By Shannon Hayes Buescher
No one told you that there would be a backlash to all the diets that you have tried. But that is the case.
The side effects range from acute to long-lasting, depending on how long you have been dieting. Find out if you are experiencing the backlash.
- You can’t lose the weight like you used to, despite eating less. Most dieters will feel frustrated and even lost when their body hits this place. Many feel like they don’t have the willpower like they used to and that must be why. In fact, the body is going into conservation mode to protect it from being in the starvation that dieting put the body into. Each diet teaches the body to adapt better for the next self-imposed starvation. It’s not your fault. It’s the diet’s fault.
- You don’t trust yourself with food. Every diet tells you what it is you should eat and how much. It makes sense that you would feel that you cannot trust your body to tell you what it needs to have. It takes time to get reacquainted with your body and to learn what it is you like and don’t like, and how much food you may need to be satiated. This is also where permission with food is key, with a lot of mindfulness surrounding it – known as “Last Supper” eating.
- When you go on a diet, there are foods that you are preparing yourself not to eat again. These are the foods that are eaten, often in large quantities, before you start the diet. This can take place as one meal or a series of days – or even weeks – before the restriction begins. It is the “getting it all in, while you can” mentality.
- You become less social. It can be a big challenge to stay on a diet when you are out to dinner or at a party. The tendency is to withdraw, and you think, “They won’t have anything I can eat.” This can feel like a smart decision when you are first dieting, to not be tempted or feel like you may feel out of control. But a bigger problem is created. What often happens is that you will “save up” during the day, eating little and then walk into the dinner or party, ravenous and out of control with food. This experience then often makes you feel you must avoid these situations, rather than looking at the setup as the reason that it occurred.
- You use caffeine to get through the day. Want to know one of the most common symptoms of being underfed? Being tired. People often reach for another cup of coffee, rather than eating a snack. When your blood sugar is crashing, you will feel tired and sleepy. When you are not eating enough, you will feel this a lot, and can even have a harder time sleeping because of the excess caffeine and too little food during the day.
Buescher is a registered and licensed dietitian. She has over 15 years of experience with nutritional counseling in sports nutrition, eating disorders and a non-diet approach to food. Visit hayesnutrition.com.
