5 Tips to Free Yourself From the Diet Cycle
Written by Bailey Saneman, RD, LDN
Takeaway: Escaping the relentless diet cycle can seem daunting, yet at Rooted Recovery, we’ve witnessed countless individuals prove that it's entirely achievable. In this post, we'll reveal key strategies to break free from this cycle for good.
Have you found yourself entrenched in a diet cycle that promotes restrictive eating only to end up with intense food cravings that bring up feelings of guilt and shame when you inevitably "give in" to those cravings? If so, you are not the first person to get stuck in a dieting cycle that promises "health" (or more likely, weight loss), yet you are just left with a challenging, chaotic relationship with food and your body. Fad diets, wellness schemes, and every promise for weight loss in-between have been on the rise in the health industry, but what lies behind all of it is the harm we will be doing to our own bodies and minds in the process. As you read on, we will cover key strategies that will help to break free from the trap of diet cycling.
What is a diet cycle?
A diet cycle begins when a person experiences body dissatisfaction, and may want to manipulate their body weight, shape, or size in some way through food and exercise. Diets can vary greatly, but they typically involve specific rules, such as avoiding entire food groups or restricting calories. Keep in mind, we are not referring to diets that are medically necessary, like what someone may follow if they have celiac disease, diabetes, or kidney disease.
Engaging in restrictive diets can increase the likelihood of chronic dieting, disordered eating, and even eating disorders. If someone is not eating enough (which is what is promoted in diets through calorie restriction or food elimination), this can lead to the body feeling deprived. This embodied sense of deprivation (aka hunger) naturally leads to a period of chaotic overeating or even binge eating. Now feeling like they 'lost control', many individuals have the distressing experience of guilt or shame overwhelm them at this point in the diet cycle. As a result, the urge to lose weight will come up yet again, and the cycle involving a calorie restriction diet starts over. As the diet cycle continues, this can lead to mental and physical harm from increased disordered eating behaviors, the stress of weight cycling, or even the development of an eating disorder such as binge eating. Weight cycling is the process of losing weight, and then regaining it, often resulting in regaining more weight than what was lost.
Engaging in a diet that reinforces calorie cycling and causes weight cycling not only negatively impacts one's overall mental health, but it can greatly affect physical health as well. From a low calorie diet, we see an overall lower metabolic rate (the rate the body uses energy) after extreme weight loss. For example, in the show The Biggest Loser, contestants inevitably experience weight loss from the extreme restriction and over-exercise prescribed to them. However, this depleted state causes their resting metabolic rate to drop, and now their bodies are not utilizing energy efficiently. This is what results in eventual weight regain, because in a suppressed metabolic state, this lower body weight cannot be maintained long term.
Research has shown other undesirable outcomes from dieting are increased risk of mortality, bone fractures, chronic inflammation, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and increased risk of an eating disorder developing - not to mention the distressing, negative psychological effects that dieting comes with as well.
Intuitive eating: A path to freedom
So you have been in this loop of dieting, trying to eat normally, and then back to another diet rule - you may be asking, what do I do now? The journey to breaking the diet cycle and disordered eating is finding the middle ground for your own eating and food choices, rather than getting caught on the pendulum swing from restriction to overeating and back again.
Intuitive eating is an eating framework that focuses on self-trust and prioritizes self-care through honoring the bodies' needs. To be clear, intuitive eating is not a diet that promotes intentional weight loss. In fact, it is not a diet at all. Intuitive eating is a sustainable eating pattern rooted in self compassion. There are 10 principles of intuitive eating:
Reject the diet mentality
Honor your hunger
Make peace with food
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Feel your fullness
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Respect your body
Movement - feel the difference
Honor your health - gentle nutrition
It might seem out-of-reach as you first look over these principles, but with the right support, this framework will map out an alternative set of skills for you to ground yourself in as you reconnect with the internal wisdom you were born with! The focus shifts from following external diet rules to honoring your internal cues as you unlearn the toxic messages from our culture about bodies and health.
The benefits of breaking the diet cycle
Breaking the diet cycle can be scary, and for some it may feel like losing control. But imagine a day when you can just enjoy life, when you don't feel stuck with every food decision, and when you allow yourself to eat what you want while knowing it will be nourishing and satisfying. What if you could experience how breaking the cycle allows your metabolism to naturally settle (no longer in survival mode), and you can slide off the wild ride of the restricting to bingeing pendulum, all while still taking care of your body?
Our bodies have the same basic biology that our ancestors did centuries ago. When they didn't have food available (which often occurred in that time), their body would switch into "starvation mode" as an adaptation to conserve energy which created a lower resting energy expenditure (how much energy it takes for your body to exist) so it was easier for the body to survive. Today, when you restrict, your body is wired to respond to this as starvation, and a deprivation mindset is cultivated as a result. Your appetite increases, alerting you to eat; however, if you still do not eat enough, hormones will continue to try to alert you to eat more. Basically, the body is fighting back in the way it is built to do on the primal level. By avoiding our internal cues, the diet cycle persists, and can will likely cause overeating, disordered eating or eating disorders. However, when you listen to your internal cues on when to eat, this can help regulate your metabolism as well as allow you to re-engage in normalized eating patterns.
Normalized Eating Patterns
Our body knows when it is hungry, and it can tell when it's full and satisfied. When you listen to those cues, it creates a foundation of trust between the mind and the body. Normal eating patterns can allow you to eat the foods you enjoy without guilt, provide adequate energy throughout the day, and sustain a peaceful relationship with your body.
Safety From Weight Cycling
Dieting can be harsh on our bodies! Weight cycling has a lot of scary side effects, like cardiovascular diseases. Without calorie cycling, your body is able to adapt back to a more normal state of function, and not get stuck in a state of reserving energy.
Less Energy Spent Thinking About Food, More Energy for Your Body
It can be hard to walk through life when your thoughts constantly bounce from "when will I eat next?" to "where will I get my food?" or "will this make me feel okay?". When you are adequately nourished, your brain won't be as stuck on these thoughts that are trying to signal your body to eat. This will allow for more flexibility in thinking, more emotional regulation, and more brain space throughout the day! Beyond your brain, your body will thank you. Without the pressing demands of cycle dieting, your body won't need to sacrifice some of its' function by conserving where and how energy is used, and that means you will feel less fatigue and less brain fog.
5 tips to start breaking free from the vicious diet cycle
Are you thinking about how it could look for you to break free from the cycle of dieting? Wondering where to start? There are a few strategies that we have noticed work best for our clients. The first begins with getting rid of the diet mentality!
1. Let go of the diet mentality
The first step is to explore the idea of your life beyond dieting. Those disordered eating patterns picked up from diets are likely influencing your relationship with food. It's time to challenge the notion of "good" and "bad" foods and tune into what truly nourishes your body. When we remove the morality assigned to food, it's easier to notice what foods make your body feel good and satisfied. In this way, you can create a healthy lifestyle that involves nurturing food choices, while still eating the foods you enjoy!
Rejecting the diet cycle may cause you to look into diet rules you've internalized, ditching tools like that pesky food scale, or confronting other influences on your eating habits. And yes, bringing those once-"banned" foods back into your kitchen is a liberating step towards a healthier mindset around eating.
2. Feeding Your Body When it's Hungry
It is crucial to nourish your body adequately. Continuing to restrict your intake only perpetuates the cycle of hunger and deprivation. By listening to your body's hunger signals and responding with nourishing food, you can begin to rebuild trust in your internal cues.
3. Making Peace With Your Body
In today's society, there are so many comparisons and it's easy to judge our bodies. But, what if we began cultivating a narrative that involved appreciation for what the body allows us to do? Our bodies enable us to engage in activities we love, connect with others, and navigate our daily lives. By practicing self-appreciation, we foster an environment of peace and acceptance rather than one plagued by frustration or even anger.
4. Redefining "Healthy"
What is your definition of health? What if it wasn't just about your weight, shape, or body size? Being "healthy" can refer to our mental state and physical state, but it can also include our social, intellectual and spiritual states, too. Take a moment to reflect on your values and what truly enriches your life beyond superficial standards.
5. Working With a Dietitian
Working with a dietitian who embraces intuitive eating principles can provide invaluable support and guidance on your journey. They can reinforce the above strategies while offering personalized advice tailored to your needs and goals.
At Rooted Recovery, we are dedicated to dismantling diet culture and focus on eating habits that sustain your life, not take from it. We believe that all foods can have a place in a healthy relationship with food, and that everyone deserves nourishment that supports and nurtures their body. Reach out today if you would like to learn more about how we can come alongside you in this journey.
Your journey to a healthier relationship with food begins now.
The allure of the dieting may seem promising at first, but as experienced dietitians, we have seen how quickly it can lead to disordered eating and eating disorders. At Rooted Recovery, we are committed to helping individuals break free from these harmful patterns. Our collaborative approach focuses on identifying disordered eating behaviors and guiding clients towards lasting food freedom and normalized eating habits, fostering a profound respect for their bodies along the way.
If you or someone you know is struggling with dieting, disordered eating, or an eating disorder, our dietitians are here to help. Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation call to see if our dietitians are the right fit for your food freedom journey.