Scientists in the United States have come out and stated that diets and dieting as a whole simply do not work for overall successful weight loss.
Many dieters put on more weight than they lose. Dieting is unlikely to lead to long-term weight loss and may put people at an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
This alarming news comes from researchers from the University of California who did a series of studies for around 5 years on many different diets. The researchers stated that even though the diets do work for a short period of time, in the long term you almost always end up putting your weight back on.
Reasons
Dieting leads to overeating and weight gain. On the psychological level, diets set people up to eat the very foods they are supposed to avoid.
Yo-yo dieting increases health risks. The common response to a failed diet is to begin yet another weight loss plan. This leads to weight cycling where weight yo-yos up and down. Along with the emotional toll of losing and regaining weight are physical risks.
Diets lead to lower self-esteem and depression. Diets lead to an increased risk of eating disorders. Parents frequently express concern over how they can prevent their children, particularly daughters, from developing an eating disorder.
The researcher Traci Mann stated,
We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people.
A very small number of people in the study were able to lose weight and keep it off. Between 40% and 60% of the people who lose weight during a diet regain it within the next 4 or 5 years.
To keep the weight off, the researchers state that a balanced diet with lots of exercise is the way to go.
The report is published in the journal American Psychologist.
Via: Foxnews.com
