5 Reasons Why Diets Fail

Hello beautiful people. Sorry to break it to you, but diets DO NOT work. In fact, they do more than not work – they FAIL!

Yes, I said it. Living in a culture where “thinner is better” and “thinner = healthier”, no one dares to criticize dieting. After all, this is how food industries and businesses make money. Additionally, “everyone else is doing it” so let’s just jump onto the bandwagon, right? WRONG. Once you step into that wagon, a ‘slippery slope’ phenomenon is inevitable. 

Commonly unknown to the average person, 96-99% of people who lose weight on a diet gain it back within a year. For every diet one goes on, he/she gains 11 pounds. Yes, GAINS! The only thing one loses on a diet is a zest for life; self-love; social and mental freedom; willpower; time; strength (i.e. muscle loss); etc. The list goes on and on. Moral of the story? Don’t get sucked in by these quick weight loss diets, drugs, or supplements that promise the impossible. This midframe is one of the main causes of weight gain to begin with. As a society, we have lost touch with our bodies and are moving way too fast to witness what we’re truly doing to our health and metabolism.

So what are these MAIN REASONS WHY DIETS FAIL?

1. When we artificially restrict caloric intake (which is what characterizes most diets), our bodies go into what’s termed a “survival response.” Scientifically, this is a physiological stress response following a prolonged period of food supply cut-off. Our bodies view this as famine or a natural disaster and so automatically go into survival mode. Intelligently enough, with the main goal of keeping you alive, the brain signals the body to hold onto body weight, to store body fat, to stop building muscle, and to burn as few calories as possible. The body thinks it is starving. It thinks it is on a deserted island with very limited food supply. It’s main way out is to physiologically slow down calorie-burning metabolism. Isn’t this the opposite of what diets claim to do? Yep, it sure is. The mantra of calories in/calories out being the key to weight loss must be thrown into the garbage. Not all calories are created equal. Those low fat, sugar-free muffins you’re eating are actually increasing hunger and slowing your metabolism. Not only that, they are spiking your insulin levels, leaving you hungry shortly after, when they crash. Go grab that whole grain avocado and egg toast instead for that protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs your body so desperately needs.

   
   

2. Majority of diets involve either skipping meals or eating too little. By skipping breakfast and then having a tiny lunch, the body’s natural bio-nutritional circadian rhythm gets out of whack. Naturally, our bodies burn the most calories during mid-day hours, around 12-1:30 pm. When dieting, this goes out of balance and your body goes into that survival response and again slows down calorie and fat burning during those missed or minimal meals. Yep, I’ll say it again – diets don’t work!

   
   

3. Since most diets focus on calories, they frequently make you restrict your dietary fat intake. This is because fat, out of all the 3 macronutrients (i.e. carbs, protein, and fat), has the highest caloric content per gram - 9 compared to 3 for carbohydrates and proteins. Many of us equate dietary fat (i.e. fat in food) to body fat. This is FALSE! It is an old, outdated science. In fact, fats, specifically EFA’s – are vital to life. When we are too low in fat, not only do our brains become foggy, but our bodies become clinically fat deficient and thus lose the ability to lose weight. But wait, it gets even worse. Get ready to say goodbye to that Loreal model’s shiny hair and forget about becoming a mother someday. Fat deficiency also results in: constipation, dry skin, brittle hair and nails, digestive weakness, fatigue, poor memory, mood issues, secondary amenorrhea (i.e. the cessation of a females’ menstrual cycle), etc. If all those are fine with you, then go ahead, grab that zero percent Greek yogurt for breakfast and skip that salad dressing.

   
   

4. Remember how I said earlier that you lose joy; and social and mental freedom when on a diet? Well, that is because when you diet, you come to learn to hate food. Food becomes the enemy and you fight it. Appetite, too, becomes your nemesis and so you do anything and everything to suppress it with your thoughts and emotions. You lie to yourself; whether you want to realize it or not. These thoughts are simply biologically absurd as food is essential to life. Fighting the need and/or desire for food is like fighting the need for oxygen, for blood flow. During this ongoing battle with our appetite and need for food, we expose ourselves to a physiological stress response. We become vulnerable to increased cortisol and insulin secretion. Both signal our bodies to hold onto weight and to burn fat as slowly as possible, proving once again, why diets fail!

   
   

5. If the above wasn’t enough for you to say “hasta la vista” to dieting, then I hope this final reason does the trick. Diets do not work, because they deprive us of pleasure. God forbid we allow ourselves to have that slice of chocolate cake. We automatically do one of two things. One, respond by punishing ourselves by restricting because we “gave in” or we “cheated.” Or two, say, “What the heck! Might as well eat the entire cake.” We lose control and eat way more than we emotionally and physically need (i.e. binging), leaving us feeling mentally and physically sick. When pleasure is diminished and is instead replaced with self-hatred, blame, and regret, our body becomes even more hungry, more greedy. The more you deny yourself the pleasure of food and nourishment, the more readily you will go into that physiological stress response and the more weight-loss resistant you will become. 

So let us all jump off that diet bandwagon and get back into real nourishment. When you cut ties with endless dieting, not only will your body find its true, NATURAL weight, but you will rekindle old ties and make friends with food, appetite, and pleasure.

On the other side of restriction is physiological relaxation.

On the other side of dieting is freedom.