Yes, my professional title is dietitian. And yes, I HATE diets. Wait, let me say that louder for those in the back:

I HATE DIETS!

Ok, now that I got that off my chest, let’s discuss why this is.

Diets simply don’t work. I know, you’re saying to yourself, “But that last diet I did was great and I lost all this weight. But then it stopped working. And I gained weight. But then that other diet I did a few years ago was so awesome. Until it wasn’t. And I stopped. And then I gained the weight back. And a bit more. But wait, what about that one crazy diet I did 5 years ago? That was so effective and I lost all this weight.. Hmmm, why did I stop that one? Oh yeah, because life got busy and the food wasn’t so great. And then I gained the weight back again. “
DO YOU SEE THE TREND HERE? Research shows that most diets fail and dieters gain the weight back within 2 years. In fact, there’s very little evidence that shows that more than maybe a couple % of people who diet ever keep the weight off long-term.
Diets are the primary predictors of future weight gain. See #1 above. What often happens is that people get in the diet cycle and can’t get off.
When we diet, our body doesn’t know that we are purposefully trying to starve it; it justs knows it’s starving. So, myriad physiological and psychological responses to this starvation lead us to want to eat, to obsess about eating, and to eventually eat. And, the ongoing bursts of “famine” over the years cause our metabolism to slow, as the body seeks to protect itself and conserve energy, meaning two things: 1) A starving body burns a lot less calories than a well-fed body. 2) When we do start eating again, our metabolism has a hard time cranking back up again. Bingo —> weight gain.
Diets make us feel crappy about ourselves. Sure, the first few weeks of a new diet are like a honeymoon. We have energy, focus, excitement about what might be “possible” with this new and super cool plan we found. And then, the fatigue sets in. The frustration with limited food choices. The stress about eating with others or what to do when we can’t find our “proper” food for our diet plan. We’re hungry and cranky. We feel depressed or isolated because everyone else is eating delicious things, and we, well, broccoli and chicken. So we go off the plan a little. And then a lot. And then we feel mad at ourselves. Why weren’t we stronger? Why couldn’t we resist? Now we start over with being strict again… and the cycle continues. We deprive ourselves, and when we can’t take it anymore, we rebound back to eating anything and everything. There’s no middle ground, and we feel physically and emotionally like garbage. And worst of all, we feel like it is US who FAILED. But it’s not:
IT’S THE DIET THAT FAILED YOU!
Diets can also adversely affect our health. I hear from lots of my clients that they want to “lose weight to be healthier,” and I understand this statement. Society, and even healthcare professionals, have advocated for weight loss for decades (ok, centuries) that weight loss is the magical key to good health. But the problem is, many of the ways people go about trying to lose weight are SUPER UNHEALTHY! Eliminating entire food groups from your diet = UNHEALTHY. Starving yourself so that your metabolism slows down and your hair starts thinning = UNHEALTHY. Avoiding friends and family because you can’t eat with them = UNHEALTHY. Exercising daily until you are so fatigued you can’t do much else = UNHEALTHY. Drinking only weird herbs and lemonade so you can “detox” and avoiding any solid foods = UNHEALTHY.
Need more evidence of the tremendous ill-effects of dieting? Studies have shown that dieting often leads to:
- Slowed metabolism
- Loss of muscle mass
- Body and food preoccupation
- Body dissatisfaction
- Increased stress
- Disordered eating or full-blown eating disorders
- Lowered self-esteem
- Depression
Your body was made for a variety of foods. It thrives on diversity, variety, abundance. Starving it and cutting off its supply of nutrient rich foods will not make you healthier. It will make you sick, stressed, depressed and cranky.

I could keep going, but I think I’ve made my thoughts pretty (probably annoyingly) clear.

You are not a bad person because you want to lose weight. You are not a bad person because you live in a body that isn’t “movie star thin.” You are not a bad person because food seems to rule your waking thoughts. Society puts us in this place and it’s hard to see another way of living.

But there is another way of living and living with (and even, dare I say ENJOYING?) food. You can work with your healthcare team (doctor, dietitian, therapist, coach) to find a way to be healthy on your own terms. To revel in your body (or at least stop hating it), and choose foods that both taste good and feel good to your body.

I know this might sound like a Fairy Tale, but it’s real. And it’s possible. And it’s way more real than the load of crap that diets are trying to sell you.

❤️YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN YOUR WEIGHT. ❤️

xoxo,

Diana

p.s. For more good stuff on the research around diets and long-term weight gain, check out Fiona Willer’s Unpacking Weight Science podcast here: https://unpackingweightscience.podbean.com/.

p.p.s. Laura Thomas PhD’s book Just Eat It is a fantastic resource for frankly assessing diet culture’s hold on us, and finding ways to break these bonds.

p.p.s. See my blog post on Body Kindness Resources for some other great reading on this topic.