Why Don’t Diets Work?

Warm weather has arrived, and with it so has increased insecurity about our bodies. We are looking hesitantly at those shorts from last year and dreading our kids’ requests to go to the pool. As our anxiety about our bodies increase, we often feel desperate and maybe even start looking at diet plans which we hope will magically make those problem areas disappear. We search online to see pills, cleanses, diet plans, food restriction ideas, and work out plans which we unfairly expect will make us look like models in magazines.

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Here are a few reasons why diets don’t work, and may even be dangerous:

1. The “Quick Fix” Mentality: If you are searching online for a good weight loss plan for you, and find anything which says you can lose more than about 2 pounds per week, or 8 pounds per month, keep searching. Two pounds per week is the standard, known amount of weight loss which is healthy for us. Severe restriction plans like cleanses can negatively impact metabolism and cause weight gain over time, not to mention have potentially dangerous and unhealthy consequences.

2. Our Evolutionary Drives: Our bodies have evolved over the ages to survive under a variety of conditions and circumstances. It makes sense, then, that our bodies would want a fat reserve in order to give us the best chances for surviving if food becomes in short supply. It also makes sense that if food is restricted, say with a diet, that your body will increase messages to your brain and signals physiologically that we are hungry. Restricting food can lead to a natural cycle of binging to compensate.

3. Sustainability: Diets are not sustainable for the long-run. It is unlikely that you are going to be able to restrict carbohydrates forever, for example, or drink just lemon juice one week at a time each and every month. In order to lose weight we need a permanent life style change with healthy food choices and reasonable work out plans.

4. The Outside-In Model: Looking to improve self-esteem from the outside is the wrong direction. Good self-esteem should not be entirely linked to a number on the scale, how our abs look in a bikini, or whether someone tries to flirt with us. Self-esteem has to come from within. Happiness with ourselves is a choice and can be improved upon, either individually or with help from a mental health professional.

Overall, look at making permanent, healthy lifestyle changes for yourself if you would like to work on your weight and health in general. Consider that you will need to have reasonable expectations for healthy weight loss, nutrition, and exercise, and you will need to change habits and lifestyle to have positive results.

Also, beware: bad self-esteem, quick fix diets, restriction, and too much exercise is the recipe for disordered eating and the potential development of an eating disorder. Please be cautious about the messages you are giving yourself and passing onto the next generation about weight, health, and diets.