Today I want to talk a little about the dieting cycle and why it’s so hard for people to “stick to it.”
It’s hard to pinpoint where this cycle begins because I think it can be different for different people. For some, it begins when we’re young and we’re told or subtly impressed upon (through media, parents or health professionals) that thin = good and fat = bad. If we don’t fit into that mold (and even if we do), feelings of fat phobia and body dysmorphia can increase. Eventually there is a trigger (again, different for each person) that encourages us to start a diet or restrict our food intake in some way.
What we don’t talk about enough is what happens when we restrict our intake → a heightened sense of available food, increased thoughts about food in general, potentially obsessive thoughts. And on top of all that’s happening psychologically, we’re hungry.
There’s a good amount of research that demonstrates what happens when we’re in a starved state (slowed metabolism, increased risk for binge eating or external eating, etc). Eventually we eat the forbidden food (or too much of the allowed food) because of psychological and biological factors. It’s not your fault — your body wants to keep you alive.
When we do eat the forbidden food or overeat, we feel bad. Like failures. Guilt seeps in. Shame overcomes us. And the effects of shame on our body and mind are not good. Shame makes us hide. It makes us leave safe spaces. Shame is associated with low self-esteem, hostility, and psychological distress. Do you think that could maybe be playing a role here?
And then we’re nearly at the start again. We sense the cultural pressure to pursue a thinner body. We fear what people think of our body. We distrust our bodies even more and resolve to do better next time. To try harder.
This cycle goes on and on for many people, and if there’s one thing to take away it’s that this is NOT your fault. This is not because you aren’t strong enough or good enough. I encourage anyone who feels like they’re on this cycle to work with an RD or therapist who specializes in eating disorder and disordered eating.
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