Is it possible to ‘diet yourself fatter’?
Do you like this story?
It certainly is, according to Lydia Jade Turner, a psychotherapist and public health advocate specialising in eating disorders prevention. She recently wrote a great piece for the ABC’s new online opinion website, The Drum in which she argued we’re in the middle of an epidemic of ‘disordered eating’. And that weight loss drugs and diets are only contributing to obesity.
She wrote…
Reductil, Australia’s most popular weight loss drug, is just one of a raft of weightloss drugs pitched as a quick fix for those desperate to conform to the thin ideal, despite harming themselves in the process.
Yet we are not in the midst of an obesity epidemic, as it is often claimed. We are in the midst of an epidemic of disordered eating. The solutions prescribed to combat obesity are often the same behaviours we as practitioners are diagnosing in those suffering from eating disorders.
Many find that no matter what they do they can never sustain a thin physique because ‘thin’ is simply not their natural body size. Pressuring people to take prescription drugs, go on a liquid diet, and count every step in the pursuit of thinness, should alert us to the fact that Australians are now living in an eating disordered, fat phobic culture.
…Think about what happens after the ‘after’ photo. Current weight loss prescriptions carry a 98 per cent failure rate, meaning that you actually have more chance of surviving cancer than losing weight and keeping it off after 2-5 years. Encouraging people to prioritise thinness rather than emphasise a healthy lifestyle is damaging our health. Diets are nothing more than prescriptions for disordered eating.
To top it off, obesity ‘experts’ continue to use BMI charts despite knowing that they are not accurate measures of health. Fitness is a far better predictor of health than knowing the ratio of your height to your weight – and larger sized people can often be fitter than skinny ones.
Emerging research shows that the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, independent of weight, leads to improvements in health. However pressuring people to reduce their caloric intake leads to a sense of deprivation. This is dangerous because the sense of deprivation that accompanies dieting is the biggest predictor of binge-eating and long-term weight gain, leading you to ‘diet yourself fatter.’
If obesity experts genuinely want to reduce obesity rates, they need to stop pressuring people to be thin and actually acknowledge that body diversity is a given within any healthy population. Prescribing diet pills and re-wiring people’s intestines does not teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle, it merely puts them at risk of disordered eating, weight cycling, – and irreversible medical complications.
Losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle are not the same thing. We need to see health as an ongoing, multifaceted process that does not stop once a number has been reached on the scales.
[You can read Lydia's full article here at The Drum] [image from Crikey]
I agree that while obesity, anorexia and bulimia are at the extreme ends of this debate, there are a whole bunch of people (particularly) women, who have disordered eating. I’m not even sure how exactly you define that. Is it about deprivation? Binging on a particular type of food? A fear of certain foods?
Currently, I’m trying to eat more organic food and less meat. For a whole bunch of reasons, none of them to do with my weight. Does that make my eating disordered? I know that this is the time of year when dieting peaks. Fresh start. New year’s resolutions. A blank page.
But does it work? Are diets ever sustainable if they’re based on deprivation? And what’s the alternative? Possibly, more emphasis on exercise. Personally, I’d rather go for a run than be hungry or have to skip dessert.
What do you think? Do diets work? I’ve never been on one because I know that any form of deprivation is not great for me and I begin to obsess on whatever it is I’m not allowed to have.
Are you happy with your weight? Do you consider yourself to eat normally?
ALSO TODAY: CHECK OUT THIS HILARIOUS VIDEO. THE APPLE IPAD. FOR WOMEN.
You might also like:
-
Detox is the new word for diet.
-
Mothers who diet are twice as likely to have daughters with eating disorders
-
‘I don’t diet. I just have a fast metabolism.”
-
What’s worse: diets or obesity?
-
Govt says they’re going to ‘tackle skinny models’. Good luck with that.
I’m very late coming on board with this. Last year I was forced to go on a diet due to medical reasons. Not to lose weight – it’s a low salt diet.
Do you know how hard it is to be on a low salt diet in today’s world? Suddenly I had to give up the majority of pre-packaged foods, take aways and restaurant dinners. I have to prepare fresh foods from scratch now. And I have never felt healthier. I lost a bit of weight too. It’s amazing how much unnecessary junk their is in most people’s diets.
loading...
I remember hearing on 60 minutes once that a lot of salt in pre-packaged foods isn’t necessary – the companies could get rid of the salt without consumers even noticing. Heck, even milk is high in salt these days!
loading...
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by emmaswell: A great article from @miafreedman ‘s blog. Is it possible to diet yourself fat? http://ow.ly/11e1X...
loading...
it’s all about portion control…something I’ve lost control of myself
loading...
Thank you for saying something so raw and honest. I can’t comprehend how difficult it must be for you. I agree with IrishLaura, have you seen a psychologist or nutritionist? There is no NORMAL as such, but you can work out what is normal for you, with a bit of help. Wishing you all the best x
loading...
well done and good on you… i work as one of those ‘ridiculously expensive personal trainers’ and i wish more ppl had your outlook and determination x
loading...
Just don’t let them get too serious or competitive. When they’re young and doing it for the love of dancing it’s not going to hurt them. I was a ballet dancer and saw the girls when they got to 14-16 yrs and really noticed the pressures on body image and looking the part. That’s when eating disorders and self-esteem become big issues.
Up until then I wouldn’t worry, as long as they love what they’re doing..
loading...
Nothing wrong with a 12/14. If that’s your “womans body” I’m sure it looks great. Womanly.
loading...
I know someone who constantly yo yo diets.
She loses 20 then puts on 30. Every. Single. Time.
Surely its common sense isn’t it? Eat less, move more. More energy out than in. C’mon already…
loading...
Unbelievable! A gold star? Does this OB think you’re in primary school? I agree with Clarewithanenotani. Full fat and natural food have far less synthetic stuff in them. Low fat often means it has more sugar. And any OB worth their salt measures fundal height. I put on bw 9 and 12 kgs with my three, my sis in law who is a skinny minnie put on 20kgs. We had the same OB and she said that is just how our bodies make babies!
loading...
good point too LauraS have always wondered the same?? perhaps should be the topic of a thesis? any takers???
loading...
I love 101cookbooks!! Heidi is awesome!!
loading...
um ..that is very fucked up.. my ob gyn ( a lovely lady!) refused to weigh me at all – I was very thin & fit when I got pregnant, and her philosophy was that as long as I was eating well, my body was going to the rest- I put on (and lost) 25 kgs- 12 of those at delivery..(she was a big baby). That said, pregnancy was the first time I really liked my body- I thought I was sexy and curvy and I got boobs! But it took a lot of mental talkings to to not stress out about putting on the weight
loading...
you’re freaking me out about ballet. Both my girls do it (4 & 6) and adore it, but this was my one worry about it. Any tips/advice?
loading...
I would have got no gold stars from your gyno P23. 21 kgs for the first one!
loading...
So glad to hear it Simone…Cheers
loading...
Oh thank you! FINALLY someone is saying to the media what I’ve been saying for years.
loading...
Oh I am so glad….cheers
loading...
Lu I’ve done this too…and with three littlies it’s actually easier to just steam some chicken or fish or put some meat on the bbq and do a toss salad. My kids love beetroot and cherry tomatoes and corn etc so WIN WIN for me…
loading...
But what about women who diet when they’re pregnant because they’re paranoid about gaining *what is considered normal and healthy* 12-15 kilos. That makes me furious.
loading...
I think it is unhealthy that society continues to promote these “quick fixes” such as diet pills, liquid diets etc. I agree that ALL these diets contribute to obesity and are a real problem for people’s body image and self esteem. In August 2008 during the Beijing Olympic Games I decided that I was sick of my bad eating habits. These included – multiple trips to Mc’Donalds during the week, skipping breakfast, consuming 2 litres of coca-cola per day, chocolate; hot chips – I’m sure you get the idea! I guess the motivation was just be more healthy not to lose weight specifically (that was just a bonus). I think people need to focus on the healthy lifestyle before they think about how many kilos they are wanting to lose. Losing weight is not a quick fix it’s a life long journey of first losing the weight and then keeping it off.
I started by bringing interesting food to work for lunch and not buying takeaway just because it was easier. I only ate takeaway foods eg. thai, italian etc if it was a joint occasion, for instance, a catch-up with family, friends and the like. I think you also need to decide which food you find you struggle with the most – mine is chocolate. So, I promised myself that I would only have a row of chocolate per day (not a whole block)! That way I didn’t deprive myself and kept myself in check with my food. I didn’t calorie count or obsess over everything I put in my mouth – it was just simple. Less carbs, more protein, more veges, more fruit, I stopped drinking juice (full of sugar!) and only drank diet soft drinks if I got sick of water.
It took 18 months but I finally hit my goal weight of 73kg – I used to weigh 96kg in August 2008 (probably more before this but I was always scared to weigh myself). That’s a loss of 23kg and I am so proud that I accomplished it with no diet pills, shakes, portion control food, calorie counting or ridiculously expensive personal trainers! It was simply home made food and regular exercise at my local gym (4 times a week). I think it’s important to keep up the exercise (just at a lower intensity) after the weight has been lost. I now only train 2-3 times a week and do classes such as yoga and pilates. I think if you fail to plan you plan to fail – that has always been my motto. There were plenty of times when I just didn’t want to keep going or just wanted to sit on the couch but you push through that because the rewards on the other side are SO much better!! The feeling of fitting into those jeans and not having to be embarrassed at the beach are all what made this journey so important to my lifestyle in the future years to come.
loading...
Hows the trolly get past?
loading...
love the picture…. hilarious!!!
loading...
Has anyone read any info about diet pills, in particular Reductil? Issues with your heart (ie CVD) is one of the most common side effects! CVD is associated with lifestyle related diseases, doesn’t this make it completely redundant?
There is no end to it!
When did we lose the plot?
I am at uni, (b:science Nutrition) and I work for a well known weight loss company. Every day I see women and men (mostly women), who at the ages of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 etc who have no idea about what a healthy diet is!
Eating a diet low in saturated fats, a variety of vegies, meat 1-2 times a week, oily fish, low GI carbs is the answer!
There is no quick fix to a healthy body. An active lifestyle, and a reduced calorific diet will get you the results you want!
loading...
Hang in there. Have you seen a nutritionist or anything? Maybe they’d be able to help you work out what a normal sized, healthy meal would look like?
Thank you for sharing… xoxoxox
loading...
Thanks! I’m going to check it out now.
loading...
Good on you Clare. That is great that you’re refusing to repeat history for your own kids. xoxoxo
loading...
I agree re: pregnancy bringing out body issues.
My gyno. does a weigh in before every monthly appointment and gives you a GOLD STAR if you put on less than 2 kilos a months. Slightly fucked up, particularly because he’s a man. But it does motivate me to eat less processed crap during my pregnant days.
loading...
LOVE this response!
loading...
I have been reading an interesting book ‘Eat right for your type’ (D’Adamo) about different blood types and the right food for them. According to this, if you are type O, for example, eating a purely vegetarian diet can be detrimental to your health, whereas it is exactly the thing to do if you have type A blood.
loading...
I have had bulimia since I was 12 and a half years old. I am now 35 and threw up the whole way through 3 pregnancies. The guilt is soul crushing, I can’t even begin to tell you about my shame.
I have been thin and fat and everything in between about four times, losing and gaining about 30 kilograms each time. I’m now back up to my heaviest and I am trying, I am really trying to just BE NORMAL about food and my size (size 18). But I don’t know what normal is.
It’s just a horrible way to live, I wish there was a magic wand that would make me know how to be a normal healthy girl eating normal sized, healthy meals.
loading...
Meg I just checked out her site and LOVE her theory. I downloaded the first chapter of her book last night and now I’m going to buy the book. Makes a lot of sense. Thank you.
loading...
Thankyou PG, I was willing to try Cohens as it promotes fixing your hormone imbalances with food. As my hormones have been all over the shop ever since I started adolescence, I was desperate to regulate it and lose weight in the process.
I felt good on it with the weight dropping off and I didn’t get sugar cravings as much, but I was absolutely buggared all the time with running around 2 kids. Also you have to eat at certain times of the day and they were strict rules too, or it would not work. I just craved the things I could not have. I have learnt that severe restriction is not for me, and more exercise will be the key to permanant weight loss.
loading...
If you want ideas for homemade, nourishing, healthy food, try this website:
http://www.101cookbooks.com
It’s a cooking blog by a woman who eats vego, whole foods but is a foodie, so it all looks incredibly delicious and she comes up with some great stuff. It definitely makes eating healthily look a whole lot more appetising! Also I’ve found all of the recipes to be very adaptable so you don’t have to run out to the shops for a whole list of unnecessary stuff. You can also search by ingredient – magic!
loading...
You will get there one day and sadly, you’ll probably start to forget what it was like not to fit into those clothes. When I was bigger, I swore that (when I lost weight) I would never shop in those stores that only stocked size 14 and under because I knew how frustrating it was to be a size 16 and have limited options. Now I’m a generally a 12 but I get really frustrated when I have to get size 14 pants because of my wide hips and thighs. A couple of years ago, being a size 14 was my dream! It makes me wonder when will I ever be satisfied?
loading...
When I turned 21 my body shape changed radically. I went from being a thin 10/12 to a 14/16. It was hard giving up my desire to go back to my old body. In all the years of exercise, healthy eating and dieting I’ve never got close. I get down to a 12/14 and pop back up to my set weight/size the minute I even look at an interesting piece of food.
It wasn’t until my OB told me that this was my “womans” body and my idealised body was my “child’s” body that I calmed down and let go of the impossible dream.
loading...
Hey Peanut, generally speaking full fat foods don’t have as many preservatives and chemical additives as their low fat counterparts. Personally I think a lot of health issues can be attributed to just how much “stuff” is added to our food and how much processed food we (meaning society as a whole) eat.
Enjoy your pregnant body – you’re growing a person in there!
loading...
I come from a long line of women with eating disorders. My nan always had the Ford Pills on the go. My mum – well there’s pretty much nothing she hasn’t tried, and my mother-in-law is a devotee to the quick fix – shakes, teas, whatever turns up on today tonight, but is the sort of person who opens a packet of biscuits or a container of icecream and eats the whole thing. So no real prizes for guessing that with role models like these, I grew up thinking it was normal to hate your body and constantly be on a diet. Especially when mum packed me off to Weight Watchers at 14.
It took me a long LONG time, but eventually I came through the other end, and was even able to eat a chocolate biscuit without reciting the calorie count in my head as I chewed it. And then I realised that this was something that had to stop – for my girls. I don’t want my girls hating their bodies. I don’t want my girls thinking they are anything less than fabulous. So far so good.
loading...
God ballet fucked my body image so badly I actually kept my eldest daughter away from it. Not that my school was of the weigh in each week style, but just little things that were said, most often by other girls. Nothing like a girl your own age telling you at 11 years old that “you might be able to teach, but you’ll never get work with a body like that”. Considering at 11 I was down to the last couple for a Coke commercial for the Seoul Olympics where I would have been portraying Nadia Comenici, I don’t think I was really such a huge heifer. When my hips turned out (and stayed out) and I got boobs that meant I was sewing bras into my leotards, I felt like my body had betrayed me. Because we all knew girls who were beautiful dancers but didn’t have the right body, and it was something to be pitied. So I feel you, Missamoo xxx
loading...
Chantelle, you are one hot mumma. Give yourself a break
loading...
WTF?!?!?!?! It’s people like him that make some women feel so bad about themselves that they’re driven to extreme measures.
loading...
I’m very lucky to have naturally slim and healthy parents. Therefore, weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has never been difficult for me. This being said, I’m still really young, so there is still time for my body to become fatter/droopier/saggier/flabbier. Only time will tell.
In my opinion, the only diet that works is a healthy one. Crash diets, low carb diets, maple syrup diets all sound like complete bullshit to me and I’m not sure why people still do them, or how they manage not to pass out from lack of food!
As cliche as it sounds, it’s all about nutrition rather than weight. Eat lots of fruit, vegies, wholegrains etc. and do some exercise, then your body won’t blow up when you eat a Mars bar.
It makes me so sad that some women become so obsessed with body image and diet, especially when they are already so god damn gorgeous. There is so much emphasis placed on it in the media. Sure, it is important to watch what you eat, but just remember to take care of yourself both mentally and physically. There are more important things in life than calorie counting!
loading...