How do I define “dieting”???
“Dieting” is any attempt to micromanage your eating or your body. Even if YOU think you’re eating enough food, often your body does not. Even if YOU think you should be eating less (or no) carbs, your body probably disagrees. Even if YOU are eating plenty, but feeling guilty and stressed over every bite, your body notices, and responds.
Most people don’t understand that 1200 is barely enough for a toddler. That 1600 calories was enough to emaciate men and make them feel insane around food in a study from the 1940s. And, that after years of dieting, the body requires WAY more calories than we think is “normal” in order to rebalance and compensate for the years operating in conservation mode. (If you want more information on all of this, I recommend The F*ck It Diet book if you haven’t read it
Here’s how dieting affects our bodies:
1. It slows down our metabolisms
It does this to conserve energy, which leads to higher hunger hormones, food fixation, feeling out of control around food, and bingeing. Plainly: it does the opposite of what we want it to.
2. Weight gain
Most people diet either for weight loss, or with the hope that if they start to eat better, they’ll eventually lose weight. But ironically, not eating ENOUGH food, (and carbs, protein, and fat!), will eventually lead to weight gain, because it will slow down your metabolism and fixate you on food, to try and protect itself against future diets. In fact, even dieters who stick to a diet perfectly often end up seeing weight gain, simply because the body has slowed itself down so much in response. This has been documented in study after study (all found in TFID book!).
3. It raises our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline
When we aren’t getting enough energy from food, our body has to pump out more stress hormones to get us through the day. It can feel
amazing in the beginning (high on stress hormones) but it’s unsustainable, but after a few weeks, months, and sometimes years, there is a big fallout. It can lead to serious burnout, health problems, adrenal fatigue, sleep problems, chronic illness, lowered immunity, nutrient deficiencies, and more.
4. It can negatively impact our hormones, libido, and fertility
When we aren’t eating enough food, it doesn’t make biological sense to put energy into reproduction, not only because it has to prioritize the body processes you need to stay alive, but also because it’s not a safe and abundant environment to grow a baby or raise a child.
You deserve way better! Even though dieting is common, it’s not healthy. It is MORE than possible to get out of this cycle. In the next email, I’m going talk about what a good relationship with food actually looks and feels like. If you’re too impatient to wait, and you haven’t read it yet, you can read alllll about it now in The F*ck It Diet book – you can also read the first chapter free HERE.
And if you’ve read the book, but are looking for more support, stay tuned for details about a new 8-Week F*ck It Diet Course, that goes hand in hand with the book.
