The Dieting Traffic Jam

Think about driving a car. You hop in the car hoping to reach your destination with no issues along the way. Ideally, the roads are wide open, all the traffic lights are green, and no one is trying to aggressively cut you off from two lanes over. But realistically, when you go somewhere, at least one of those things is bound to go wrong. Heavy traffic, endless red lights, and hostile drivers tend to complicate what you otherwise thought was a routine trip.

When we think of dieting, we hope for the optimistic driving scenario, where reaching a weight loss goal is achievable with few barriers: quick results without much effort. But in actuality, the physical and mental highs and lows of dieting make it more like the realistic driving scenario. 

If you’ve experienced these obstacles, you are not alone. Even the most “successful” dieters face challenges associated with dieting over time. Take, for example, the contestants from the Biggest Loser. Participants were challenged to lose weight over a seven to eight month time period with the help of trainers and doctors. Six years following the conclusion of the show, participants were asked to participate in a follow-up study. Of the 16 who were originally recruited, 14 people completed the follow-up. Approximately 70% of the weight lost was regained over the six years, and participants experienced lower Resting Metabolic Rates (RMR) than what would be expected at their weights and ages. Though the sample size was extremely small, researchers warned that slow metabolic adaptation undermines efforts to quickly lose weight.

Even the intensity of the diet doesn't really impact long-term results. Some popular diet companies like to say that gradual weight loss is more effective than quick, crash diets. This is simply not true. In one study of 60 people, participants were placed on either a low-calorie diet (500 calories per day over five days) or a very low-calorie diet (1250 calories per day over 12 days). Researchers found that at follow-up, 9 months after the conclusion of the study, participants from both groups regained on average more than 50% of the weight they lost. Though low-calorie diets appear to resemble healthy lifestyles, they are just as ineffective as crash diets. 

These studies show that dieting practices do not lead to sustainable results. In addition to physical complications, dieting can induce psychological stress. From frustrations with calorie restrictions to the feelings of guilt for “giving in” to cravings, dieting can send anyone on an emotional roller coaster. Furthermore, not seeing the aspired-to number on the scale repeatedly can break anyone’s spirits. 

It’s time to liken dieting to a big traffic: irritating, headache-inducing, and no clear way to go. It’s bad for our physical, emotional, and mental health. If you yearn for open roads, contact a local, non-diet dietitian about an approach that addresses your goals and all of the facets of your health.

What is "Diet Culture"?

It’s always important to prioritize living a healthy lifestyle, and making choices that are good for your overall health and wellbeing. We all want to do our best to eat right and feel good. However, dieting isn't, and never will be, equivalent to living a healthy lifestyle. In fact, dieting is just about the worst thing you can do for your health. The extreme calorie restriction and nutrient deprivation that we put our bodies through when we go on a diet puts the body into a state of stress, which actually sets us up to gain weight rather than lose it. The stress caused by dieting is also bad for the immune system and for maintaining stable moods. In our culture today, diets go in and out of fashion the same way clothes and hairstyles do. It seems that there is always a new trendy diet to try. This is diet culture. Diet culture has completely warped our sense of what it really means to live a healthy lifestyle, by prioritizing weight and shape over health and wellness. Diet culture convinces us that we need to resort to drastic actions, such as cutting out entire food groups, or adhering to rigid ways of eating, in order to be healthy. Diet culture promotes fad diets as legitimate options for achieving optimal health and nutrition. Diet culture teaches us to fear food, and to distrust our bodies. 

It is easy to spot the influence of diet culture around us when we know what to look for. Any person, brand, or company attaching any kind of moral virtue to food is promoting diet culture. When we look at food through the lens of diet culture, we are only able to see “good” and “bad” foods, and as a result, start to see ourselves as “good” or “bad” for eating them. This is where the concept of “cheating” comes from. You can “cheat” on a diet, and the outcome is feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness. However, when you are living a life of true health that is balanced and focused on overall wellness, foods no longer have a moral virtue attached. There is only food, and how your body responds to the food you put into it. You are not a failure or a “cheater” for eating cake, cake is not “bad”. You are simply a human being, listening to and honoring your body, and choosing to nourish your soul as well as your body. It is about time we reject the influence of diet culture, and stop attaching morals to the food we eat. Food just simply doesn’t have that much power!

Diet culture can be extremely toxic, but you can choose to consciously reject diets and diet culture, and live a healthy and balanced life. The mixed messages coming from diet culture can make it very difficult to make decisions about food and nutrition, so it’s always advisable to consult a qualified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist about implementing good eating habits. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists use evidence based nutrition principles, and are trained to give expert health advice.