Can’t lose weight no matter how hard you try?

你是否用尽各种方法都无法成功减肥呢？
You might be making one of seven common dieting mistakes, according to Dr Meg Arroll and Louise Atkinson, authors of new book ‘The Shrinkology Solution’.

梅格.阿罗尔（Meg Arroll）博士和路易丝.阿特金森称，人们可能进入了以下七种减肥误区。梅格.阿罗尔（Meg Arroll）博士和路易丝.阿特金森是《减肥方法》的作者。

Not sticking to a diet for a long time, picking one which doesn’t suit you, not doing enough exercise and setting unrealistic targets are all well-known obstacles.

无法长时间坚持，减肥方法不合适，没有进行足够的锻炼以及设置不现实的目标都是我们所面临的常见困难。

Dr Arroll and Ms Atkinson say finding a diet which makes you feel good, instead of one which makes every day a struggle, is key to losing weight.

阿罗尔和阿特金森说，找到一个令人愉悦而不抓狂的减肥方法是至关重要的。

Here is co-author Louise Atkinson’s run-down of seven reasons your diet might not be working, written for Healthista:

以下是合著者路易丝.阿特金森的告诉Healthista网站的七大减肥减肥误区：

1) You’ve picked the wrong diet

减肥方式不对

In the quest to slim down for summer it is so tempting to pick the latest trendy diet but there’s no such thing as ‘one diet plan fits all’ and if your chosen plan isn’t working, it might be the wrong plan for you.

为了能在夏天瘦下去，我们很容易就会被最时下流行的减肥方式所吸引，但所有人都适用的这种减肥方法是不存在的，如果你选择的减肥方式没有效果，那这个方法就是错误的。

The science is now clear: no two people are the same – mentally or physically – and your approach to food and eating will always be a highly personal one.

这个道理很简单: 无论从心理还是生理上说，任何人都是不一样的， 他们所摄入的食物和饮食习惯总会呈现出很大的差异性。

One person might have developed particular habits throughout childhood (the compulsory biscuit with a cup of tea or desert after every meal) while another might crave carbs or fear hunger.

有部分人可能会在小时候养成一种特别的习惯，比如在三餐后会强迫自己吃一块饼干、喝一杯茶或吃甜点，但是还有一部分人喜欢想吃碳水化合物之类的食物或者老是怕自己饿着。

And we all vary in our susceptibility to the continual bombardment of powerful food messages that accost us every day.

每天，我们每个人都有可能不断地受到强大的食物信息冲击，接受各种各样的食物的吸引。

This means that each of us will have a unique combination of eating triggers and lifestyle factors which can get in the way of making consistently healthy food choices or sticking to any one particular diet plan.

这意味着我们每个人都会被不同的食物所吸引，生活方式对我们坚持健康饮食或任何一种减肥方案都非常重要。

A confirmed chocoholic might struggle to stick to a low-carb plan, and if you work long hours or do shift work, home cooked meals might be an impossible dream.

一个被证实是巧克力嗜食者的人将很难坚持低碳的减肥方法。如果你每天工作时间很长或需要倒班，就必须永远在外面吃垃圾食品。

So the decision should not be ‘what’s the best diet plan?’ but ‘what’s the best diet plan for me?’

因此你应该选择“对我来说最好的减肥方法”，而不单单是“最好的减肥方法”。

2) Your head’s not in the right place

没有花心思

Psychologist Dr Meg Arroll who co-authored The Shrinkology Solution, says any diet is much more likely to work if you have got to the point where you are absolutely ready to lose weight and willing to make some changes to get there.

《减肥方法》的合著者、心理学家梅格.阿罗尔说，只有毅然决定要减肥和愿意为了减肥而改变的的人才能成功。

Any plan that leaves you feeling resentful or deprived is never going to work long-term,’ she says.

任何让你感到厌恶或空虚方法都都会以失败告终。

‘It is far better to decide that you are making changes for YOU, and to set yourself realistic, achievable and measurable goals.’

“如果你决定为自己作出改变，而且制定了很现实的目标，那就非常不错了。”

Studies show that ‘intrinsic motivation’ (which comes from within) is much more likely to lead to successful behaviour change than ‘extrinsic motivation’ (triggered by external forces such as squeezing into a certain dress or pair of jeans).

研究显示，“内在动力”更容易带来成功的改变，而让自己穿小一码的裙子或牛仔裤等的“外在动力”都是不现实的。

‘If you’re not really making changes for yourself it might be time to dig a bit deeper and ask why you’re not making YOU a priority,’ advises Dr Meg.

“如果你正准备改变自己，你应该进一步问自己，为什么你没有让自己成为生活的重心？”梅格博士建议道。

3) You’re switching plans too fast

不够坚持

Diets very rarely market themselves on their long-term maintenance phase.

任何减肥方法都不会以长期的效果为主来为自己做宣传。

After all, if they all worked beautifully, the multi-million pound diet industry would be on its knees.

如果所有的减肥方法都成功了，那么数百万英镑的减肥产业都将付诸一炬。

‘It might take a long time and you will have to watch what you eat forever’ doesn’t have the same marketing allure as ‘the effortless route to dropping a dress size in a week’.

“这是一件需要长期坚持的事，你必须注意自己的饮食习惯这一说法没有‘让你一个星期瘦一个尺码’的营销策略那么有吸引力。”

Many popular eating plans will give only sketchy maintenance advice, and some none at all.

很多流行的饮食计划都没有明确注明长期效果，还有部分方法什么都没有提及。

So it’s little wonder many of us flit from one diet to the next when weight plateaus or starts to creep back.

所以，我们从一种方法换到另一种方法，体重飙升或回升也就不足为奇了。

But abandoning one diet plan to leap straight into another will throw your body into confusion and set you on a destructive downward spiral of yo-yo dieting.

但是当你放弃一种减肥方法之后，马上选择第二种方法会让你出现体重方面的问题，并让你走上体重出现摇摆不定的下坡路。

Frustratingly, studies show this often leads to more and more weight gain over time as the body clings onto calories and the mind gets caught-up in an increasing sense of failure.

令人伤心的是，研究发现，这样通常会让你更容易增肥，因为你会摄入更多的热量，而且你会陷入深深的失败感中。

So before starting any plan, always check out the long-term maintenance phase – if there isn’t one, or you can’t see yourself sticking to it forever, power walk away.

所以在设置任何计划之前，每次都必须制定一个保持体重的长期目标，如果没有这一目标或没有预见自己会长期坚持下去，你的减肥动力也就会消失。

4) You’re not moving enough

运动量不够

There is some truth in the old adage that losing weight is all about ‘eating a bit less and moving a bit more’ and the two elements really do work hand in hand.

吃少多动这一格言还是有道理的，因为运动和控制食量都很重要，缺一不可。

Large-scale reviews of research into dieting consistently show that adopting exercise into your daily life is one of the key factors in maintaining a stable weight.

大型减肥回顾性的研究不断显示，在日常生活照坚持锻炼是保持体重稳定的重要因素。

But a quarter of all adults exercise for less than 30 minutes a week.

但是四分之一的成人每周的运动量少于30分钟。

True, exercise might not be the nirvana we’d like it to be, but it does have multiple unequivocal benefits for physical and mental health and studies show keeping active – even just via a ten minute walk each day – really will make you more likely to stick to your diet plan.

坚持锻炼可能不是我们喜欢的减脂方式，但是它的确对身体和心理健康都有着明确的好处，研究显示，经常运动，即使是每天走十分钟都能让你坚定减肥的目标。

If you don’t think of yourself as naturally sporty and you squirm at the thought of lycra, the key to success is throwing your exercise net wide, trying lots of different forms of activity, and picking the right form of exercise to suit you.

如果你认为你天生就是运动健将，穿上运动服就能马上动起来，那么成功的关键在于增加运动的种类，尝试不同的运动，最后选出最适合你的运动。

So forget the latest trendy class or trainer and think in terms of quick-fix HIIT if you’re super-busy, deeply relaxing yin-yoga if your life is stressful, Cross-fit if you’re fired up by competition, or swimming if you’re the solitary sort.

因此，你必须要忽视最新的课程或教练。如果你超级忙，你必须选择能够快速减肥的高强度间歇训练法，如果你生活中的压力很大，你应该选择阴瑜伽来做深层次的方式，如果你被面临竞争，应该选择Cross-fit 运动方法，如果你很孤僻，可以选择游泳。

The decision shouldn’t be based on what’s in fashion, or what you think you’ll be good at, but on what suits your life and your personality right now.

你不应该选择流行的运动，或者你认为你擅长的运动，而必须选择适合你的生活和个性的运动。

Because that’s more likely to be something you’ll stick at and thereby reap the benefits long-term.

因为这是你可能会长期坚持下去的运动，因此这个效果将会是长期的。

5) You’ve got diet fatigue

减肥疲劳

Everything about our physical and mental set-up changes over time – metabolism slows, hormones unravel, and life becomes complex.

我们的身体和精神结构会随时间而变化，新陈代谢作用会变慢，激素会减少，生活会变得更为复杂。

So there’s never any guarantee the fail-safe diet plan that always worked to get you swimsuit ready each summer will continue to serve you this year.

因此世界上没有任何万无一失的减肥方法，它们不可能保证你就能让你能穿泳衣或者让你能在夏天成功变瘦。

After the age of 30 metabolism drops by five percent per decade and from the age of 40 that decline accelerates further.

在30岁之后，人的新陈代谢功能每十年会下降百分之五，四十岁后这个下降的趋势会进一步加剧。

The drop is perfectly natural as cells throughout our body start to slow down, but it means you’ll be burning 100 fewer calories per day at the age of 35 than you did at 25, and 200 fewer at 45.

随着我们的身体内的细胞的运动开始变慢，新陈代谢下降是一个非常正常的现象，但是这意味着35岁时燃烧的卡路里会比25岁少100的卡路里，而45岁则会少200卡路里。

To maintain your weight, your portion sizes need to start shrinking proportionally, and to lose weight, you’re going to have to work a little harder each time. It could be time to try a new plan.

为了保持体重，你必须适当地减少饮食，并开始减肥，你付出的努力每次都必须多一点。你可能还需要换一个新的方法。

6) You’re mixing your diet metaphors

随意搭配各种减肥方法

If you’ve tried loads of diets in the past – with some degree of success – you might find yourself creating your own hybrid version of a weight loss plan.

如果你在过去尝试过很多种减肥方法，也收获了一定程度的成功，你可能发现自己正在创造属于自己的混合减肥方法。

That’s fine if it works, but if the scales aren’t shifting, could it be because you are unwittingly concocting a nutritional mash-up each day that puts your body into a state of confusion?

如果你能成功，这个方法就不错。但是如果你的体重没有发生改变，那很有可能是因为你所做的食物让你步入了误区。

Maybe you kick your day off with a smoothie (clean eating), tuck into a meat-heavy lunch (Paleo), skip dinner (intermittent fasting) then reward your efforts with a few glasses of red wine (Mediterranean diet)?

你是不是每天早上起来要吃奶昔（净化饮食）， 中午吃很多肉食（原始人饮食法），不吃晚餐（断食疗法），或者奖励你自己一杯红葡萄酒（地中海饮食）？

You might think you’re being healthy but this eclectic combination can be highly calorific, confusing to your body and can drive you demented with cravings.

你可能认为你的饮食习惯很健康，但是这些食物组合可能会产生很多卡路里，让你的体重变得更加的不明确，而且你还吃更多的东西。

The best way to clear a path through dieting confusion is to complete a one-week mood/food diary.

最好的方法是结束一个星期的心情或食物日记，理清减肥的头绪。

Studies consistently show keeping a food diary aids diet success but by making a note of your hunger levels and/or mood every time you put something in your mouth, you can get a fascinating insight into how often – and why – you eat what you eat.

研究显示，写食物日记能辅助减肥，根据你的饥饿程度/心情所写的食物日记，你能够得知你摄食的频率以及你所摄入的食物。

In fact, studies show dieters who make a note of everything they eat and how much exercise they do can lose twice as much weight as those who don’t.

研究显示，实际上，写食物日记的人所减的体重要多不写的人多两倍。

So much of our eating is automatic, and you might not be consciously aware of the healthy and unhealthy elements of your diet.

人们的食物通常是随机挑选的，而且没有将健康食物和不健康的食物纳入考虑范围。

A food/mood diary is a great way to put you back in control.

食物/心情日记是一个能让你更好的控制自己。

7) Maybe you don’t need to diet at all

也许没有必要减肥

It’s so easy to get caught up in the spin of wanting to look model-skinny and to be prepared to jump through all sorts of dietary hoops to get there.

你很容易陷入寻求模特身材的误区，而且你还想不减肥就能拥有模特的身材。

But ask yourself – is weight gain a real problem for you or could you be chasing an impossible ideal? Be sensible about what you consider to be your ‘ideal’ weight.

但是你应该先问问自己，体重的增加对你来说成不成问题，或者说你正在寻求的是一个遥不可及的目标？你一定要合理的考虑什么是理想的体重。

Everything changes as we get older and it is healthier – both mentally and physically – to aim for a happy sustainable weight and body shape rather than some random weight you remember being happy at when you were in your teens or early twenties.

在我们的变老的过程中，一些都在发生变化，无论从心理还是从外形上来说，我们都想要保持一个让人心情愉悦的体重和体型，不过在你青少年或二十岁早期时，你的体重一直都在发生随机的变化，那是你并没有感到不开心。

It’s a far better goal to feel energetic, vibrant, strong and flexible than hungry-skinny.

比起骨瘦如柴的体重，能保持活力、生气、强壮和身体的柔韧性的体重更好。

If you can learn to find and adopt a realistic mind set then making a few well-advised changes, such as cutting back on alcohol and increasing your vegetable/salad intake could be just enough self-correction to set you straight.

当你能寻求和拥有更平和的心态，做出明智的改变，例如减少饮酒和增加蔬菜/沙拉的摄入量，你就能调整好自己、幡然悔悟。

source：每日邮报