Every year, 150 million people in the U.S. try to lose weight through dieting. And of that 150 million, 95% of them are failing at achieving or maintaining their weight loss goals over a 3-5 year period. That’s a HUGE number, right? I know personally when I first heard this statistic I had a really hard time wrapping my brain around this, so I wanted to break down the reason why so many people are failing at something that is sold to us every day as a “solution to our problems.”
So here’s what I’ve learned about why diets don't work. Biology is much more powerful than willpower. Our bodies are designed to keep us at a steady weight and when we try to mess with our internal weight control mechanisms by restricting our food intake, biology kicks into high gear. Neurotransmitters are released in our bodies after fat loss that increase our appetite and decrease our metabolism, causing us to gain back any weight lost.
And it gets better! Not only do we gain back the weight we lost after dieting, but 83% of us will ultimately end up gaining more weight than we had initially weighed before we started the diet. Wild, right?
Diets cause us to become out of touch with our body’s natural hunger and fullness signals. We become so dependent on external signals for when, what, and how much to eat that we forget that we were all born knowing how to eat intuitively.
Dieting is also the number one predictor of developing eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. Statistics show that 1/3 of all people who diet will end up somewhere on the eating disorder spectrum.
Diets often lead to “diet-binge cycling” in which dieting leads to obsessive food thoughts and craving which leads to binge eating which then causes feelings of shame and guilt which… you guessed it!... leads right back to dieting. It’s a vicious cycle and one that I know I personally was stuck in for years.
Weight cycling (as in losing and gaining weight with yo-yo dieting) can be physically dangerous and is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. Studies show that weight cycling is more stressful and difficult for the body to handle than just living in a larger body.
Weight cycling also takes a toll emotionally. Failure at dieting (which, as we learned, is almost inevitable) leads to feelings of shame, guilt, poor self-esteem, feeling that there's something wrong with us.
Diets are not one size fits all. Everyone's body has its own unique needs based on many factors including genetics, underlying health conditions, height, natural set point weight, lifestyle, allergies, etc.
Diet "success," as in suppressing our weight long term, can be physically dangerous. "Successful" dieters are at risk for malnutrition, bone loss, anxiety, brain fog, cardiac events, infertility, and more.
You might be thinking at this point, “If not dieting, then what?” Stay up to date with weekly tips and advice on how to feel sane around food and pursue your health goals without ever dieting again. Follow me on Instagram or TikTok @aimeesampsoncoaching or if you'd like more personalized 1:1 support, schedule your FREE consult call today!
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