Everyone has a different eating pattern and there is no right or wrong way to approach good nutrition, so people should do what works best for them, writes registered dietitian nutritionist Samina Qureshi. When people start a diet, they lose their autonomy and must follow the plan’s guidelines rather than making their own nutrition decisions. You’re bound to what diet culture tells you to do rather than taking your health into your own hands. What do you do if the specific foods on your new diet are not available when you’re out at dinner with your friends or are traveling for work? You likely feel anxious and stressed in social situations and your only choice is to feel guilty for not being “strong enough to maintain your diet.
Source: foodandnutrition.org
Lightbulb Moment: This is the underlying reason why most diets don’t result in long term weight loss – because they don’t teach you how to transition off of it after you lose the weight. Not all diet plans are guilty of this however. Weight Watchers, for instance, teaches you how to have a healthy relationship with all food without villainizing anything in particular. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of engaging a diet that boasts a Villain, Victim, and Hero. The Villain (foods banned by diet), is often misunderstood, the Victim (dieter) is being manipulated, and the Hero (diet plan) will always disappoint. If a company jumps on a diet plan with products, consumers will abandon you when their weight loss fails.