3 Reasons Diets Failed in 2020 (What To Avoid in 2021 to Lose Weight and Build Muscle SUCCESSFULLY)

The truth is that 2020 was one strange year and it no doubt influenced out lives and lifestyles in various ways. One of those ways was leading to nutrition and fitness obstacles that made it harder for athletes to not only compete, but also achieve progress and their goals.

Want to learn about the reasons many diets failed in 2020 so that you can avoid it in 2021? In today's post I share the 3 most common factors that you NEED to know. 

I'm going to start with a question...have you found that 2020 had led to you falling off track and not achieving your health and fitness goals?

If you answered ‘YES’, well you aren't alone. In fact, this was very very common unfortunately and now I’m going to share with you the three reasons why this may sound familiar to you.

So here's the reality (as hard as it may be to hear) - 2020 was a hectic year and it was crazy and it's left us all in shambles to some degree but I think it's safe to say that health and mental health had taken a hit more so than other aspects of our life.

Here are the three main reasons why this happened:

Reason #1: Thinking It’s Pointless To Try

The number one reason that I’ve seen that people's diets have fallen off track this past year is simply the belief that it's pointless to even try. Trust me it's not - I have had clients still crush it during 2020 and even I myself have stayed on track with my nutrition.

Look, hard times will come and go but working on yourself is never pointless and it was never pointless to not try even during the craziness of 2020. So don't let that continue stopping you and don't think it's pointless just because the world has gone out of whack so to speak.

There is still hope for your goals and you just have to pivot and take action in a different way but you still have to stay true to yourself and work on your health because now more than ever, it is so important that our health is at that forefront.

Reason #2: Letting The Lack of Control, Control YOU!

Number two is letting the lack of control, control you. This has affected many people and it's even impacted me to a degree. The reality is we can't really control the whole situation that's happening in the world but we can’t just sit back and let it control you like it’s nothing. 

What you can do is use my control paradigm mindset hack - control what you can, cope with what you can’t, and concentrate on what matters. 

I’ve used this mindset shift to help my clients to realize that sometimes we can't control everything but we can cope with what we can't control and we can then focus on the things that do matter while still controlling the things that are within our reach (but also remember that at the end of the day you still have control over how the uncontrollable can affect your mindset and your action taking).

Reason #3: Disruption In Routine

The third and final reason that I noticed that led to diet fails in 2020 for many people is the fact that there's been a disruption in routine. We have all had our routines affected - in fact out of the three reasons that I’ve mentioned today, this one has affected me personally the most. 

It's also the one that I’ve found had affected my clients a lot as well and perhaps it may sound familiar to you. We all have our set routines at the end of the day; the way we do things. 

We all have the gyms that we go to.
We all have the meal services that we use.
We all have the shops that we use.
We all have a certain routine in life.

Unfortunately, the past year has led to all this being disrupted. For example, perhaps you're now working from home more often. Perhaps the fridge is more accessible. Perhaps you don't have access to the same food. Perhaps your gym had/has closed.

There's a lot of perhaps’ in routine disruption so what you need to do is pivot and adapt - not let the lack of routine make you fall off track and succumb to the whole situation.

Your old routine will slowly get back to normal but for now (especially if currently you are experiencing issues with your routine being out of whack), you just need to find a possible decent routine to get you through so that eventually you can get back to your best routine.

What now?

Hopefully that all makes sense. I’ve shared the three reasons why I’ve noticed diets have kind of “failed” in recent times: The lack of routine, letting the uncontrollable control you and giving up because you think it’s “pointless”.

As I said, I've experienced some of these and so have my clients - and now perhaps you are recognising them in your own life. However, our health is still so important and we can't let that fall off track. We still have to be in the ‘game’, even if it means we're not progressing as much as we think we should. 

Sometimes it's okay to preserve, not just always progress. So instead, here are three things that you can do or think about to help get you started in 2021 so you can successfully optimise your nutrition for sporting performance, health, or body composition.

1. Realize that health is just as, if not more important, now more than ever. 
2. It's okay to pivot and go from progression to preservation if you need to. 
3. Realize that the only sure-fire way to really fail on this journey is to give up.  

The circumstances around us may be affecting you and making it harder but you're still in the game. If you give up now then you're definitely out of the game and that's a very sure-fire way to not achieve your goals. 

Wrapping it up!

So there you go. Now you know the truth behind why diets were harder in 2020. The good news is that I still have clients who have crushed it during the craziness in the past year. You just need the right plan, the right guidance, and the right accountability to get you through. 

Also, I’ve got a question for you: do you want 1:1 individualised help from a Sports Dietitian?

I can actually help you bridge that gap between point A and point B and optimise your nutrition to gain your athletic and competitive edge - helping you reach your goal of becoming the athlete you want to be.

Interested? Then simply email me at: [email protected]

P.S. I have a new 90-day nutrition program called the 90-Day Macro Sherpa program - which is a nutrition coaching experience designed to help kickstart your flexible nutrition lifestyle and show you how to harness it the right way. 

To apply, simply click here and start the process for reaching your peak potential. 

Coach Aleksa