Whyyy is it so hard to stop dieting?
Most of us know by now that dieting doesn’t work and if it did, we wouldn’t find ourselves stuck in the diet cycle, constantly starting over, searching for the next “solution,” or feeling like we’ve failed when the results don’t last.
It’s common to see clients feeling trapped between wanting to stop dieting and not letting go of all it offers them (a sense of control, feeling apart of something, a distraction). If you’re longing for food freedom and a healthy relationship with food, but part of you still feels the constant desire to be in a smaller body, you’re not alone– I see this in clinic all the time. Let me explain why dieting is so hard to stop and how breaking free from diet culture can help you trust your body with food.
Diet Culture on Social Media
We’ve all been exposed to diet culture in one way or another, through celebrity weight loss trends, magazine covers, family discussions about “good” and “bad” foods, and in the past two decades, mostly through social media. Diet culture on social media perpetuates unrealistic beauty standards, making thinness seem more important than health. It promotes restrictive dieting, calorie counting, and food morality, leading many people to feel guilt and anxiety around eating.
The Rise of Harmful Diet Trends
Just when it started to seem like society and the media was getting over their fat-phobic messaging, we’re slapped in the face. Unfortunately, there has been another spike in restrictive diets trending on social media, where people (often already in small bodies) share restrictive eating tips disguised as healthy weight loss advice. These so-called “tips” encourage behaviours like juice cleanses, cutting out entire food groups, extremely low-calorie meal plans, and over-exercising as a way to “burn off” food, just to name a few. These habits are unsustainable and often contribute to disordered eating, a strained relationship with food, and potential long-term health risks.
Control and Stability
It’s easy for life to feel chaotic, disorganised, and out of control. Work schedules, family responsibilities, social commitments, and daily stress can all pile up, creating a sense of overwhelm. Tracking food, counting calories, and following strict meal plans may feel like a way to maintain control, but in reality, they often lead to overthinking, obsessing, and a preoccupation with food, ultimately adding more stress to your life.
Instead of experiencing true food freedom, many people become trapped in the binge-restrict cycle- where deprivation fuels cravings, leading to overeating, guilt, and a return to restriction. Breaking free from dieting isn’t about more rules or control; it’s about learning to trust your body and finding balance through flexible, nourishing eating habits rather than rigid food rules.
Societal Pressure
Dieting is so widely accepted that it often feels like the norm, making it difficult to step away from restrictive eating patterns. It can create a sense of belonging to a sort of “diet club”, as many people bond over shared struggles with food, weight, and body image. From casual conversations about “being good” or “cheating” on a diet to entire industries built around weight loss, the pressure to keep dieting is everywhere. Dieting is also tied to the belief that restrictive eating and willpower is the only way to maintain or achieve health. Many people worry that adopting a non-diet approach will lead to overeating, bingeing, or weight gain, reinforcing the misconception that strict control is necessary BUT it’s often the restrictive eating that triggers binge eating in the first place. When all foods are included in a balanced, flexible way, eating becomes more intuitive, and the body can regulate itself naturally.
What Can I Do?
Want to stop dieting for good and build a healthy relationship with food and your body?
Book an appointment to see us in-person or online via telehealth.