Why I am against fad diets and measuring your self worth by the number on your scales

Today I spoke on 3AW with Dr Sally Cockburn about my concerns re fad diets and unhealthy messages not endorsed by experts.

As a doctor who sees many patients with eating disorders I become very concerned when fads appear that promise weight loss.

As a doctor, I am also aware about the health risks that can be caused by obesity. Of course I encourage and support healthy eating and exercise to be the body shape we are designed to be.

What I am NOT happy about are un-endorsed promotions for sale such as the 12WBT that promote weight loss and incorporate misleading information such as the importance of counting calories and regular weighing. Patients with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa perform these behaviours at an obsessional level. Encouraging people to weigh themselves and then to apportion their self worth to a number is dangerous and can lead to the onset and relapse of eating disorders.

Programs such as the 12WBT have not been endorsed by any regulatory health body, or have published any data about whether rapid weight loss by consuming a very low calorie diet leads to long term change. What we do know is that eating a balanced diet, watching portion size, reading labels on food packaging, and engaging in moderate regular exercise is the way to sustain the weight you should be for life. It is also the way that you can make a huge difference to many preventable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and arthritis.

I have met quite a number of people who have enrolled in the 12WBT program with all the best intentions only to discover that the very low caloric intake in the first few weeks in unsustainable. Not because they are weak, or greedy or lack discipline, but because they are not consuming enough nutrients to sustain their daily activities.  This can then be interpreted as being a failure, and further reduce self esteem. Listening to hunger cues and eating when hungry is a normal human behaviour. Realising you are hungry and depriving yourself of food as a form of strength is pathological. And, there is no one magic number of calories that all humans must adhere to, but there are guidelines about a healthy range.

I tell my patients that they are the special unique people they are because of many factors. not one is what number they are on the scales. And I know that for many people with eating disorders, this message takes years to sink in.

By all means be healthy, happy and exercise for your physical and mental health. Just read the fine print and if you think something is too good to be true, well it probably is.

Stay well over Christmas and New Year,

Helen