Book Review: Ending The Diet Mindset

A quick survey of obesity statistics and annual spending on diet and weight loss products in this country tells us two things: we have a crisis of obesity, and the way in which we are attempting to treat it is not working. According to Becca Clegg, a psychotherapist, eating disorder specialist and author of Ending The Diet Mindset: Reclaim a Healthy and Balanced Relationship with Food and Body Image the reason is that diets cause us to eat more, not less. “Dieting leads us to feel terrible about ourselves, belittles our self-worth, decreases our motivation, and harms our bodies in the process,” writes Clegg. Dieting also leads to destructive mindsets which drive our attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and behavior. In short, dieting turns us into a different person. We may adopt a pattern of deprivation where we are not allowed to eat what we really want, putting all of our favorite foods off limits. The result, like Newton’s third law of motions, is an equal and opposite reaction. “If you go on a diet that feels in any way restrictive, your automatic reaction is going to be equal in intensity, but in the opposite direction of that feeling of restriction. In other words, the more deprived you feel, the more the urge to eat will grow,” writes Clegg. Overcoming deprivation starts with its opposite: abundance. Instead of teaching ourselves that food should be limited, we must experience food being plentiful – as well as ourselves feeling positive emotions while eating it...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Binge Eating Book Reviews Bulimia Eating Disorders Healthy Living Mindfulness Self-Help Diet Book diet mindset ending diets Source Type: news