I imagine that the majority of the people reading this will have gone on a diet. With hindsight, I'd like you to evaluate the success of the diet (or diets!) that you've been on Did the diet work? I'm guessing you might have lost weight in the first few weeks, but did you manage to sustain the weight loss? I can almost guarantee that the answer is no. Because it's scientifically proven that up to 97 per cent of diets end in weight gain (yep, you read it right - gain). Diets are counterproductive and the simple fact is that they don't work. I called on hypnotherapist Susan Hepburn, who helped Adele kick her smoking habit in 2014, to help explain why.
I shared this image on my own Instagram feed because everyone should be reminded
1. Diets are just not sustainable
The idea of a diet is that we restrict our food intake for a set period of time, watch the pounds fall off and then go back to 'normal'. But this only leads to yo-yo dieting. Your new healthy eating habits should be sustainable and ongoing.
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2. Starvation doesn't work
If you're considering starving in the hope that you'll lose weight faster and more easily, think again. This isn't how your body works, and you could end up doing yourself some serious damage.
3. Diets cause you to binge
You eat hardly anything and then end up bingeing on junk. Sound familiar? The deprivation of restrictive diets can lead to a diet-overeat or diet-binge cycle. And since your body doesn't want you to starve, it responds to overly-restrictive diets by slowing your metabolism, which in turn makes it harder to lose weight.
4. Diets make you obsess over food
Why is it that, as soon as we can't have something, we want it more than anything? The same is true with food, which is why it isn't a good idea to make a 'diet' the focus of our attention.
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5. Diets increase cravings
We all like foods that are bad for us. Instead of cutting them out entirely and having our brains bombarded by cravings, simply reduce the amount you have. The key is to regain control of your cravings and build healthier habits.
Susan Hepburn is a highly accredited and established hypnotherapist and psychotherapist. Visit susanhepburnclinics.com for more information.
