Traditional diets often fall short in delivering sustainable results, and understanding why can pave the way for a more mindful and personalized approach to health. Here’s a breakdown of some of the reason traditional diets do not work in the long run:
Overly Restrictive Nature: Traditional diets are often too restrictive, prescribing rigid guidelines without empowering you to make informed choices. Autonomy and the ability to make empowered food choices aligned with personal needs and goals are crucial for long-term success.
Neglecting Internal Cues: Traditional diets ignore the internal cues our bodies provide, such as hunger and fullness signals. Disregarding these natural signals can disrupt the body’s innate balance, making it challenging to maintain both a healthy weight and a positive relationship with food.
Lack of Foundation for Lifelong Habits: Many diets focus on short-term goals without establishing a foundation for lifelong habits. Sustainable health requires more than temporary fixes; it demands a holistic lifestyle approach.
Overlooking Emotional and Psychological Aspects: Emotional and psychological factors significantly influence our relationship with food, yet traditional diets often overlook these crucial aspects. Addressing these elements is essential for fostering a positive and sustainable connection to eating.
Generic Approach: Diets commonly adopt a one-size-fits-all mentality, assuming that what works for one person will work for everyone. However, individuals have unique dietary needs, preferences, and lifestyles, making a personalized approach essential.
Exclusive Focus on WHAT we eat and how much: Traditional diets predominantly concentrate on the “what” of eating, as well as how much (often restricting calories) neglecting a broader spectrum of factors influencing eating behaviors. A more holistic perspective considers various elements beyond food choices.
What and how much we eat is important. But so is why we eat, when we eat, and how we eat.
In order to move away from the limitations of traditional diets, and create an eating routine that is personalized and works for YOU, we must look at your eating habits from a different angle, and put the “what” of your eating to the side for a moment.
Let me introduce you to the mindful eating cycle by Michelle May, author of the book “Am I hungry?” .
In this mindful eating cycle, Michelle outlines several factors that influence the many eating and food decisions we make each day. And if you really want to make sustainable changes to your nutrition and break free from restrictive diets and yoyo dieting, this framework is a great place to start.
The mindful eating cycle also considers what we eat and how much, but in addition allows you to reflect around your food choices by asking yourself questions such as:
Why do I eat? Do I eat because I am hungry? Or is my hunger emotional? Do I need food or do I need to call a friend?
When do I eat? How do I know if I am hungry? How often do I feel like eating and why?
How do I eat? Do I eat while distracted? Do I eat fast? How do I eat when I am by myself vs with other people?
How much do I eat? How does hunger feel? How does fullness feel? Am I struggling to leave food on my plate? How do I feel after eating? How do I want to feel after eating?
To make it even more clear, let’s look at examples of how the eating cycle might look different for two different types of eating styles (there are many eating styles but we will stick to these two for now): the intuitive eater versus the restrictive dieter:
The intuitive/intentional eater: the why is driven by the intention to fuel your body. You eat when you are hungry and you eat what you are in the mood for based on preferences, values and goals: the key is that you are in charge of your decision. The intuitive/intentional eater eats his food mindfully and purposefully, and how much is guided by satiety cues. You stop eating when you have had enough and (usually) when you are comfortably full. The energy you get from food goes into living your best life.
In short, the why, when, what, how and how much are driven by internal rather than external factors.
Now let’s look at the restrictive dieter: on a restrictive diet, the why you eat is usually driven by a desire to change your body. The when is dictated by the diets rules and guidelines: maybe you aren’t allowed to eat after 18.00 o’clock, maybe you have to eat small frequent meals, maybe there are rules about whether or not to have breakfast and so on. There are rules around what to eat, and what to avoid. The how is usually very strict and rigid, and there are ways to keep track of what you are eating through different measuring tools (weighing, tracking, point system and so on), and you are only eating as much as you are allowed to.
As far as where your energy goes, chances are you are preoccupied with your diet and exercise, possibly dealing with feelings of guilt and an urge to compensate by moving more or eating less if you’ve happened to eat more than you are allowed, or ate something that wasn’t on your plan.
The intuitive eater and the restrictive dieter are complete opposites.
What you will notice is that what we eat very often will depend on why we eat. And thus, if you want to be successful with your diet and take control of your eating habits you must look beyond the “what”. You have to dive a little deeper and create awareness around your current eating pattern and food decisions, and that includes reflecting around not just the what, but also the why, the when, the how and how much you eat. In addition, I like looking at where you direct the energy that food gives/brings you. Do you choose to use the energy from food to fuel your life and well-being, or do you let it consume you and fill you with negative thoughts, worries, guilt and shame?
If you truly want to change your eating habits for the better and improve your lifestyle, start looking at your behaviors from a more holistic point of view. Critically (but with empathy and curiosity) evaluate your behavior by asking yourself the questions above, and you will be well on your way to make positive changes ❤️ It all starts with awareness – as we cannot change what we don’ t know!
