Some people get lucky, and end up on a diet that works for them first time, but most people either struggle through a difficult diet or give up after a few miserable months of gaining weight.
There are three main reasons why diets fail, and to make dieting as easy as possible, you'll have to overcome all of them.
Top reason without a doubt is hunger.
Many diets are too restrictive, limiting calories and limited what you can eat. The inevitable result is eating food that isn't allowed on your diet plan and is high in calories.
For example, the hardest phase of the South Beach Diet is right at the start, where you're allowed to eat little more than meat and fish.
The same is true with Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet. Now I do recommend the use of these cookies as a diet supplement to help fight off hunger but the main diet plan restricts you to 800 calories a day. It's almost impossible to stick to.
You won't want to hear it, but exercise is vital.
Reason number two is that many people don't want to exercise. Before you pass out, remember that exercise doesn't have to mean marathon training with Paula Radcliff or cycling 100miles, chasing Lance Armstrong.
Take your dog for a walk, get off the subway a stop early, walk to the café at lunch instead of getting it delivered.
After a few weeks, your body will become accustomed to the extra work, and the majority of people actually find themselves wanting to do more exercise. If you do enough to cause your body to release lots of endorphin, exercise can actually become addictive.
Final reason is patience.
If you expect your diet to get your BMI to 20 in less than a month then think again, and if you want to be ripped off by a 'miracle diet' then go ahead.
Just stick at your diet and give it time. You won't finish your diet any faster than your plan tells you, but you will start changing immediately. The most rewarding part will occur just a few weeks after you start when people start asking if you've lost weight.
If you think you're on the wrong diet, find out what sort of diet might suit you with your free ebook here. If not then stick at it, don't give up, and put a bit of exercise in when you can.
By Olly Springs