I had to get something off my heart. Pun totally intended. .
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Sometimes, I'm not great at sharing my message, especially when it comes to diets. Mostly because, I've done it all. I try not to share too many popular names in the diet world because they can be triggering, especially those working through ED or BED. .
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As a nutrition student, I know there are no BAD foods. There are also no GOOD foods. .
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Food is food. Food provides nourishment & pleasure. Food evokes memories & celebrates family traditions & honors cultures.
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So, here's the thing. Diets fail to evoke any of these things.
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They lead you to believe restriction is key. Restriction provides nourishment and pleasure. That's crazy talk, I know.
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I think the scary thing now is we are no longer calling it a diet. We are using the word "lifestyle" to mask maladaptive behaviors. The truth with short term weight loss is that most individuals regain weight over time (Dombrowski, Avenell, & Sniehott, 2010; Simpson, Shaw, & McNamara, 2011).
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Most people that change their "lifestyles" regain their weight within 2-5 years, but even though they see the external changes, their hearts take the biggest hit.
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Dieting and weight cycling are not limited to those who are considered overweight or obese! Believe it or not, an increasing majority of people with normal body weight are the ones attempting to lose weight. .
You don't have to take my word for it. It's in the RESEARCH. It's not in the promotion videos or the front page of magazines in the grocery aisle.
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To me, it's just not worth it. .
Weight cycling contributes to poor cardiometabolic health (Montani, Schutz, & Dulloo, 2015).
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Have a heart for your heart.
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Diets still suck.
