Why Most Diets Fail
In this post I talk about diets in the context of weight-loss to make a clear distinction to various dietary choices for health or ethical reasons. I believe in bio-individuality meaning that we all have different needs and values that are influenced by several factors such as our body type, environment, lifestyle, age, gender, culture and so on. Please remember I’m not a physician or a weight-loss expert, and this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.
I know - you know probably too - people who have gone through countless starvation diets and binging cycles over the years. I’m talking about these chronic dieters who would do a juice cleanse program for two weeks, next month they would go for a low-carb carnivore diet, and the list goes on. Ironically more often than not these dieters only end up gaining more and more weight over time. There’s no quick fixes if you want to have long-term results. You didn’t get those extra pounds over night either. Time magazine released a long article about The Weight Loss Trap where so many people end up. Here’s a few things that may help you to understand why diets - in vast majority of cases - fail miserably:
It’s Not Only About The Food
99% of the time the issue with the food, is not about the food. It’s something much, much deeper. Where does the desire to lose weight come from? Do you really need to lose weight to be healthy? Is it for health reasons or just to look certain way? Our concept of beauty and ideal body has changed over time and varies across cultures. If you believe the mainstream media message, you’re likely be inclined to think that beauty is defined by external things like perfect bone structure that matches with the current beauty idealization. And if you don’t possess these features, there must be something deeply wrong with you and you should do everything to change it with all kinds of products and procedures - as if more treatments equal more beauty. Way too often my friends - often in “normal weight” range - have told me that they would be happier and would find love if they were just thinner. In these cases that’s so not true. Genuine happiness, true love or joy aren’t tight to external things. On the other hand, if you really struggle with health issues and maintaining your healthy weight range, then it’s important to figure out why that is before you start doing any drastic dietary changes - otherwise you would soon bounce back to your old habits. The answer is not always easy to find. For some that can be due stress which leads to emotional eating. Or maybe that’s due to medication or hormonal imbalances. All areas of life needs to be looked at in order to succeed long term.
The Calorie Myth
If someone asks how many calories I eat in a day, the answer is I don’t know and I really don’t care. Focusing on calories is misleading - it doesn’t work. Well, it may work in an ”isolated” laboratory setting and for engines but our living, breathing, digesting systems are way-way more complex than that. Calorie counting is a relatively new innovation: it wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that calories were used to measure the energy in food and the energy expended by the body. Shawn Stevenson made a brilliant episode on his podcast Model Health Show about the concept of a calorie and its history. Prior to this invention nobody was counting calories, and measuring food obsessively wasn’t a thing. At the same time the vast majority of people were slim and healthy.
All calories are not created equal. 500 calories of bananas is not the same as 500 calories of processed junk food. Your body knows exactly what to do with real, whole foods but it has zero idea what to do with industrialized processed ”foods” that are pumped with all kinds of toxic chemicals. According to Mark Hyman, MD, ”Food doesn’t just contain calories, it contains information” these are codes for your body to create either health or disease. Food preparation can impact on how efficiently your body is able to assimilate and use energy. For instance, some foods become easier to digest and some vitamins easier to absorb after cooking like in the case of tomatoes. Our individual constitution, and digestive health have an effect on how much energy we can actually take in from the food we eat. If someone has issues with their gut-lining some food will go through digestive system without been properly digested and assimilated as fuel. Also, processed foods can mess up with metabolism, alter gut bacteria causing intestinal inflammation, which can lead to various issues and weight gain. All the added refined sugar, fat, salt, as well as all kinds of weird chemicals make junk foods highly addictive.
Restriction = Starvation Mode
When it comes to hormones, women are very different to men. Female health experts such as Dr Jolene Brighten and Alisa Vitti warn that longer periods of time without food can lead to hormone disruption in women. This is because a ”starvation signal” puts the body into a preserve and protect mode slowing down non-essential functions like reproduction. This can negatively affect estrogen levels, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. Your body doesn’t know you are on a diet with an intention to lose weight. It believes you are starving and has know idea whether and when it’s going to get enough food again. Long-term under-fueling and yo-yo dieting can even lead to bone loss. Lack of essential vitamins and minerals will make you to lose your external beauty: brittle hair, dull skin, weak nails are all common symptoms. Constant hunger keeps you in a bad mood and awake at night.
When you go back to ’normal’ eating, and start eating again according to your pre-dieting energy needs, you start to gain weight because the body wants to save as much energy as possible to be prepared for the next starvation period, and it tries to do everything to go back to its set point weight, the weight that is ’natural and healthy’ for your individual body. If you go under it, the body starts to fight back by slowing down your metabolism. The good news is that if you go over by eating more than you need, your body does the exact opposite by speeding up your metabolism to try to keep your weight at the level where it’s healthy for you.
A few years back an interesting study was released which looked at the Biggest Loser competitors’ longer term weight loss success, and the results were reported on the New York Times. After six years most of them had gained significant amounts of their weight back and those who were capable of staying in ’normal BMI range’ managed to do it at the cost of reduced metabolism. Yet, the science is not unanimous on whether the slowed metabolism will be a longer term struggle or something that the body would heal back to normal over time.
What to Do Instead?
1. Make Peace With Yourself
We are all unique. You don’t need to like everything about your body but give it the love that it deserves. Your body is a miracle, beautiful and whole exactly as it is. Our thoughts and words are extremely powerful - choose them wisely. If you think constantly negatively about your body, you will look miserable as a result and could literally make yourself sick. The kinder we are to ourselves, the kinder we are to others.
2. Nourish Yourself
With beautiful foods you can restore your natural beauty. I firmly believe that our bodies are built to heal themselves. You need to be patient and trust the healing process. If you have high cortisol levels, you should have regular meals in a quiet relaxed environment as Dr Jolene Brighten explains. This also helps you to keep your blood sugar levels in balance. The worst idea is to kick off your day with a cup of black coffee - just don’t do that! Choose simple fresh meals prepared with loving hands. Respect your body’s intuition and what it needs. No restrictions. No extreme diets. No carb, fat or protein obsession - we need them all. Food should make you feel radiant and loved.
3. Emotional Wellbeing
Use your own body as a guinea pig, and journal your progress and emotions. If something makes sense and works for you, go for it. There is so much confusing, misleading information about health and diets in the media. Our thoughts and visions will eventually create our future. And make sure you get enough quality sleep. Studies after studies have shown that lack of sleep can cause mental health issues and weight gain. I take this very seriously because I have noticed how awful I look if I haven’t slept enough (wrinkly skin, dark circles around the eyes) and how horrible I feel (cannot concentrate, constipation, etc.). I turn off all the electronic devices and use an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.
4. Learn To Breath Through Your Nose
Breath and oxygen are essential for our life on the planet. You can survive weeks without foods, a couple of days without water, but without oxygen most of us would die within minutes. When you breathe correctly you feel so much more calm and better in your body. Today most of us don’t know how to breathe and as result have all kinds of health issues due to constant mouth breathing both mentally (such as anxiety, and depression) and physically (like crooked teeth). Recently a student of mine recommended James Nestor’s work about breath. I’m currently reading his fantastic book!
5. Take Care Of Your Physical Body
I believe in moving your body in a way that promotes your natural grace, tone, and beauty. Exercising is a great way to eliminate toxins because it activates the entire lymphatic system and encourages elimination through the colon, lungs, and skin. I don’t recommend anyone to move excessively since it can lead to premature aging and injuries. Find an activity that makes you feel good and is attainable. Also, keep yourself groomed and dress nicely without any specific reason.
6. Find An Accountability Coach, Ask For Help, Be Patient
Know that you don’t need to be alone AND you are not alone with your issues. Making lifestyle changes is easier when you have someone to be accountable for. I recommend having someone outside your home to talk to so that you don’t need to overwhelm your family members. And make healthy, sustainable changes to your life one step at a time.
If you struggle with implementing healthy lifestyle habits, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to offer you a FREE 45-minute consultation.
Lots of Love!
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
Books:
The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
Podcasts:
Shawn Stevenson - the Model Health Show: The Secret History of the Calorie
Articles:
Alisa Vitti: Intermitting Fasting and Hormonal Health - What You Need to Know
NYTimes: After ’The Biggest Loser’, Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight
DrBrighten: How to Fix a Hormone Imbalance - 5 Hormones & Foods to Support Them