Discover why most diets fail, how restrictive eating impacts your mind and body, and learn sustainable strategies for long-term health, balance, and weight management.
Have you tried any diet, but every time, you always gained all the lost weight back and maybe.. even more? And do you also end up blaming it on your thyroid?
Please keep reading so I can better explain to you.
The problem is not always related to the thyroid but to the “DIET” itself!
Yes, you read that right!
That’s why I’m telling you it’s time to stop looking for another diet!
90% of diets are destined to fail, and do you know why? I’ll answer you as a (neuro)scientist and a nutritionist.
When we are on a diet, our brains can react differently. On the one hand, we may initially feel charged, super-motivated, and determined to achieve our weight loss goals. It always happens like that. However, soon after the first few days, this feeling of euphoria starts to fade, unfortunately. Mentally and emotionally, we have always associated (and therefore unconsciously perceive) the concept of “dieting” as an act of deprivation, stress, and anxiety, especially if we decide to follow a very restrictive diet… perhaps with the idea of achieving results as quickly as possible!
The problem is that these feelings can lead to negative reactions in our brains. For example, deprivation can lead to episodes of uncontrollable eating, ending up eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, which could then be followed by negative feelings such as guilt or shame. In addition, calorie restriction can influence our metabolism, causing our body to burn fewer calories, which makes it harder to lose weight in the long term. You need to know that our mind is predisposed to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Why do you need to stop “dieting”?
When we avoid certain foods or drastically reduce calories, we may experience a reduction in the pleasure associated with eating, which can lead to increased cravings for “forbidden” foods. Furthermore, the desire to avoid the frustration associated with calorie restriction can lead to a “rebound effect“, where we eat even more after the diet period…just to seek that sense of “pleasure” at an emotional and mental level. In general, how we emotionally react to dieting can influence our ability to stick to it in the long term. If we feel stressed and anxious and perceive dieting as a sacrifice, that diet will likely fail in the long term. That’s why it’s important to opt for a sustainable, evidence-based and science-based approach that takes into account our psychological needs and helps us create healthy eating habits in the long term.
Many currently trendy diets can be too restrictive and are not sustainable at all, so they cannot be maintained for a prolonged period. Sticking to a dietary regimen that requires completely eliminating certain foods or drastically reducing calories for an extended period can be challenging. This approach can lead to feelings of frustration, deprivation, stress, and anxiety, which in turn can lead to episodes of uncontrolled eating.
In addition, the other mistake is wanting to lose weight too quickly. Although trying to lose weight quickly and drastically may be tempting, this approach is usually not sustainable. When you lose weight too quickly, you might mainly reduce the muscle mass instead of body fat, which ultimately slows down metabolism and can make it harder to maintain the weight loss. Many diets can promise quick results but are not based on solid scientific evidence. Some diets, especially DIY ones, can also harm your health and well-being because they may be too restrictive and deprive your body of essential nutrients.
Finally, don’t always forget to consider the emotional and psychological aspects of eating. Food is nourishment and actually is comfort or gratification for our body and mind, and if these needs are not met, it may be difficult to follow a diet in the long term.
So what’s the solution?
An ad-hoc program based on the FOOD education and correct combination – tailored to your needs- can help you either gradually change your eating habits for good or help maintain these new habits (and therefore the lost weight) in the long term.
Restrictive diets or DIY diets downloaded from the web, magic drinks or “fat-burning” pills, etc., done without taking into account thyroid health (read the previous post about it), are harmful because they can slow down metabolism and can interfere with thyroid activity, especially in women. These rigid approaches will only further slow down your metabolism, and your body will activate a “defence” mechanism, holding onto every single calorie you ingest by storing it precisely because the calorie intake is low.
Excessive exercise and fasting, in turn, will put even more strain on your adrenal glands by generating further “stress” in your body and halting any weight loss process you hope to achieve. And as a result, what will happen?
You will stop any “useless” sacrifices, including the restrictive “diet” once again, by reversing to the same wrong initial habits and perhaps even regaining additional weight!
Have you ever experienced such a situation before? So, what might the solution be?
But what to do then?
To answer this question, you have to consider several aspects. First of all:
Restoring the right relationship with food by rediscovering joy and pleasure by eating. Reconnecting with your body after years of dieting and calorie counting, with or without apps. Also, don’t always let yourself be conditioned by that number on the SCALE. By doing so, you will always live in fear of eating more and never feel free to enjoy the pleasure of food.
Because food is also (and above all) NOURISHMENT and PLEASURE.
Then,
Work on the ROOT CAUSE of your health condition (even if overweight): inflammation, micronutrient deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, stress, intestinal permeability, sluggish liver, etc. If well addressed and “regulated”, all of these factors will help your body work better, and your metabolism will also benefit.
I assure you that if you focus on these “trigger” points, you will also see positive changes in your energy levels.
“Nourishing” and supporting the thyroid
But what you eat is just one part of the “puzzle” you must work on to reverse and/or improve thyroid symptoms.
When working with thyroid conditions, there are many other aspects to consider: What we eat matters, and especially what we do and how we THINK.
So don’t neglect other priorities such as:
SLEEP, and how and how much we sleep.
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS:
Limit plastic, aluminium foil, silicone, and harmful chemicals. Check all cosmetics, makeup, and personal care products: use body care products free of parabens, triclosan, heavy metals, and harmful chemicals.
Also, it reduces exposure to chlorine and fluoride. Instead, opt for products with fewer ingredients and prefer “organic”/ “bio” brands.
Support natural DETOX processes:
Sweat is your friend! Infrared sauna, dry brushing, and Epsom salt baths are all valuable allies.
Be aware of your stress levels.
Reduce both physical and mental stress and… yes, also cut ties with toxic relationships!
And finally,
Be kinder to yourself and your body!
Don’t just aim to “punish” yourself by removing food… give yourself other priorities and take better care of yourself.
Also, how you treat and speak to yourself matters.
Dr. Giovanna Maraula
Functional Nutritionist and Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner.
From battling my own health struggles to regaining balance through science and nutrition, my journey led me to create a method that’s transforming lives—naturally.
