Why dieting can make you eat more, according to two dietitians specializing in eating disorders

In Spain and around the world, many people decide to go on a diet to change their habits and life experiences: to lose weight, maintain it, achieve a healthier lifestyle, etc. There are many diets currently known , but the key is knowing how to choose the right one that best suits each individual's needs. For this reason, a good recommendation would be to consult a specialist to help the interested party through the process. However, we can face situations such as the dreaded rebound effect , especially with restrictive diets, or, in general, the desire to eat more once a diet period has ended . What could be the reason for this?

Belén and Maite are two dietitians and nutritionists specializing in eating disorders at the Galiani Psychological Center. In a video posted on the company's Instagram, they explained why diets, especially restrictive ones, can actually do the opposite . The key lies in how one views the diet, which many people perceive as "prohibitive."

Why we eat more after dieting

"Ultimately, a diet, as we think of it in diet culture, always has a beginning and an end ," one of the experts begins. She continues, "We often look forward to that end because we associate dieting with something very restrictive, very negative, where enjoyment is barely present ."

The experts believe that "when that end comes, I feel like destroying everything because I haven't allowed myself to do so before." They then talk about a concept known as "restriction," a concept that refers to the "I can't" and that, consequently, would lead to the situation of "I eat everything, and perhaps more impulsively and without making any kind of decision."

Redefining the concept of diet and unconditional permission, two solutions that give

One of the solutions proposed by specialists is to redefine the concept of "diet," which they put it this way: "Ultimately, it's the sum of a person's eating habits . It's a type of diet, the type of diet we follow."

The following proposal would be related to the aforementioned restriction. One of the experts points out that there are several types of restrictions, and these are the most common :

The expert suggests "reviewing them" so that " we can unconditionally allow ourselves to do so , and have that confidence and our own judgment to keep in mind that, in the end, we can make much more conscious decisions, " in addition to keeping in mind that "every day is different" and that one can have a different diet depending on the day. "The basis would be: don't fail to cover your needs throughout the day ," one of them concludes.

They also refer to another concept, that of unconditional permission , that is, "any thought" other than "'shouldn't' or 'I can't'": "Being able to eat without fear and without conditions to achieve regulation and balance. Because only from true freedom can we make conscious and sustainable decisions ," they point out in the post.