5 Reasons Not to Diet in 2017

Posted on January 10, 2017April 6, 2017 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

It is that time of year: When New Year’s resolutions have been set. Many headlines promote the “newest” diet trends to “jump start” weight loss in 2017.

If you make this resolution year after year with little results & lots of frustration have you ever considered NOT dieting?

Want to get off the diet roller coaster? Make peace with food? Feel more in control of your eating? If you answered yes to any of these I encourage you to set a new type of resolution: NOT to diet in 2017 or really ever again.

Why you ask? I will give you five good reasons:

1. Dieting doesn’t work for long-term weight regulation. Scientists don’t have any good data that shows dieting works consistently in reducing weight, long-term.Continue reading→

May 6th is International #NoDietDay

Posted on May 6, 2015May 8, 2015 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Of course if I had it my way…EVERYDAY would be #NoDietDay!!

Here are just a few stats on dieting:

1. 95% of diets fail (weight is regained). ***Note: Diets fail–NOT people***

2. 20-25% of dieters progress to disordered eating or clinical eating disorders.

3. Studies show that dieting among female adolescents is a shared risk factor for purging, binge eating and overweight.

4. Food restriction increases risk for overeating and binge eating.

5. Studies suggest that dieting is a predictor of future weight GAIN.

6. Making people feel bad about their weight is a strong predictor of obesity.

7. It has been speculated that weight cycling (gaining and losing of weight) leads to chronic inflammation which is linked to cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

Sources:

The Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders

The Science Daily Study: “Simply being called ‘fat’ makes young girls more likely to become obese: Trying to be thin is like trying to be tall”.

The Science Daily Study: “Dieting does not work, researchers say”.

Study: Influence of obesity, physical inactivity, weight cycling on chronic inflammation (2010).

Study: Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer (2007).

Study: Examination of shared risk and protective factors for overweight and disordered eating among adolescents (2010).

Can’t Follow a Diet?

Posted on February 2, 2015April 6, 2017 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Whether you are a chronic dieter or a newbie at dieting—you know diets are tough to “stay on”.

Lack of willpower or personal shortcoming is often sighted as the reason people can’t follow a diet. I believe that lack of willpower is not the reason for diet failure, but the diet itself. There is little to no evidence that shows dieting works to reduce body weight (and keep it off) in large sample sizes of people. Most studies indicate that dieting works for a while, but isn’t a long-term solution.

If you have been on several diets this may sound familiar: You are able to follow a diet for a few weeks or months, then you get side-tracked and go “off” the diet and then re-gain lost weight.

There are so many bad things about dieting, beside dieting’s ineffectiveness, I don’t know where to begin. But, here are just a few of my gripes about dieting:Continue reading→

Your Brain on a Diet

Posted on January 7, 2015December 22, 2014 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

In my last post, New Year’s Resolution: Ditch the Diet, I explained that dieting is ineffective form of weight regulation for most people, is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder and can wreak havoc on our self-esteem.

In this post I am excited to share Dr. Sandra Aamodt’s TEDS talk-the neuroscience behind why dieting doesn’t work.

Dr. Sandra Aamodt, a neuroscientist, explains how our brains regulate our body weight like a thermostat which makes dieting an ineffective way to lose weight.

Dr. Aamodt’s talk starts out a little dry and slow, but hang in there. She offers compelling research on how to improve your health regardless of body weight, throws in humor and her personal experience with dieting. Which had me laughing and crying by the end.

It is definitely worth 12 or so minutes of your time.

New Year’s Resolution: Ditch the Diet

Posted on January 5, 2015December 21, 2014 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Yes, that is right. Set a New Year’s Resolution NOT DIET in 2015 (or really ever again).

Why you ask? I will give you five good reasons:

1. Dieting doesn’t work for long-term weight regulation. Scientists don’t have any good data that shows dieting works consistently in reducing weight, long-term, in populations of people.

2. Dieting can lead to weight gain. Dieting can produce short-term weight loss, but more often than not, it leads to regaining of lost weight and sometimes even more. Some clinicians argue that the losing/gaining weight cycle (sometimes referred to as weight cycling) is what causes health problems in overweight and obese individuals (Versus elevated body weight.).

3. Dieting is a known risk factor for developing an eating disorder. The causes of eating disorders are very complex and researchers have identified several risk factors for developing an eating disorder which include dieting, temperament, gender, etc. Not to say that all people who diet will develop an eating disorder, but it may increase your risk.

4. Dieting can make us feel a little crazy. At the start of a diet there is promise that the diet will bring control over eating (and sometimes our lives). But, ever notice when you are dieting that you spend more time thinking about food? Or that when your dieting you begin to feel very uncomfortable around food? Maybe you avoid certain social situations because you are dieting. I would argue that dieting leads to more preoccupation with food, weight/shape which leaves less head space to think about other things.

Additionally, when we aren’t able to follow our diet (Not because of laziness or lack of will power by the way, see 1#.) it can lead to an increase in feelings of shame and failure. These feelings can often drive us further from self-care and in some people it can lead to OVEREATING.

To learn more about the psychological effects of food restriction click here.

5. Dieting doesn’t equal improved health. See #1, #2, #3, #4

In my next few posts I will discuss further reasons why dieting doesn’t work and what one might do as an alternative to dieting.

Eating Disorder Prevention: Lessons learned at NEDA

Posted on October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Last week I attended the National Eating Disorder Association’s (NEDA) annual conference in San Antonio. I have attended many professional conferences on eating disorders, but NEDA’s was unique. Attendees and presenters included professionals who treat clients with eating disorders, eating disorder prevention specialists and those who have been affected by eating disorders (individuals that are at different points in their recovery & family and friends of loved ones with an eating disorder).

I attended several different sessions ranging from binge eating disorder, media & eating disorders, eating disorders in midlife to name a few. I wanted to share the with you two important points about eating disorder prevention that I learned:

1. Resources (money, people) are the largest barrier to implementing eating disorder prevention programs. There are genetic risk factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders (being female is one example). And there are modifiable risk factors such as body dissatisfaction and dieting.

Eating disorder prevention programs obviously target the modifiable risk factors in order to prevent some eating disorders. An example of an evidence based eating disorder prevention program includes: The Body Project which aims to reduce the drive for thinness in adolescent and college age females.

Want to become more involved in the prevention of eating disorders? Check out these resources: National Eating Disorder Association and Eating Disorders Coalition .

2. Obesity and eating disorder prevention programs could be combined to help reduce eating disorders and help improve health. While there are plenty of obesity prevention programs in schools and in other public and private health arenas, eating disorder prevention is rarely included. As I reflect on my own community here in Austin, I am not aware of obesity prevention program that also include an eating disorder prevention component.

Could the “war on obesity*” cause unintentional harm–exacerbate eating problems (including weight regulation) and eating disorders in some people? Most likely yes. Let’s take a look at caloric restriction (dieting) which is commonly promoted to help reduce obesity. Dieting is linked with an increase risk of eating disorders in youth (Haines et al 2010, 2007; Field et al 2003). Dieting has been linked with an increase in binge eating and can increase the risk of weight gain. Furthermore, there is little to no evidence that dieting works to regulate weight over ones lifespan in the obese population.

In the spirit of “do no harm”-obesity and eating disorder prevention programs should be developed and executed together. Prevention programs that promote good nutrition while allowing for a variety of foods, family meals, fun physical activity, promotion of size acceptance, positive body image, etc. mostly like help with weight regulation and help prevent some eating disorders. Prevention programs should discourage dieting and weight shaming.

*There are so many things that make me uncomfortable with the “war on obesity”. I would need to write a whole other blog post to list all the injustices and wrong information associated with the “war on obesity”. I use the term here “war on obesity” in this post because, unfortunately, it is familiar language in our culture. To read more info about myths associated with obesity and the ” war on obesity” please check out Health at Every Size. To learn more about weight stigma click here.