12 reasons to stop dieting

Before the New Year, many made promises to start a new life. Should such assurances be treated with skepticism? Most hold the false and harmful belief that we are not good enough as we are. But promises to go on a diet are especially harmful.

Why? Proper nutrition is undoubtedly important, but it is equally important to maintain a healthy relationship with food and your own body. Research shows that diets can have devastating effects in both the short and long term. More and more experts are urging clients to stop torturing themselves with diets and come to terms with their body and diet.

Only you control your body, and only you can decide whether to go on a diet. Here are 12 compelling reasons not to.

1. Diets don’t help you lose weight in the long run.

In the first few weeks on a new diet (whether it’s counting calories, cutting out a food group, following a strict diet, or whatever), most people actually lose weight. But studies show that over time, the pounds come back. Many experts believe that this is due to both physiological and psychological reasons.

First of all, dieting is not easy. “A lot of research shows that diets can increase interest in food,” says Houston-based nutritionist Kathleen Meehan. By restricting ourselves in nutrition, we only increase the craving for forbidden foods, so most people quit diets after a month or two.

Even if you manage to stick to the intended diet, the body will begin to resist weight loss. “The body views diet as a form of starvation. Protective mechanisms turn on – metabolism slows down, the production of hormones that control appetite and satiety changes, ”explains Meehan.

2. Diets interfere with listening to the true needs of the body

One of the main disadvantages of diets as such is that they teach you to eat according to some artificial rules. They interfere with listening to the hunger signals our body sends.

“Diets replace our intuition about nutrition. They seem to say: “Do this, but don’t do this. Eat this, not that. The body is wrong, but this is how it should be right. But if we abandon diets and “diet culture”, we will realize that amazing wisdom is hidden in the body. He knows how to tell how much to eat, when to stop and what foods will best energize, ”explains Calabasas nutritionist Aaron Flores.

If you want to learn how to better hear your body’s food signals, experts recommend reading Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribol and Alice Resch. The principles outlined in the book will help you abandon diets and start trusting your body by eating mindfully. Of course, consulting a professional nutritionist can also help.

3. Diets can cause you to overeat.

You go on a diet with the intention of sticking to it, and a few weeks later you find yourself stealthily eating chips or ice cream. Familiar situation? It turns out that overeating is a typical side effect of dieting.

“Over time, the body realizes that it is being deprived of food, and tries to get nutritional energy in any way possible,” says Seattle nutritionist Amy Severson.

And it is no coincidence that, indulging in “breaking bad”, we lean mainly on sweets and foods rich in starch. “I often hear from clients complaining about a real addiction to carbohydrates or sweets. When the body does not have enough food, it begins to require nutritional energy in its simplest and most accessible form – in the form of simple carbohydrates, that is, sugars, ”explains Severson.

Worse still, we can get ourselves into a vicious cycle of self-restraint-overeating. As Severson explains, when we crave carbohydrate-rich foods, we often try to limit ourselves to them even more. As a result, as you may have guessed, we can not stand it and break down.

4. In diets, some foods are considered bad and others are good, but they are not.

Some foods are indeed richer in nutrients than others, but this does not mean that they can simply be divided into “good” and “bad”. A varied diet is very important for health, and eliminating “bad” foods from the diet, we risk losing some of the nutrients.

In addition, by hanging such labels, we provoke feelings of guilt, which are bad for psychological and emotional health. “When you are on a diet, any violation of the regime causes guilt and a lot of stress. And there is already enough stress in life, why aggravate it even more? Amy Severson says

5. Diets often fail and we start to feel like failures.

According to Amy Severson, most people start self-flagellation after a failed diet. They stop following the restrictions, gain weight again and go back to where they started. “It’s sad that, statistically, that’s how a lot of people end up dieting,” says Severson.

Aaron Flores agrees with her, he says that even after several failures, many still continue to blame themselves for everything and promise to try again in the future.

6. Diets Increase Your Risk of Eating Disorders

“Restrictions on food increase our interest in it and exacerbate dissatisfaction with our own bodies — both of which increase the risk of developing eating disorders,” says Kathleen Meehan.

“Fasting and weight loss can affect brain function in some people, reinforcing the habit of severe food restrictions and making it difficult to return to a normal diet,” says the website of the Mayo Clinic, one of the best medical and research centers in the United States.

7. Diets can lead to unhealthy behavior

Due to diets, we begin to avoid visiting and attending various events – because there we will not be able to control the menu. We can literally “go crazy” by following all dietary restrictions or start exhausting ourselves with physical exercises, compensating for “overeating”.

“As a nutritionist, I often see clients who, after years of restriction, have developed a deep fear or distrust of food. Some are just afraid of gaining weight because of certain types of food, others begin to diagnose themselves with intolerance to certain foods, ”says Sarah Harbstreet, a nutritionist from Kansas City.

8. Diets exacerbate negative stereotypes about being overweight.

Most often, we go on a diet to lose extra pounds. But weight loss is not always beneficial and does not always improve health.

“Weight and health are linked in a very complex way. It is very unreasonable to evaluate the state of health only by weight, because then you can often make an erroneous conclusion about the poor health of more complete people. Research shows that smaller body size doesn’t always equate to better health, and losing weight doesn’t always improve a person’s health and well-being either, says Kathleen Meehan.

9. For health, the right lifestyle is much more important than diets.

Yes, dieting or losing weight doesn’t always improve your health, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your health in other ways.

“People of all body sizes can maintain a healthy lifestyle in a form that is right for them,” says Sarah Harbstreet.

What is included in this healthy lifestyle? Go in for sports or physical education not for the sake of losing weight, but for pleasure, vivacity and energy. Eat delicious food that brings joy. Develop and strengthen relationships with friends and loved ones so that you always have a support group. Avoid unnecessary risks – for example, do not use alcohol or drugs.

10. There are no perfect diets.

“The optimal diet for everyone is different. Experiment, trust your experience. We are all different, and to think that there is some kind of universal diet is crazy, ”says Kathleen Meehan.

“Intuitive eating that works for you is the key to feeling good,” says Amy Severson. By stopping torturing yourself with diets and starting to trust your body, you will understand from your own experience how various foods affect your physical and mental well-being.

11. You’ll be much more confident by quitting diets.

“Another plus of not dieting is that you become more confident, your self-esteem increases,” says Amy Severson. When you diet, you seem to be telling yourself that real life will only begin when you lose weight to a certain size or look a certain way. By abandoning this idea, you can start living the life you want right now.

12. Without dieting, relationships with others will improve.

“Sometimes our preoccupation with losing weight and sticking to the strictest diet can hurt relationships with friends and loved ones,” Severson explains. Just think – all the time and energy that you spend on diets, you could spend on people who are important to you.

“Getting off diets opens up new possibilities. You will be able to fully connect with friends and family, and memories will no longer be filled with disturbing experiences about food and your body, ”says Sarah Harbstreet.

“Stop treating the body as something that needs fixing”

Your body is always with you. Try to maintain a healthy relationship with him, treat him with respect, instead of punishing or limiting yourself.

“It turns out funny – when we stop “obsessing” with food and the choice of products, we begin to take care of the body more. Now we are guided not by shame and fear, but by respect and empathy,” sums up Aaron Flores.

Source: Huffington Post