Do diets work or can they be dangerous?

Do Diets Work?
​​Dieting has become a worldwide phenomenon everybody seems to be at it. It is a multimillion pound/euro/dollar industry.  Out there are numerous experts from all walks of life from the medical profession, nutritionists, large weight management companies, chefs and now celebrities who will tell you their way is the best and if you want to succeed it is simple all you have to do is follow the rules and you will succeed and be successful at losing the weight and if you keep to the rules then the weight will stay off. If you can’t then it is your fault you weren’t good enough you should have tried harder. What if all they tell you is wrong and in fact by dieting you are setting yourself up for failure and feelings of inadequacy and perhaps ill health.
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Many diets will promise weight loss and for a number of people this is successful for a period of time.  I am sure that many of you can relate to the different diets you have tried that have helped you lose weight initially but how many of you can say you have kept it off?  One large population study published in 2015 concluded ‘The probability of attaining normal weight or maintaining weight loss is low’.  There are many published papers from all the big weight management companies on how well everyone does at losing weight initially but where are the long term successes many years later? How much weight loss does a person lose when dieting NICE {National Institute for Health and Care Excellence} in 2014 stated that ‘on average people attending a lifestyle weight management programme lost around 3%? For someone who weighs 12 stone that equates to 5 pounds  and for someone at 20 stone that is  just over 8 pounds most people who are attempting to lose weight have higher targets they are often encouraged they can achieve and then maintain.

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​Can dieting cause harm?
There is evidence that when you diet you will end up gaining weight.  Dieting can lead to binge eating, disordered eating and low self-esteem. All of which is understandable as when you are on a diet it’s all about what you are allowed to eat or not eat it’s not  about how hungry you are or what you really want to eat but what you are allowed to eat. If what you want is a ham sandwich and your diet tells you can have ham wrapped in a lettuce leaf is that going to satisfy you?  So it’s easy to see how you can get fed up and have a binge and how when that happens you can feel like a failure.  But perhaps more worringly there has also been research that shows that weight cycling can be associated with increased risk of some cancers and  an increase in cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and insulin.
So how do you improve your health, gain self-esteem, and maintain a weight that is healthy for you there is growing evidence that using a non-diet approach for weight could be the answer.