Losing Weight: Ladies! Why Is It So Friggin’ Hard?

Practically every woman on God’s green earth, at some point or another, has tried to shed a pound or two. Whether it’s for a special occasion, a seasonal change, a health necessity, or post-pregnancy, all have, at some point, made fat loss a priority.

Even if we get off to a great start, something happens to make us stop before we reach our goal. It is frustrating when the scale doesn’t respond to our efforts.

Women accomplish amazing things every day that require will power, strength, endurance, and creativity, so why is losing weight such a daunting task? Here are some thoughts on the matter; see if you can find yourself among this list of possibilities.

You’re cheating.

Yeah, you’re drinking your Slim-Fast and eating lettuce. And then Betty, the hot thin secretary, brings in a tray of cupcakes for the office. If she can eat cookies and stay thin, then why can’t you?

Other times you lapse, convincing yourself that no one goes to the movies without getting a huge tub of buttered popcorn. You have to realize that all of those "just this once" treats add up on the scale.

You’re rewarding yourself.

You’ve been there before—spending the entire week practically killing yourself to stay true to your diet. And when the weekend comes, and your girlfriends call for a brunch date, you jump at the chance to celebrate a week of being a good dieter.

But the thing is that your reward comes from getting down to your target weight. Remember that splurging only means you’re going to have to work harder tomorrow, you are not losing the weight to eat hamburgers whenever you want. You are losing weight be healthier and look awesome while doing it.

You’re thinking about quitting.

Go on any restrictive diet long enough and you’re going to get to a point where you can’t take it any longer. Psychologically, your body might fell as if it’s calling for a mutiny. You may look for an easy fix—a fad diet that promises the impossible or the implementation of weight loss pills into the weight loss scheme—but you’d be robbing yourself of real victory.

More importantly, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Even if you do lose the weight, you can’t stay on that diet forever. Eventually you’ll have to start eating regularly and normally, and the weight is going to come right back on.

That’s why it’s so important to find a successful diet plan that alters your eating habits for good and adds physical exercise—so you can stick to the diet and adjust easily.

You’re not looking at the big picture.

This one is easily overlooked. We do so well with portion control, calorie counting, and cutting out bad foods, but then we don’t do any exercise. Either that or we join a gym for a temporary exercise kick, only to stop going two weeks later.

Diet and exercise must work together in harmony in order you to be a weight loss success. There’s no two ways about it. You can’t ignore one element of the equation, and believe that the pounds are going to melt off. Eating the right foods and regular, targeted exercise are a woman’s keys to losing weight.