Why restriction is not the way to lose weight this year….

By Tabitha Hall

Registered Nutritional Therapist

We have been told for years that the way to lose weight is through a calorie deficit, to restrict ourselves of our favourite foods and to have less enjoyment when it comes to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fad diets and restrictive eating fundamentally do not work for us long term and can lead to further issues in the future.

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment

I often point to the Minnesota Starvation Experiment conducted by Ancel Keys [in 1944] to understand why. Ancel Keys was a professor who wanted to study the effects of starvation to provide rehabilitation to people post war. This led Keys to ultimately study 36 young, healthy men, who had no prior history of disordered eating or dieting and observed the physical and mental effects of starvation under normal conditions. The team observed an initial period of 3 months where men reported having lots of energy, were productive in their activities and being well-fed.

A semi starvation period then lasted for 6 months where all participants experienced dramatic physical, psychological, and social changes. During the rehabilitation period, which lasted for 3 months, participants were re-fed and this period proved to be the most difficult for the men to return to “normal” eating. It took 2 months to 2 years for them to fully recover from food related behaviours such as binge eating, being obsessed with food; physical changes such as reduced energy, dizziness, hair loss and more; and psychological changes such as reduced motivation, increase mood fluctuations, irritability, body dysmorphia and more; as well as social changes such as becoming more introverted.

You may think that this only occurred due to the word “starvation”, however, symptoms can be experienced by any significant calorie deficit. This means that someone who appears to be within the “healthy” weight range can still experience the same symptoms of starvation.

What Happens When We Restrict Food?

When we restrict food, either by ignoring our hunger levels and limiting how much we eat or by restricting or making certain foods “off limits”, this can lead to a preoccupation with food, binge eating, shame, and guilt. Just imagine telling a child that they cannot play with a certain toy; that toy will become the only one they want to play with – the same goes for adults. Fad diets that restrict foods, juice cleanses, and all the forms of significantly reducing our food intake can all lead to obsessive and negative thoughts and keep us in the cycle of dieting: start a restrictive diet; break the rules and regain the weight; have feelings of guilt and disgust of your body; try another diet.

We are letting a multimillion-dollar industry tell us that this one diet works and that anyone can do it if they have the right willpower – when the research proves this is not the case. A recent poll of 2,000 participants found the average person will embark on at least two fad diets a year. In truth, the evidence tells us that these fad diets fundamentally don’t work, people on average ditch their new diet by around day six, and most people gain back more weight than before they put themselves on the diet.

Food is far more than how it affects our waistlines, it is part of our social lives, our culture, history, traditions, social communications, fun and more, it is there to be enjoyed and no one should feel guilt or shame for their food choices. I encourage my clients to allow all foods, nourish their body, and don’t starve themselves.

It doesn’t have to hurt to work, and you can lose weight without the feeling of restriction. Working with a professional who can guide you through a weight loss journey by working with you to celebrate food and guide you through without guilt, shame and restriction can help to break you out of the dieting cycle in a maintainable way.