Diets don't work. Deal with it.

The noun is indicative of what the word traditionally means – what we put in our mouths – meaning everyone is technically on a diet all of the time. However, due to many factors including the unrelenting rise of the weight management and diet industry – that is forecast to be worth $259.8 billion globally by 2022 – most people associate the term ‘diet’ with the alternative definition. So that to you and I dieting means to restrict foods and drinks with weight loss as a goal.

A survey conducted in 2016 found that almost half (48%) of all adults in the UK have tried to lose weight in the last year and of these two thirds (representing more than 30% of the adult population!!) said they are trying to lose weight ‘all or most of the time’. At the same time as all of this we have unprecedented levels of not only obesity but body dissatisfaction and body shame for people of all body sizes.

This leads me to pose the question – ‘are diets a waste of time?’ (Spoiler alert...they are!)

The dangers of dieting

Currently, we have no good evidence that any form of diet (and trust me many, many different diets have been and are being tested in research) for weight loss is successful in the long-term. In fact, it's been estimated that no more than 20% of participants in weight loss research maintain that weight loss after 1 year. The number of people who maintain this weight loss drops again after 2 years and after 5 years there are estimates that up to 77% of participants regain their original weight, and some.

For many people trying to lose weight can seem like a never-ending battle. Weight loss is inevitably followed by weight gain; this is known as weight cycling or ‘yo-yo’ dieting. Research suggests that weight cycling is directly linked with higher risk of high blood pressure and some cancers, as well as overall risk of death. 

As well as often not being good for our long-term health, in the short-term diets can have an immediate obvious impact on our mental well-being. Common traits of dieters include weight and food preoccupation, body dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety and binge eating.

Weight re-gain is inevitable in part because everyone has their own fixed weight set-point, predetermined by genetics. If you just take a second to look around at the diversity of body shapes and sizes it becomes logical that there is unlikely to be a very narrow range of weight we should all ‘fit’ into.

As well as this many diets are highly restrictive and exclude food groups and important nutrients for reasons not founded in good science. As an example, very low carbohydrate diets, such as the ketogenic or Atkins diets, have very low fibre intake. This can be detrimental to health as fibre is important for digestive health as well as for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.

Many diets are also tempting as they offer promise of a ‘quick-fix’ and ‘rapid weight loss’; for example, the newly established Whole30 diet, where dieters cut out alcohol, sugar, grains, legumes, dairy and additives for 30 days, lures people in under the assumption that 30 days is all it takes to get the body they want. However, invariably after such a restrictive diet over-eating of previously off-limits foods occurs and as overall relationship with foods has not changed weight creeps back on.

So, what can we bloody well do then?!

We are often sold myths with diets, it’s important to judge expectations with what can realistically be achieved for your body. Although it might sometimes seem challenging if our bodies don't align completely with the socially accepted ‘perfect’ body, we have to accept and make peace with them as they are. This means treating our bodies kindly and with respect; listening to what they need and nourishing them with foods, drinks and self-care practices that help them function as they should.

Shifting focus from weight management to health promotion (think wellness not weight!) means incorporating gentle nutrition with no restrictions on ANY foods. People who eat intuitively, so in accordance with how foods make their bodies feel, tend to eat a balance of a wide variety of foods, benefiting both their short and long-term health.

If this sounds like it makes complete sense to you and you would like some more information, have a read through my other blogs on intuitive eating. Or if you're ready to take an even bigger step, give me a call for an informal discussion on how you can start your intuitive eating journey.