How To Lose Weight: Why Diets Fail

Weight-loss coach, Janice Taylor, author of All Is Forgiven, Move On: Our Lady Of Weight Loss' s 110 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville, reveals her top tips for how to lose weight and keep it off.

The 5 Reasons Why You Can't Lose Weight (And How To Successfully Drop Pounds)

#1 Because you can't envision it. "We have underutilized imagination. People are uncomfortable creating a fantasy because they're afraid it won't happen. Olympians see it first and believe it before they can succeed. The first thing I do in my workshops is open people's imagination and give them permission to daydream their future."

#2 Because you're stuck in "bookie brain." "If you've yo-yoed, your brain is constantly calculating the odds of your gaining the weight back. Once you understand that your brain automatically does this, you can tell your bookie brain that the odds are tipping into your favor with each day that you eat right and exercise. I was terrified of regaining the 50 pounds I lost years ago, but as time has passed, I don't worry so much anymore."

#3 Because health reasons aren't enough. "You'd think getting healthy would be enough reason to lose weight. It's not. If you're heavy or don't exercise, there's a disconnect between your body and brain. You need to tap into fantasy mode: imagining a new, svelter self is more real than your body."

#4 Because you have a stay-fat strategy, not a lose-weight strategy. "If you've been trying to lose weight and haven't, you've developed a strong strategy not to. People may not know how to lose weight, but they always know what they're doing to stay fat. Some typical ones: you go shopping hungry, you keep the fridge stocked with trigger foods you "bought for your kids," or you buy exercise equipment and hang clothes on it."

#5 Because there's no such thing as will power, only want power. "This also ties back into fantasy; you have to want a thinner future. I have a client with sleep apnea. His doctor told him to do vocal exercises to strengthen vocal cords. He couldn't motivate himself even though his health was at stake. He has a great voice so I sent him a link to a voice-over class. He signed up and is so excited by the future he can fantasize that he's doing the exercises. It's the same thing with losing weight. Imagination is everything."

Stick To Your Diet: Top Tips for Success