As popular as many diets are, they don’t always have the lasting effects people hope for. After you try over and over again without getting results, it can be disheartening. Especially if you’re on a restrictive plan and constantly feeling deprived. This deprivation can increase the cravings for forbidden foods even further, creating a harsh cycle.
Many studies indicate that people on a diet have trouble sticking with it because if your body gives up something cold turkey, it starts to crave that thing even more. The result? People feel like they’ve failed and end up returning to their bad habits. Instead of cutting things out completely, learn the art of moderation instead. Here are all the reasons why diets don’t work and what you should do instead.
1. Sticking with a too-strict plan
There’s a fun way to eat healthily, and dieting isn’t it. When you tie yourself to a strict plan, you start to want those foods even more than you did before you went on a diet. This overly strict regimen is the reason.
2. Feeling deprived at restaurants
When you’re on a diet, going to restaurants can be triggering. You might constantly be scanning the menus for low-calorie, healthy choices amongst butter-laden options. When you get those cravings or feel deprived, you might give in and end up bingeing or making otherwise poor food decisions. The result? When you go out, order in moderation or only order appetizers.
3. It deprives you of energy
Food is fantastic because it fuels you for hours. If you’re on a no-carb diet, you’re probably drained, and the feeling of that exhaustion is a lack of fuel. Dieting can make you feel tired all the time because your system is deprived of food. This is why temporary diets are not ideal, but a balanced and healthy lifestyle is.
4. There’s no balance
Like everything else in life, balance is very important. If you feel like your diet is taking over your life and stopping you from being happy, it probably means that you’re not allowing for a healthy balance in your life. Can’t decide between having zero pancakes or four pancakes? Maybe you can consider just eating one pancake.
5. Temptation surrounds you
When you’re on a diet, temptations seem to be glaring at you from all angles. Even at the gym, there are smoothies packed with sugar, and at work, there are donuts, cake, and other things that make you want to scratch that junk food itch. To remedy this, you can either have just a bite of cake or half a donut at workplace celebrations, but you can also bring your own delicious and nutritious snacks, like fruit salad.
6. It makes you crave forbidden foods more than ever
The whole point of dieting is to cut out forbidden foods, but for some reason, we get an even stronger hankering for junk food when we cut ourselves off from it completely. Try to make healthy substitutes and swaps instead, like subbing yogurt for butter in a cake or brownie mix. Try this in a range of recipes and just see the possibilities.
7. Our bodies yearn to live in moderation
As humans, we naturally crave balance, so learn how to drop that all-or-nothing mentality. Learning to live in moderation can be interpreted in many ways. Firstly, you can start making food at home rather than always eating out, which will allow you to control the ingredients. As hard as it might be to leave diet culture in the past, your brain and body will thank you in the long-term.
