Diets Often Fall Short: Examination of the Inadequacy Behind Weight Loss Plans by a Medical Professional

Straight up, here's the dope: Despite celebs pushing the keto diet, Whole30, juice cleanses, and all that jazz, let's get real – restrictive diets don't fuckin' work. Yup, you heard that right.

Now, we all know that one person who's obsessed with green juice or dreams of kale for dinner, and that's cool for them. But for the majority of us, shit ain't gonna make us any healthier, and it could even fuck us up.

First, understand this: Weighing less doesn't automatically mean someone's healthier. A family medicine specialist, Sarah Halter, M.D., broke it down: she's got patients outside the 'ideal' BMI that exercise, move their bodies, and occasionally indulge in cookies, while others have smaller bodies that hardly exercise and don't have a wide variety of foods. Weight and diet play a part in health, but they're not the whole damn story.

The quality of the food you eat, social relationships, hobbies, religion or spirituality, work-life balance, and plenty of other shit contribute to your overall health, Halter says.

The nutritional shitshow of dieting

Following a strict diet can mean depriving your body of the nutrients it needs, which is a recipe for disaster, homie.

"The notion that some food, like carbs, is 'bad' is bullshit. Your brain runs on glucose, which comes from carbs. If you're moving, you need carbs. Shit's just fuel, man, not some evil force," Halter points out.

Going on a diet is fighting nature, baby. Your body is wired to maintain its weight, and that's thanks to evolution, when food was scarcer and more difficult to obtain.

Trying to maintain a diet is friggin' hard, 'cause you're battling nature when you attempt to cut out foods your body craves. "You set yourself up for failure," Halter warns. "If you're told not to eat things that you like, maybe you can resist for a few days, but then your brain will start taking over, and you're gonna want what you can't have."

Now, it's true that some people might see weight loss as a path to better health. But dieting to lose pounds probably ain't gonna work.

Even people who follow well-known diets see wildly varying results. A 2018 study compared low-fat dieting to low-carb dieting – neither made a significant contribution to weight loss, and many people ended up gaining weight. This bad boy also discovered that the most effective way to lose weight was to limit, not completely restrict, foods that contribute to health problems such as added sugar and processed foods.

The psychological impact of dieting and diet culture

Beyond taking a toll on someone's nutritional health, dieting can also fuck with mental well-being. Sarah Halter has seen it impacts patients' mental health, too.

Dieting is stressful, man. You're constantly fighting yourself and denying yourself things your brain and body want. You're waiting for a quick fix, but since it rarely works, you'll have to deal with disappointment. This ties weight loss to your self-worth, creating an unhealthy situation mentally, Halter says.

"I have patients who are exercising or doing yoga and eating healthy foods but those last 10 pounds haven't come off, and you can tell they just have this intense feeling of failure that they've messed up their lives," Halter shares.

Making weight more important than overall health is a sleazy move, and thinking individual foods themselves are 'good' or 'bad' is a load of crap. For instance, desserts and Dick's burgers are not 'bad' foods; salads and fruits aren't 'good' either. Food doesn't have moral value.

Instead, cultivate a healthy relationship with food, viewing it as fuel and valuing the way it makes you feel. Food is more than just nutrition – there are foods you love, foods that remind you of childhood, and special dishes you always make with your family. All these aspects matter and should be considered in your personal relationship with eating.

Tips for healthy eating that actually work

Here are some ways to change your relationship with food and make healthier choices during the process:

Seek professional advice

Want to change the way you eat? Consult the experts – visit your doc, or even ask for a referral to a dietitian. They'll help you figure out what's best for your unique situation.

Be mindful of what you eat

Pay attention to what you're eating when you're eating it. This helps you stop eating when you're full, not just when your plate is empty. Pay attention to your hunger cues throughout the day, too.

Try meal planning

Put more thought into what you're gonna eat this week – this might help you stick to your plan without wasting fresh veggies or money.

Keep a food diary

Track everything you eat and drink each day to get a better idea of what you consume regularly. Keep it simple – just a notebook or your phone's notes. Record for 15 minutes a day for a better view of your nutrition intake and progress.

Challenge unhelpful advice

If a medical professional tells you to lose weight, discuss what specifically they recommend. Don't let the conversation end there – ask questions, share your concerns, and have a conversation about improving your health overall.

Practice forgiveness

Instead of looking at certain foods as 'bad' and others as 'good,' focus on what makes you feel good when you eat it and on providing your body with adequate fuel. Recognize that if you slip up from time to time, it's a part of life, not a moral failure or a reason to beat yourself up.

"Despite the popularity of diets like keto, Whole30, and juice cleanses, it's essential to understand that restrictive diets often do not work for the majority of people, and they can potentially harm health."
"The quality of the food you eat is crucial, and classifying certain foods as 'bad' is misleading. Your brain requires glucose, derived from carbs, for energy, and if you're physically active, you need carbs as fuel."
"Attempting to maintain a diet is challenging due to the conflict with our biological instincts. Your body naturally tries to maintain its weight, and dieting goes against this evolutionary tendency."
"Configuring a healthy diet should involve considering various factors such as the quality of food, social relationships, hobbies, work-life balance, and mental health."
"While some individuals may seek weight loss as a means to improve health, dieting to lose pounds is often unsuccessful and could lead to negative psychological effects."
"In a study comparing low-fat and low-carb dieting, neither had significant weight loss outcomes, with many participants actually gaining weight. The most effective approach to weight loss appeared to be moderation, not complete restriction, of foods problematic for health issues such as added sugars and processed foods."
"Beyond its physical impact, dieting can negatively affect mental health. Diet culture can create an unhealthy situation mentally by tying weight loss to self-worth, leading to stress and feelings of failure."
"Forming a healthy relationship with food involves viewing it as fuel and considering the emotional aspects like memories and family traditions associated with food."
"To improve personal eating habits, seek professional advice, practice mindfulness, meal plan, keep a food diary, challenge unhelpful advice, and practice forgiveness for occasional slip-ups."