Why dieting doesn't work

We’ve all at some point been on a ‘diet’ involving eliminating certain food groups or restricting our calories throughout the days, weeks, or even months.

When we total up how many ‘diets’ we’ve been on I’m guessing the total number is more than one, more realistically somewhere in the double-digit region.

If a ‘diet’ did what it was supposed to do, then why are we having to repeat certain diets, or start new ones? Is it because we’ve failed, or life has got in the way? No, it’s simply because they do not work.

A ‘diet’ isn’t supposed to consume our lives, it’s there to support us, help us live and function like actual human beings.

You might argue a 'diet' does work. There’s been a time you’ve seen a significant drop in your weight following a couple of weeks of dieting, that’s totally normal when motivation and willpower are high. However, when our motivation dips and our body physically cannot last on this ridiculously low number of calories we see a rapid increase in weight, often due to consuming large amounts of foods to compensate for a few weeks of starvation.

So, again, we must ask ourselves, has this 'diet' worked? In the short-term, yes, we’ve lost weight. But, in the long-term, no, we’ve ended up right where we started, but now we’ve got a bad relationship with food, and an overshadowing feeling of guilt and failure - and probably a stone heavier than when you first started.

So why is it we can’t keep the weight off? Why don’t 'diet's work?

Firstly, they are a temporary solution. It’s always a weekly or monthly thing, we are bound to put on weight when, and even if, we complete the 'diet'.

Secondly, some diets just aren’t practical or realistic. There’s going to be events, parties, and occasions where temptation is going to give in, and rightly so.

Are you really going to never have a piece of birthday cake? No, of course not, birthday cake is delicious and is there to be enjoyed.

Are you really going to cut out carbs forever? Never have fish and chips again? Nah, forget that! So if you're on a no-carb diet - then as soon as you eat carbs again it will pile on again...and fast!

Lastly, when on a fad diet - we don’t learn the fundamentals of a healthy diet. We drastically cut calories to provide a temporary solution, but don’t learn how to keep the weight off.

Therefore, when our 'diet' ends we don’t have the tools to keep the weight off, causing us to end up where we began.

Diets are short-term solutions to a long-term problem, and that’s why they do not work.

Weight loss is not resolved by a quick fix, but rather a lifestyle change. To ensure we lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way, we must learn and change the way we eat, move, and live.

We must create sustainable eating habits that will allow us to sit at a consistent weight with minor fluctuations throughout our lives, rather than repeatedly following unhealthy dieting fads.

You've made the best first step with this by joining Happy Healthy & Rosie! This is the exact reason I created my community, plan and of course this site. To make this journey easier for you, and for you to change your lifestyle long-term.

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Rosie ❤️