Do you need a Certain Attitude to be Fit?

Why do people fail over and over again on diets? Is it because they don't choose the right one? They don't have the time to make healthy food everyday? Or is it simply because the don't have the proper attitude to do so? It's about half way through the semester now, so I'm still able to go to the gym and eat healthy, but as soon as exam season starts, that will be a whole other story.

There are a lot of reasons why diets can fail for certain people. Certain diets are strictly on a calorie basis which is probably one of the worst ways to diet seeing as there are good and bad calories. If I eat 2000 calories including broccoli, chicken, and fruit in a day, it doesn't mean that someone who only ate 1000 calories at Mcdonalds is in the clear and losing weight. Low fat diets are also a big no! If you haven't heard, there are such things as good fat! Avocados for example have 160 calories and 15 grams of fat. Unsaturated fats are good for your body as the contain antioxidants help lower cholesterol. "Eating certain foods (low fat, higher carb or sugary foods) actually increased hunger and slows metabolism"(Hyman, 2014).

Now onto the main point of why I think diets don't work for most people, their attitude! It seems that most people can work on a diet for a couple weeks, but give in right after that and indulge worse than they were before. Attitude, the lasting, general evaluation of ones self, people, or objects..." (SWD, pg.187) plays the largest part in a diet as it deals with the psychological aspect of it.

When analyzing the Functional Theory of Attitudes we can look at Daniel Katz, who believes attitudes exist because they serve a function (Lecture 8, S.6). Attitudes, determined by ones motives, have to have an impact on the individual if the attitude is to be strong enough to make a difference. From a marketing view, two consumers can have the same attitude towards a product, but for different reasons. Marketers need to distinguish between these reasons and market the product to attract both clients.

A great example is protein powder. Some use it as a meal replacement when they don't have time to make a meal, but I think of it as more a recovery drink and have never had one to replace a meal. So how does one position the product to both? It is difficult to do. If I saw a protein commercial of someone using it as a meal replacement, I wouldn't even think of getting it. It is crucial to show the different uses of the product, without one becoming too dominant over the other. Attitude plays a huge part in this. For myself, I wouldn't want to use a protein that I see a woman drinking with her friends as a meal replacement. I would find using that product to be feminine, which a guy does not want to think of when he is working out. One way companies do this, including Whey Protein, is to have almost identically the same product, just in a different container and label to appeal to different consumers, who's attitude towards the label and purpose affect their purchase behaviour.

This video, a bit old, gives a psychological interpretation of why diets fail for most people, one of his main arguments being ones attitude towards the diet!

So why does ones attitude have such a large impact on their results? If someone is determined to have certain results and have a great enough purpose, nothing can stop them. If someone is dedicated for certain reasons, such as hockey, if they want it bad enough they will work day and night to get better no matter what. Compare this to someone who just wants to lose weight to look better. Who do you think is more determined and has a stronger attitude to achieve their goal? I'm not saying that trying to lose weight is less important, but the reasoning behind the diet is the greatest motivator!

One way marketers attract consumers is through a foot in the door technique. This starts with a small request on the individual to either give a small explanation of the product, or get them to try it themselves. Most people think of protein shakes as disgusting and not something that they could drink, but if someone gives you a sample of their product which tastes amazing, their product may be the only one you think tastes good and are more inclined to buy.

It has been proven, when starting a diet, you will lose weight during the first two weeks, but after that it will start to plateau and you will not lose weight as quickly, or see an increase in size if you are trying to bulk up. This is why most diets such as Jenny Craig or gym memberships will provide a week or two free as you will see the most results during that time and will want to continue with that program. The reason diet plans can afford to give free food away for a week is because they know if people see the results they will continue the program. Also they can markup the prices on their products when they do decide to purchase because of the label and the names associated with weight loss. The average Jenny Craig user spends between $500 to $675 a month for the food (Kirk, 2014). This is crazy! Almost $700 for food which could be bought at a store, all organic for less than $300? It just goes to show how much people want the brand, the name, and do not want to put in the effort of having to make their own food, but instead have it delivered to their door and just have to heat it up. Not the best attitude if yo ask me.


Just for fun, here is possibly the most unique diet ad I have ever seen!

Do you think that a persons attitude is the main reason diets fail? Is it the diet itself? Also, why do you think some diets work for some but not others?


Sources
http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/05/26/5-reasons-diets-fail-succeed/#close
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jYWv5beWWY&spfreload=10
http://www.bestdiettips.com/jenny-craig/how-much-does-jenny-craig-cost-price-list-for-2011
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Saturated_Fats_vs_Unsaturated_Fats