Is Dieting Doing You More Harm Than Good?

We all start a diet with the best intentions, for example, to lose weight, be healthier, be fitter, be happier

But what does ‘dieting’ really do for us in the long run? Firstly, lets take a close look at what it means to diet.

Diets generally fall into one or more of the following categories:

• -          Counting calories, carbohydrates, or macronutrients

• -          Cutting out one or more foods, or entire food groups

• -          Setting strict times of when you are ‘allowed’ to eat, with no room for flexibility

• -          Promises X amount of weight loss in X amount of time

• -          Promises a ‘healthier’, ‘happier’ you

• -          Primary goal/outcome is always WEIGHT-focused

Diets are temporary fixes to more complicated problems. Most people will lose weight while on a diet – and it can be a significant amount or happen quite quickly. But how many times have you been on a diet only to come back to square one again? And how many times do you end up blaming yourself for this, feeling guilty, and then throwing in the towel altogether?  

Too often, we see clients who have been completely let-down by the diet industry. They have been through a rollercoaster of diets and weight loss programs, only to find themselves gaining all the weight back – if not more than when they first started. Each time they go through another diet, only to regain weight, it takes a huge toll on their self esteem and body image- and this is the harm in dieting.

Diets are restrictive and ultimately put our body in a state of deprivation. But our bodies are much smarter than us and will always find a way to compensate when it is not getting enough nutrition. It does this by resetting our metabolism and hormones to a new level which allows our body to hang on to all of the weight (and body fat) that we were trying to lose in the first place! This is often labelled as the ‘Set-Point theory’, i.e. our body wants to maintain its current weight and this is why it is so easy to regain all the weight back after a diet – because our metabolism and hormones are working against us!

The other problem with dieting, is that they don’t teach us how to work on building healthy habits that can lead to long-term improvements in our health.

Why is forming habits important? Well, we are creatures of habit, and once we form a habit – like brushing our teeth in the morning or making our morning coffee – it becomes engrained in our regular routine, and we end up doing these tasks on ‘autopilot’ mode.

This is where seeking professional help from a dietitian comes in. Dietitians are like coaches – guiding you every step of the way and providing tools, tips and strategies to help you tackle life’s hurdles (because let’s face it, we will always have set-backs in life, and this will also happen on a health or weight loss journey).

At Ward Nutrition, we support, empower and motivate you to form new habits that make healthy eating easier, while taking out the complication and confusion for you. By seeking professional support and learning to form new habits (rather than depriving yourself on strict diets) you will find out what nutrition and healthy eating TRULY means. THIS is how we like to help clients find nutrition – by forming healthy habits, that eventually turn into ‘autopilot’ mode, so that nutrition and healthy eating becomes as easy as making your morning coffee!

So, if you have tried numerous weight loss diets in the past but feel like you’re back at square one, If you are fed up with cutting out foods or entire food groups only to feel deprived and unhappy, OR if you just want some support with healthy eating or weight loss without the crazy dieting, book in with a ward nutrition dietitian today. We would LOVE to help you find a healthy solution and a happier you! click here to book an appointment now or read more about disordered eating patturns on our website

Written by Marley Desmares-Matters, Accredited Practicing Dietitian