanced Habits program will be the right fit for you. Interested in learning more? Visit us at https://old.balancedbodyfoods.com/balancedhabits/