The science behind why restrictive diets don't work...and make you miserable...
It's that time of year again. The time of new years resolutions. The time when the diet industry can cash in on our new years resolutions and everyone is trying all the different types of restrictive fad diets. My new years resolution to lose weight never rings alarm bells to anyone despite my history of eating disorders as everyone in society spends some point in their life on a "diet". (As my previous post said my new years resolution this year is to NOT DIET)
As part of some CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)I had for eating disorders back in 2012, I was given a handout about a study carried out just after ww2 by a psychologist called Ancel Keys who did an experiment on the effects of starvation on some mens psychological and physical health. The men were fed a 3500 calorie a day diet for 6 months then were fed half of that on a starvation diet for a further 6 months in which the men lost 25%of their body weight.
The results were that the men became preoccupied and obsessed by food, felt guilty about eating, and became anxious, irritable and withdrawn. The group of men had been outgoing and varied in their topics they talked about before the experiment such as political debates but their life became obsessed about food and weight and body image. They also got urges to over eat and so were drinking large amounts of coffee and gum. Proof that under eating actually leads to over eating as the body's natural survival instinct to maintain it's health which is why restrictive diets are dangerous and lead to eating disorders and other mental health problems.
I'm not saying it is healthier to be morbidly obese but that any diet that cuts out full food groups or are very low calorie cause physical and mental health problems in the long run. Anything below 1200 calories is classed as a starvation diet and if you go on the NHS website there is a BMI calculator that tells you how many calories you would need to eat to either maintain your weight or lose weight. They say to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week eat the lower range. Mine was something like 1800 calories a day. In my eating disorder mind I have always aimed for 500 to 800 calories a day which always leads to binge eating in the long run and if not nipped in the bud you end up on the downward spiral of a full blown eating disorder. It is healthier to accept ourselves however we naturally are. Eat regularly, exercise in moderation and enjoy life. I have known too many people including friends who have died from anorexia and bulimia and it is not worth losing your personality and your life from dieting.
As part of some CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)I had for eating disorders back in 2012, I was given a handout about a study carried out just after ww2 by a psychologist called Ancel Keys who did an experiment on the effects of starvation on some mens psychological and physical health. The men were fed a 3500 calorie a day diet for 6 months then were fed half of that on a starvation diet for a further 6 months in which the men lost 25%of their body weight.
The results were that the men became preoccupied and obsessed by food, felt guilty about eating, and became anxious, irritable and withdrawn. The group of men had been outgoing and varied in their topics they talked about before the experiment such as political debates but their life became obsessed about food and weight and body image. They also got urges to over eat and so were drinking large amounts of coffee and gum. Proof that under eating actually leads to over eating as the body's natural survival instinct to maintain it's health which is why restrictive diets are dangerous and lead to eating disorders and other mental health problems.
I'm not saying it is healthier to be morbidly obese but that any diet that cuts out full food groups or are very low calorie cause physical and mental health problems in the long run. Anything below 1200 calories is classed as a starvation diet and if you go on the NHS website there is a BMI calculator that tells you how many calories you would need to eat to either maintain your weight or lose weight. They say to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week eat the lower range. Mine was something like 1800 calories a day. In my eating disorder mind I have always aimed for 500 to 800 calories a day which always leads to binge eating in the long run and if not nipped in the bud you end up on the downward spiral of a full blown eating disorder. It is healthier to accept ourselves however we naturally are. Eat regularly, exercise in moderation and enjoy life. I have known too many people including friends who have died from anorexia and bulimia and it is not worth losing your personality and your life from dieting.
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