Breaking Free of the Diet Cycle

Written by Sarah Poling RD, LDN

Edited by Sarah Criscuolo, MS, RD, LDN, CSN, CPT

 

You might be curious as to why we are encouraging and recommending breaking free from the diet cycle this time of year. We think this is perfect timing to help folks who dived, possibly head first, into weight-centric, diet-focused New Year’s resolutions. This is usually done in order to regain a sense of control, power, joy, rejuvenation, and satisfaction that is unfortunately almost always lost after a few or several attempts at weight loss that haven’t had any real staying power. We created this post to help you regain a sense of direction, trust, and compassion for your relationship with food, body and movement that isn’t short-lived, but rather sustainable and full of freedom, empowerment and liberation.

First and foremost, it’s okay and normal to be reading this blog post while simultaneously thinking about the lure and seduction of your next looming diet or weight loss journey. You may be looking back at your first few diets and trying to convince yourself that they “worked”, while at the same time clearly identifying the dangers and harms of dieting and what dieting has robbed you of at various points in your life.

Your body isn’t the problem and you are not the reason why diets and sustained weight loss haven’t worked for you. Weight stigma, fat-phobia, and diet culture are the true culprits of our collective body hatred and mistrust that leads us to reject our biological, innate body cues and turn to rigid diet rules and tools to help us feel accepted and better about ourselves. And when we look at and reflect on what we truly hope to gain from dieting and losing weight, we often realize we’re attempting to find safety and security – in our bodies, in our relationships, and in our lives. Breaking free of the diet cycle will actually provide you with the most authentic and truest sense of stability because it allows you to lean into, connect with and trust your biological body and wise mind.

So, what the heck is the ‘diet cycle’, what will you gain by breaking free of it, and how can you actively let go of this vicious cycle once and for all?!

space

What is the Diet Cycle?

The diet cycle is a loop that people get stuck in after engaging in yo-yo dieting and weight cycling – folks often get trapped in this cycle due to how it fuels disordered eating, the tempting promises of dieting that never land and the intense feelings of anxiety, guilt, and shame.

Let’s take a closer visual look at what this cycle actually looks like when you’re in the throes of dieting:

 

The beginning…

When you start your first diet or jump back in after rounds of failed dieting attempts, you may remember the rush of endorphins that a new diet provides before any of the negative mental, emotional, and physical side effects take place after prolonged periods of ignoring your biological body. It’s very common to experience what we refer to as the “dieter’s high” when things seem to be going well, you’re noticing intended results, you’re receiving positive reinforcement from others, and you’re generally really excited about how dieting and weight loss will positively impact your life. Sadly, perceived positives do exist because we live in a society that idealizes and glorifies thinness while simultaneously discriminates against natural and normal bodies that come in all shapes and sizes.

However, eventually…

The consequences of deprivation and starvation will begin to set in and it will be much harder to stay on your diet plan because your biology is very hard to work against it for long. Luckily, our bodies are smart and designed for survival – meaning that biological mechanisms will show up to fight against caloric restriction. Our bodies do this by increasing our hunger cues, making it difficult for us to sleep at night and instead ‘hunting and gathering’ for food, causing us to hyper-focus on and obsess about food, as well as decreasing our energy so that we’re no longer exerting any extra calories for unnecessary activities. This is when you may notice that you no longer have the time or energy to maintain your diet and you may “cheat” or “give in” by eating in a way that feels out of control when in reality this is your body’s natural response to deprivation. This isn’t a lack of willpower or a moral failure; it’s a reminder from your body that diets don’t work! Diets are not designed for success, which is why the diet industry is worth billions of dollars and is constantly in flux disguising itself as wellness and changing its formula with a multitude of newly emerging diets every year. After dieting has failed you (not the other way around), guilt and shame will show up to decrease your self-esteem and confidence, and this is usually the perfect catalyst to re-starting the vicious cycle all over again.

Because diets don’t work…

We want you to know that what does work is breaking free of the diet cycle so that you can cultivate, embrace, and embody intuitive eating habits. Intuitive eating allows you to let go of the rigidity and rituals of the insidious diet cycle while allowing you to practice adaptive coping skills. In this new space, you will be free to cultivate a better understanding of your hunger and fullness cues, move your body in ways that feel good and celebrate rather than punish it, make peace with food without deprivation or guilt, show your body respect, and feel more in tune with your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual self.

space

Tips to Start Breaking Free

• Work with a Karuna dietitian who will help you explore your dieting history and create an individualized nutrition plan.
• Become more aware of your nutrition and health beliefs and assess if they are interfering with your health, life, and relationships.
• Embrace and practice eating more regularly and consistently, as this will provide your body and mind with adequate nutrition that will restore homeostasis like hunger and fullness cues.
• Say “yes” to food when you’re hungry and “no” to food when doing so honors your body and mind.
• Speak kindly to yourself and be aware of negative inner dialogues that promote guilt and shame.

space

Are you ready to break free and join a community of intuitive eaters? Reach out to Karuna today to learn more about our non-diet approach and how your nutrition journey with us can offer a beautiful and healing transformation that is always unconditional.

space

Sources:

1. “How to Break Free of the Diet Cycle.” Registered Dietitian Columbia SC – Rachael Hartley Nutrition, www.rachaelhartleynutrition.com/blog/the-diet-cycle.
2. Edmunds, Leslie. “How to Break the Vicious Diet Cycle, Once and for All | Clem&Thyme Nutrition.” Clem & Thyme Nutrition, 30 Mar. 2022, clemandthyme.com/2022/03/30/how-to-break-the-vicious-diet-cycle-once-and-for-all/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024.