Why “Dieting” Is A Harmful Mentality
Everywhere you look you here about dieting. If you go to the store, and see a magazine while checking out, there is a chance that you will see information about some celebrities’ diet. If you get on social media, there is a good chance you will see an influencer talking about keto, or whatever fad diet worked for them. The secret to successful dieting is realizing that dieting is harmful, rather than helpful. Here are a few reasons why dieting is so toxic.
1. Dieting Is Not Permanent
Dieting can be harmful because dieting is not a permanent thing. Dieting is not a lifestyle change; dieting is only a momentary change. The chances of gaining the weight back after finishing a diet are high. Going back to an old lifestyle, should reap the exact same results it had before starting the diet. That is one of the reasons dieting is harmful. Dieting creates this unrealistic idea that by making one small change for a period, that you will automatically lose weight, gain muscle, or whatever your physique goal may be. This is not the case. Limiting caloric intake can lead to slowing of the metabolism. This means whenever you return to eating normally, you will gain more weight since your metabolism is used to functioning at a lower level. This is the exact opposite intention of a diet. Dieting can destroy the metabolism, and bodily functions. Many people who attempt to begin dieting are uneducated about caloric intake, and metabolic rate. To properly diet one needs to understand how many calories the body needs to function. Not only that, but how to lose weight properly. To achieve the dream body, you often need to eat more. To effectively diet, consider seeking help from a professional who knows what they are doing.
2. Dieting Can Lead To Overeating
Diets can be very restricting. When people restrict, it can back fire and lead to binge eating. Having strict diet restrictions can make people crave the food more. Imagine cutting meat completely, but you are primarily a meat eater. It will be so hard to not crave, or eat meat. Going cold turkey is never a good idea. If you plan to cut out a food group, or type of food, begin small. Begin by cutting it out one to two days a week. See how your body reacts. Pay attention to your mind during this time. If you find yourself constantly craving it, that can be a bad thing. Are you strong enough to not give into the urges? Will you crack, and then go crazy because you completely restricted yourself from having certain foods. Therefore, the idea of moderation goes a long way. Learn how to treat your body correctly, by giving your body what it craves, but all things in moderation. If you have a sweet tooth, but need to cut out sweets, try eating sweets in moderation. Each night allow yourself to have one piece of chocolate. Your craving may be satisfied, but you did not overdo it.
3. Dieting Can Lead To An Eating Disorder Or Disordered Eating
Back to the concept of overeating, dieting can lead to disordered eating. Binge eating is a form of disordered eating, but there are other types too. Diets can lead to Anorexia, and bulimia too. These eating disorders are extremely harmful to the body. This is another reason why dieting can be a very damaging mentality to have. The mentality that comes along with an eating disorder is so hard to control once started. An eating disorder often starts out in young girls just as dieting. Girls as young as middle school, begin by dieting. This is extremely alarming. This must do with the diet culture that surround our standards of beauty. Girls will grow up “dieting” for their entire lives. Dieting can just be a cover up term for the real underlying issues of an eating disorder.
4. Diets Can Harm More Than Help
To piggyback off the bullet points from above, dieting can be harmful in so many ways, both physically and mentally. Dieting can wreck the metabolism, which in turns gives the exact opposite desired results. Then in turn, developing an eating disorder is common because girls are not seeing the changes they want. Dieting is so harmful, but it is such a large part of our society. It is ingrained in everyone brain from a very young age. This may be the most disturbing part. Every child when growing up begins to think about how their body looks, rather than thinking about how healthy the food is. People should be thinking about how nutritious the food is, and what it can do for your body. Food is fuel. In diet culture, you view food as how it can do to your body, or how eating this will harm your dream physique. Food should not be looked at as good or bad, rather as what it can help you accomplish. When eating a well-rounded diet, that is nutritious, you will notice an immense difference in your body and energy levels. This is something that is worth trying, and paying attention to.
5. There Needs To Be A Lifestyle Change
The biggest take away you should get from this article is realizing that to see results, there should be a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Remember, a diet is momentary, while a lifestyle is more permanent. Diets are a fad, while a healthy lifestyle never goes out of style. When it comes to fitness and a body, trust the process. Everyone says this, but it is very true. Solid results will not come over night like everyone wishes. Muscle development, and fat loss take a while. A total physic change can take a few years. This means a few years of consistently eating healthy and working out. Consistency is key, and is the most important thing to keep in mind.
