Gaithersburg Dietitian Kay Loughrey sheds light on the detrimental effects of chronic dieting practices on our mental well-being and physical goals in a society where pursuing the “perfect” body is often prioritized over holistic health. We will explore the complex relationship between chronic dieting and its toll on mental health and question whether these efforts to change our diet drastically truly lead us toward sustainable weight loss or, in fact, hinder our progress.
So what exactly is chronic dieting? According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, chronic dieting is characterized as on and off calorie restriction while obsessing over body weight and size. Often dieting involves strict calorie counting, and restriction of foods, and 
is encouraged by the promotion of fad diets, which generally promise quick results with minimal effort. The truth is, real, lasting results come with consistency, not minimal effort. Short-term, quick fixes may work initially, but most people tend to regain the weight they’ve lost from dieting if not more. In fact, research shows that dieting may actually be causing the exact opposite of the intended effect because those who follow strict diets are likely to gain back even more weight.
The explanation for these trends probably has to do with our hunger hormones and metabolism. Consuming an insufficient amount of calories can cause a misbalance in your appetite hormones. Restricting calories leads to an increase in the hunger hormone and a decrease in the satiety hormone, causing you to feel hungrier and eat more. Additionally, extended periods of caloric restriction ultimately slow down your metabolism, which means that if you go back to eating the same amount as before, you’ll burn fewer calories and gain weight.
Despite the odds, you can have successful weight loss by dieting… if you ignore the mental impact. Many people fail to consider their mental health when they go on a diet since their goal is physical, but the outcome of this could be severe. Restricting what you eat and not allowing yourself to enjoy the foods you love can take a toll on your mental well-being and cause you to develop an unhealthy relationship with food. This could progress to an eating disorder, which is associated with a risk of undernutrition and nutrient deficiencies. Furthermore, strict diets that keep your body in a perpetual state of hunger also keep you “hangry” and stressed. Extreme dieting can even lead to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders.
In light of this, the solution to your weight loss question isn’t restriction and obsession over how much you eat, as much as it is what you eat. The number of calories you consume isn’t as crucial as what those calories are. If you want to make a change in your diet, focus on balance and variety, rather than the numbers. Allow yourself to enjoy foods you like (in moderation) to avoid making food your enemy and add a variety of healthy and fresh foods to help support your weight loss.
Resources:
Roemmich JN, Sinning WE. Weight loss and wrestling training: effects on nutrition, growth, maturation, body composition, and strength. J Appl Physiol. 1997 May;82(5):1751-9. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1997.82.5.1751. PMID: 17469900.
Wing RR, Phelan S. Long-term weight loss maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul;82(1 Suppl):222S-225S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/82.1.222S. PMID: 16002825.
Gunnars K. Do Diets Make You Gain Weight in the Long Term? Healthline. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/do-diets-make-you-gain-weight#dieting-and-weight-gain. Accessed May 9, 2023.
Montani JP, Schutz Y, Dulloo AG. Dieting and weight cycling as risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases: who is really at risk? Obes Rev. 2015 Nov;16 Suppl 1:7-18. doi: 10.1111/obr.12267. PMID: 26399868.
Lindner Center of HOPE. Why Dieting Can Be Harmful. Available from: https://lindnercenterofhope.org/blog/why-dieting-can-be-harmful/. Accessed May 9, 2023.
French SA, Jeffery RW. Consequences of dieting to lose weight: effects on physical and mental health. Health Psychol. 1994 Mar;13(2):195-212. doi: 10.1037//0278-6133.13.2.195. PMID: 9232476.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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