Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center

International Eating Disorder Referral Organization

 

Dieting as a Precursor to Eating Disorders

by Alice Covey, CD, RD

www.centerforchange.com

Dieting may not be the cause of eating disorders, but it is often a precursor. The National Eating Disorders Association reports that 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting and that 20-25% of those individuals develop eating disorders. It is far too common that eating disorders start off as dieting. Dieting can be a way for individuals to exercise control, counting calories and fat grams, limiting types and amounts of food, and watching the numbers drop on the scale. Focusing on dieting and weight loss can be a “perfect” escape from true emotions and issues. Not only can the focus on dieting and weight loss be distracting, but also dieters tend to have slower reaction time and less ability to concentrate due to lack of adequate nutrition.

 

Dieting as a Cultural Norm

Dieting has become common and normalized in our society. So much so, that children ages nine to eleven are dieting at alarming rates. A study published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association in 1992 found that 46% of nine to eleven year olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets, and that 82% of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets. It would not be surprising if the rates have increased over the years, especially since that has been the trend of the dieting industry. In 1980 the dieting industry was a $10 billion dollar industry. In 1991 it was reported to be a $50 billion dollar industry, and it just keeps growing. Fifty billion dollars is more than the Gross National Product (GNP) of over half of all the nations in the world.

This trend for dieting and being “thin” is a relatively new phenomenon in the course of history. Less than one hundred years ago Americans strived for “excess” body fat. They viewed fatness as a sign of success, health, and beauty. There were even articles in magazines like Harpers Bazar with advice on how to put on extra pounds. At this time physicians were even encouraging Americans to gain weight, and they believed that a “balanced personality” was obtained by having a large number of fat cells.

 

Diet Failure

Our culture has brainwashed us into thinking being ultra-thin is equated with beauty. To obtain this image, Americans put so much time, energy and money into diets, and in the end the diets don’t even work. The dieting failure rate helps to explain the industry’s rapid growth. When a diet fails, the search is on for a new one that “really works.” Ninety-five percent of dieters regain their lost weight. Plus, many of those who have “failed” put on additional weight within one to five years. The 5% of “successful dieters” are usually successful because they have actually adopted a new lifestyle, not because they have stuck to their diets.

Most people blame themselves and their lack of willpower for their diet failures. In reality, it has nothing to do with willpower. Diet failure can be attributed the body responding to hunger and the body’s state of semi-starvation or starvation. The body and mind react to a diet in the same way they would to starvation. In starvation, the body’s metabolism decreases, and cravings increase. This is the set up for diet failure. Metabolism naturally slowing down during starvation is the body’s attempt to conserve energy. A decrease in metabolism means the body is burning calories at a slower rate. Also while on a diet, the mind becomes preoccupied with thoughts of food and cravings intensify, especially for foods that will provide quick energy, like sweets. Eventually, it is too difficult to fight nature. People can’t remain on diets forever and when dieters terminate their diet efforts, it is common for overeating to ensue. Overeating and even “normal eating” with a suppressed metabolism will cause the weight that was lost to come back. The failure rate of dieting (95%) is so high, not because people aren’t good enough or strong enough but because our bodies were designed to fight weight loss.

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author and are presented without editing. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of EDReferral.com, and no official endorsement by EDReferral.com of the opinions expressed herein should be inferred.

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