While there are many benefits to dieting, such as healthy eating habits and better fitness levels, the fact remains that most diets just don’t work in the long term. In fact, many people who try to lose weight by dieting end up gaining more weight than they originally had! The reason for this unfortunate phenomenon can be explained in three key reasons...

What We Know Now

Weight loss is difficult, to say the least. We also know, however, that most dieters will eventually regain any weight they lose. That’s right: despite years of research and all those late-night infomercials telling you otherwise, you can end up in exactly the same spot as when you started off your diet. So what are we doing wrong? Well, for starters, we’re too focused on healthy eating and not focused enough on how our food affects our body image (which is a major contributor to weight gain). Also, diets promote quick results with unrealistic expectations—that's probably why 80% of diets fail within 12 months.

Are Calorie Counts Dead Wrong?

Food labels are designed to help you make informed decisions about what you eat, so it’s important to know what they mean and what your body really needs. The U.S. government gives us two numbers for food: calories per serving and calories per 100 grams (100 grams = 3.5 ounces). These labels say how many calories a food item has, but not how much food is in a serving or how much of your daily allowance you get from one serving of something. Instead, these two numbers are used for nutrition facts on foods -which include information like protein, fat and carbohydrate content—and can help with weight loss by giving you a sense of proper portion sizes and helping plan balanced meals, which can result in weight loss over time if you watch your diet carefully.

How Does Your Metabolism Change as You Lose Weight?