Why strict diets are a bad idea for long-term weight loss |
Those hoping to lose weight this year might be tempted to try to a diet challenge in the hopes of kick-starting their weight loss. But while we might think these kinds of short-term, restrictive diets will help give our waistlines a nudge, psychology and physiology shows us why this strategy can be so hard to stick to – and why it probably won’t result in long-term weight loss.
Research estimates that as few as 20% of people who lose weight through dieting manage to keep the weight off long-term.
For decades, psychologists have been trying to understand why it is that diets so often fail.
One potential reason for this is that diets often involve strict food rules – such as avoiding the foods you enjoy.
The problem with this strategy is that the foods people tend to crave most – such as chocolate, ice cream and crisps – activate the brain’s reward system. This creates positive feelings.
When we cut these foods out of our diet, we lose the pleasure they bring. This can then trigger food cravings – a complex psychological process where we experience an intense desire to eat a particular food, even when we’re not hungry.
Food cravings are often dependent on mood and may be particularly bad when we feel stressed. They can also be especially intense in the afternoon and evening when we feel more tired and have less willpower to resist these cravings.
Food cravings can drive overeating, especially when trying to........