Many people struggle with weight loss. Every day, somebody starts a new diet in hopes that they will improve their health or fit into a new outfit that they might have bought. Many people will do crash diets that work for a while, but when they stop the diet, they tend to gain all of the weight back and then some. What do these diets have in common, and why are they not more successful?
People eat for any number of reasons, and for many people, it’s not just because they are hungry. Many holidays, such as Thanksgiving, are centered around eating. For many people, during these holidays, they will eat regardless of whether they are hungry or not. Sporting events and movies also make most of their money on concessions. People will often ignore the high price of food at these events and just eat because they are there.
Mindless snacking is another thing that many people engage in. Imagine sitting and watching TV or working on a project and having some mixed nuts or popcorn right there with you. Many people are not just going to have one kernel of popcorn or one handful of mixed nuts. People will sit and snack even though they are not hungry when they are bored or engaging in an idle activity.
Snacking is a large part of people’s diets, and many people don’t choose healthy foods when they snack. Chips, pretzels, and chocolate are among the most popular options when people are looking to snack, and they are also very high in calories. People will also often free-graze with these things and not pay attention to how much they are consuming. People’s perception of limited snacking options is one of the more prevalent reasons why diets tend to fail.
While there are many reasons why traditional diets fail, the heavy restrictions they impose on people are one of the main reasons. Studies have noted that people often fail diets because they restrict themselves so much that when they slip and eat something that is not on their diet, they feel as if they have failed their whole diet, and they will give up on the diet.
Traditional and fad diets have one thing in common: They tell people that they are not allowed to eat something or that they are only allowed to eat a certain amount of something. The popular Keto diet tells people that they are not allowed to eat carbohydrates, while intermittent fasting tells people when they can eat.
When people are old that they are not allowed to eat a certain food such as bread or rice, they may have trouble thinking of other things that they are allowed to eat. Imagine going out to a restaurant with friends while you are dieting and trying to find something on the menu that will fit your diet while your friends eat what they want. This situation is not only very frustrating, but if you happen to go off your diet to make your friends happy, you often feel like a failure and might even give up on your diet because of that.
There are better options to these more traditional and fad diets. Recently, psychology has been playing a bigger part in weight loss, and it seems to be working for some people. Weight loss from a psychological perspective will often examine why and when people are eating as opposed to what they are eating. Intuitive eating is one of these weight loss options that is based on psychology.
Intuitive eating is another term for mindful eating. Intuitive eating is based on why people are eating as opposed to telling them to eat certain foods or restricting what foods they are eating. This approach to weight loss tends to take some of the pressure off people that dieting puts on them. Intuitive eating is not dieting. It is a way of eating.
Evelyn Tribole, who wrote a comprehensive book on intuitive eating, encourages people to listen to their bodies and think about whether they are really hungry. With intuitive or mindful eating, people are encouraged to think about what their bodies are telling them. Are they really hungry, or are they simply bored?
Intuitive eating also encourages people to eat slower and listen to their bodies while they are eating. Once people are no longer hungry, they are encouraged to stop eating. While at first, this may seem easier said than done, with practice, it is possible. If we listen to what our bodies are telling us and respond accordingly, weight loss may come naturally. One of the most appealing things is that there is no restriction on what you can eat, within reason. It is not healthy to survive on junk food and snacks.
If we pay attention to our bodies and take a more mindful approach to weight loss, we should not only be healthier but also be able to fit into that new suit that we have been looking at. At the very least, it is worth a try, as, for many people, the more traditional methods have not held up.
References
Green, A.R., Larkin, M., & Sullivan, V. (2009). Oh stuff it! The experience and explanation of diet failure: an exploration using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 14(7), 997-1008.
Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020). Intuitive eating: a revolutionary anti-diet approach. St. Martins Essentials.
Mindful Eating: It's Not Just a Fad
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Many people struggle with weight loss. Every day, somebody starts a new diet in hopes that they will improve their health or fit into a new outfit that they might have bought. Many people will do crash diets that work for a while, but when they stop the diet, they tend to gain all of the weight back and then some. What do these diets have in common, and why are they not more successful?
People eat for any number of reasons, and for many people, it’s not just because they are hungry. Many holidays, such as Thanksgiving, are centered around eating. For many people, during these holidays, they will eat regardless of whether they are hungry or not. Sporting events and movies also make most of their money on concessions. People will often ignore the high price of food at these events and just eat because they are there.
Mindless snacking is another thing that many people engage in. Imagine sitting and watching TV or working on a project and having some mixed nuts or popcorn right there with you. Many people are not just going to have one kernel of popcorn or one handful of mixed nuts. People will sit and snack even though they are not hungry when they are bored or engaging in an idle activity.
Snacking is a large part of people’s diets, and many people don’t choose........
© Psychology Today
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