Before you jump into your next punishing cleanse, I want to give you a heads up.

Diets. Do. Not. Work.

You might be thinking that diets are how you lose weight. Come to think of it, your whole life has been a diet. On the diet, off the diet. Lose the weight, gain the weight back. Yeah, diets like to do that.

Here’s why diets do not work and how you can STILL lose weight, without the diet.

5 Reasons Diets Don’t Work

Weight Loss Is Fleeting. You’re ready to start your next diet and you’re all in. You’ve got this, you can stick something out for 30 days. You follow the plan, buy all the food, don’t drink or eat any grains. You’re so good! And then…day 30. Diet over, you’re back to ordering pizza, having a couple of glasses of wine. And before you know it, the weight you lost is back. And then some. You feel terrible about yourself (“why can’t I stick with it?”) and you vow to start again. And the cycle goes on.

Key Takeaway: About 90% of people on weight loss diets end up gaining the weight back, and then some.

You Miss The Opportunity to Nourish Yourself. Many diets lack essential nutrients to keep you healthy.  When you begin to cut out major food groups with the goal of cleansing and losing weight you, in turn, cut out vitamins, mineral, phytonutrients, fiber. And once the diet is over, you likely will go back to what you were doing before the diet.

Takeaway: The way you eat should not only be beneficial for health and weight loss (if that is a goal), but also have your nourishment in mind. Food as medicine!

Diets Confuse Your Hunger. One very important topic I talk to my clients about is learning to identify your hunger cues. Most diets hand you a plan, tell you what to do, when to eat, and how much. They take the guesswork out of eating. But in the real world, aka after the diet, knowing when you are physically hungry, or eating simply because you are having a bad day, is critical to eating mindfully and eating well for the long term.

Takeaway: Diets do not teach you anything about mindful eating, confuse your hunger, and when to eat.

Diets Take Away All The Fun In Eating. Food, cooking, and eating are one of the few consistent joys in life. We include food in celebrations, to socialize, gather with family. Throughout all of Covid, my one shining light in my day has been to sit down with my family and share a meal. The diet you are on creates scarcity and sacrifice. You can actually love food, be around all food AND still lose weight.

Takeway: Knowing how to make real, simple whole foods taste great is key to eating, not dieting. 

Diets Compromise Your Metabolism. Losing weight on low calorie diets is stressful to your body. Once you start eating below a certain number of calories, your brain kicks in to save the day. It raises cortisol levels (your stress hormone) which in turn actually slows your metabolism down to conserve calories.

Takeaway: Eating enough calories is key to keeping your metabolism humming along. Slow and steady weight loss is key to success and keeping it off. 

Consider these points the next time you feel the need to jump into a restrictive diet. If you want a different way to get back on track, consider my seasonal Resets, a fun, delicious, and healthy way to enjoy food while making changes you want and need. Click HERE for all the information and to start right away.