Why Dieting Doesn't Work

Have you ever said the following phrase:

"If I could just have more willpower, I would choose more nutritious foods and lean out." Many people turn to dieting to reach their ideal weight goals- which according to the IFIC, about 1/3 of the USA is on a specific diet (funny fad diets are found at the bottom of this email).  Even athletes as young as middle school or high school can fall into the dieting tricks, especially to try and improve in their sport.  In addition, it was found that 95% of diets FAIL.  So why do we continue the cycle of dieting?

It's not the individual's fault that they fail at dieting.  Instead, it is the diet's fault for setting the dieter up for failure.  Issues with diets 

#1 is that our bodies were designed to survive and adapt.  When someone performs extreme restriction, the body adapts to learn how to survive off of fewer calories.  This leads to a slower metabolism.  

#2 Diets are confusing.  There is way too much bogus information in the media coming from unqualified people who should not be giving nutrition advice.  

#3 Diets are not a realistic way to live.  Life is full of surprises, fun events/occasions, and crazy schedules.  When someone is on a diet, there is a constant food battle going on of whether to stick to their diet, or cave into the social or situational temptations.  This increases the likelihood of depression, negative body image, and feelings of failure.

You might be wondering: "Ok Katelyn, if I can't diet, what can I do instead?"  Instead of dieting

#1 Find the right mindset.  Instead of feeling deprived, flip your thinking into feeling fueled with foods that are going to make you feel your best. Instead of feeling out of control, flip that thinking into viewing yourself as an empowered eater.

#2 Make sure your nutrition information is coming from a credible source.  The most educated people in the subject of nutrition are Registered Dietitians.  For those in sports or fitness, a sports dietitian is even better!  If someone is a fitness coach, nutritionist, doctor, or blogger, make sure you double check the information they are claiming is true.  A couple of online credible resources are eatright.org, choosemyplate.gov, and todaysdietitian.  

#3 Work with a dietitian to figure out an individualized plan that is best for YOU!  We are not robots.  Everyone has a different body, different metabolisms, different schedules, different food preferences, etc.  Any program that offers a cookie cutter diet is not looking out for your specific needs.

Funny fad diets found here: https://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/11-weirdest-diets-in-history **Disclaimer: I do not recommend any of the diets found in this article.  It is just for laughs.