Diets Don’t Work. Here’s What to do Instead.

Thanks a million for this amazing  Guest Post by Lindley Ashline.

Diets Don’t Work. Here’s What to Do Instead.

We all know: Diets are out. “Lifestyle changes” are in.

And if you get too much pushback, you can always call it a “behavioral intervention.”

But 70 years of research tells us that no matter how much willpower you have, no matter how good your intentions are, no matter how bad you want it, no matter how hard you try, intentional weight loss does. not. work.

It is not sustainable.

It will not last.

Yes. Even if you make “lifestyle changes.” The weight will not stay off.*

Yes. Even if you make those “lifestyle changes” permanent. The weight will not stay off.*

Yes. Even if you have the willpower of several deities combined. The weight will not stay off.*

Yes. Even if you lose ten or 100 or 400 pounds in the short term. The weight will not stay off.*

Yes. Even if you count points religiously. The weight will not stay off.* Why do you think Weight Watchers has lifetime subscriptions?

Yes. Even if you have weight loss surgery. The weight will not stay off for 2-4 out of every 10 people who undergo weight loss surgery. (And all 10 are at an incredibly high risk of failed surgeries, disproportionate side effects, and death.)

Yes. Even if you undergo “behavioral interventions,” of any definition. The weight will not stay off.*

Yes. “Healthy” behaviors are worth doing even if they don’t make you lose weight. I’m not telling you not to.

Yes. I have 70 years of research backing me up, despite what “everyone knows.”

And yes, I’m happy to look at the study you found. If, and ONLY if, it’s a peer-reviewed study in which the majority of participants kept off at least 10 pounds for at least five years. Because if you’re sacrificing your entire life to keep off five pounds for two years, what’s the point?

Sorry. I know this sucks. A lot. Don’t blame me. Blame the industry that makes $60 billion EVERY YEAR by telling you to do things that do. not. Work.

About that fitspo account that followed you on Instagram

For those of us — and this is all of us — who’ve been raised on a steady diet (pun intended) of myths and fables about People Who Kept the Weight Off, though, this can be really hard to accept.

Every weight-related post I make (especially on Instagram) attracts at least one smug, skinny commenter telling me that sure, diets don’t work, but If You Just Have Enough Willpower Then The Weight Will Stay Off.

People get really invested in this stuff, both emotionally and financially. How many thousand fitspo accounts are out there, on every social media platform, promising that if you just work really really really hard the pounds will melt off and you, too, will look like the svelte fitness models shown?**

*looks around*

So, let’s talk about that.

When I say that we know scientifically that diets don’t work, I don’t mean in the short term. Most of us can work real hard and starve ourselves and do whatever it takes to lose a little — or a lot — for a few months. And even for a few years.

But when you look at the slightly larger picture — say, five years out — the weight is back, and more. That’s because human bodies don’t work that way. Every individual body has a natural setpoint that it gravitates toward, and that setpoint is determined largely by genetics.

This leads to what is called “weight cycling,” where people lose weight on a diet, gain it back, and lose it again when they start a different diet. It’s a crushing, depressing cycle that’s really hard on your body and mind.

Yes, of course there are exceptions! Somewhere between one and five percent of dieters do manage to lose weight and keep that weight off for the long term. We don’t know exactly why those outliers are different. So sure, you can diet and hope to be a unicorn. Me, I’ll be over here actually living my life.

Any diet or “lifestyle change” that tells you you can keep more than 10-20 pounds off in the long term is lying to you. Ask them for proof. Ask them for the peer-reviewed study in which a majority of participants lost 10 pounds or more and kept it off for five years or more.

That’s a pretty low bar, right? Just ten pounds, in the long term. Surely some study out there can meet that standard, right?

I know you won’t be finding any studies from the weight loss industry that say any such thing, because even a $60 billion industry can’t and won’t claim that weight loss works for more than about six months.

And you won’t find any studies from the reality-based scientific community, because every study conducted has failed to show any weight loss maintenance in the long term. (And that’s including studies on every diet imaginable, on “lifestyle changes,” on “behavioral interventions,” and on anything points-related.)

So the next time you’re feeling particularly unlovable or sad or disgusting because you, too, can’t lose weight and keep it off in the long term, remember that you’ve been trained to try to meet an impossible standard and to feel bad and guilty about not meeting it. Oh, and that someone’s making a crapload of profit off these things.

Filling the void of broken promises

So what’s a girl to do when she’s being held to impossible standards? Here are a few ideas:

1. Learn to flaunt what you’ve got. Learning to love your body as it is can be a long process, but it’s worth starting now. Not only because you have very little chance of significantly changing your body’s size, but because your body is worthy of love no matter its size, shape or state of health. I recommend Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker.

 

1. Look into health at every size (HAES). This approach to life encourages healthy behaviors without the promise of weight loss (and takes into account that you might have existing health conditions, disabilities or some of the other constraints that make “health” look different for everyone). I highly recommend the book Body Respect by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor.

 

1. Investigate intuitive eating. Like HAES, this diet replacement works with the body and mind you have today. You probably won’t lose weight, but you’ll learn to listen to your body’s hunger and restore your trust that it knows what it needs. I recommend the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

 

1. Expand your horizons. Ditch some of the social media accounts that make you feel bad about your body and replace them with these amazing body-positive Instagram feeds.

Losing weight permanently isn’t possible for most people, but permanently treating your body with love and respect? Definitely is.

 

*Unless you’re one of the lucky 1-5%. We don’t know why it’s sustainable for that percentage of dieters — excuse me, lifestyle changers — or how to replicate it for others. There is no way that you can guarantee a spot in the population that keeps it off.

**Just so you know, not only do those models starve and dehydrate themselves before photo shoots, but afterward their bodies are Photoshopped further. Not even those models look like the final images.

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Lindley Ashline wears two hats. By day, she’s the owner and chief photographer at RepresentationMatters.me, making diverse and body positive stock photos and artwork accessible and affordable while paying contributors a living wage. By night, she’s the creative force behind Sweet Amaranth, Seattle’s fat positive and LGBTQIAP+-friendly boudoir and portrait studio.