Ep. 21 Why Dieting Fails: The Hidden Dangers and Harmful Side Effects of Dieting & Weight Loss

[00:00:00] If you just lost weight, you'd be able to manage your diabetes better, get pregnant easier, or improve your cholesterol or blood pressure. Like it's almost become a running joke, hasn't it? Oh, like that's what you're suffering from? Just lose weight and everything will be okay. It's this mantra that has been ingrained in many of us, making us believe that the life that we seek, the health that we seek, the healing that we seek is only attainable through weight loss.

[00:00:30] And at one point in my career, I believed that weight loss was the magic wand that would change people's lives for the better. And boy, did I want to be that fairy godmother, just waving my wand and making everything right.

[00:00:43] Thankfully, I've learned that I can still help people live healthy lives and live a life well lived without needing to promote weight loss and not feeding and fueling that diet culture mentality.

[00:01:00] Hopefully by now, after listening to this podcast, you're starting to understand that there's more to being healthy than just losing weight.

[00:01:07] And today I want to take some time to talk a little bit about some of the research and the surprising results of different studies that show that dieting and weight cycling can cause long term physical harm.

[00:01:20] In fact, you might be surprised to learn that some of these harmful side effects of dieting are the exact conditions that weight loss is prescribed to treat.

[00:01:32] Welcome to the Nourish to Bloom podcast, where your faith meets your health.

[00:01:36] I'm your host, Cara Trakta, a registered dietitian and certified Catholic coach.

[00:01:40] And I'm here to help you cultivate a deeper connection with your body, your spirit and the nourishment that sustains them both.

[00:01:47] In a world filled with noise and confusion about food, health and body image, this podcast offers truth and healing from a Christ centered perspective.

[00:01:57] Together, we'll untangle the deep roots of diet culture and discover what it means to truly care for ourselves through joyful nourishment of mind, body and soul.

[00:02:07] We're here to dive into the transformative power of intuitive eating coupled with the rich teachings of our Christian faith.

[00:02:14] With every episode, I'll be cheering you on, offering insights, inspiration and practical tools to help you heal your relationship with food and embrace the beauty of your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

[00:02:26] With confidence and courage that can only be found in Christ.

[00:02:31] Join me as we journey together towards a more holistic approach to wellness, one that honors the wisdom of your body as God's creation, the teachings of our faith and the unique purpose you're called to fulfill.

[00:02:43] You were made to bloom, to come into full beauty and health in order to bear good fruit for the Lord with your life.

[00:02:52] So if you're ready to nourish your body, feed your soul and bloom into the best version of yourself, then you're in the right place.

[00:02:59] And I'm so happy you're here.

[00:03:01] Welcome to Nourish to Bloom, where every day is a sacred invitation to thrive.

[00:03:07] Hey there, welcome back.

[00:03:09] So in today's episode, I just want to take some time to share what some of the research around dieting and weight cycling is showing.

[00:03:17] Now, I don't share these results of these studies to make you feel guilty in any way to condemn you about any choice that you may have made to diet or try to lose weight.

[00:03:30] And I'm not saying that dieting is the only cause of these side effects that we're going to talk about.

[00:03:37] My goal with this episode is just to show you how chronic and prolonged focus on weight loss may be adversely affecting your physical health.

[00:03:49] We're just going to be talking about a different perspective than maybe what you've heard in mainstream media and maybe possibly planting a seed or motivation for you to think about if you want to continue to focus so much time, energy, and money on something that doesn't really work for the long run.

[00:04:08] And something that may inadvertently be causing you to experience some of these chronic diseases and metabolic issues that are kind of running rampant in our society.

[00:04:22] Because oftentimes we go to the doctor or we hear that weight loss is just prescribed as kind of this blanket thing where, you know, you'd feel better if you lost weight or you'd be able to lower your blood pressure if you lost weight.

[00:04:38] And it's not to say that there may be some merit to that.

[00:04:42] But how long has the healthcare industry been prescribing weight loss?

[00:04:48] And yet we still tend to be trending into more obesity, more overweight, and poorer health than, you know, this prescription of weight loss is actually helping improve the lives of Americans.

[00:05:04] And it's also frustrating for patients to walk into the doctor's office with ailments, with diseases, with illnesses, and just told, well, like, I'm sorry about the only thing you can do is lose weight and that'll make this go away.

[00:05:23] I'm working with a client who has a pretty serious medical diagnosis.

[00:05:29] And she's like, Kara, you know, I really want to be this intuitive eater.

[00:05:33] I've spent my whole life dieting.

[00:05:35] I've spent my whole life trying to lose weight and counting calories or counting macros.

[00:05:40] And she's like, I just can't do it anymore.

[00:05:42] And she was so on board with it.

[00:05:44] And then she went to the doctor and she was given this medical diagnosis.

[00:05:48] And I mean, it was a pretty scary thing.

[00:05:50] And in talking to the doctor, the doctor's like, well, there's really not much we can do to treat it.

[00:05:57] We don't know enough about it.

[00:05:58] There's not really anything that we can do other than, you know, just try and lose weight.

[00:06:05] And I can only imagine her frustration because that's, I think, how I would feel frustrated, defeated to know that I have spent my entire life dieting and trying to lose weight.

[00:06:18] And I walk into the doctor's office and I'm given this diagnosis and all the doctor can say is just go lose weight, not having any idea of the amount of time and energy and frustration and emotional and mental space that has been taking up her life, trying to do this exact same thing.

[00:06:36] And yet she still ended up with this medical diagnosis.

[00:06:40] So it's just trying to really give you the tools and give you the motivation and the inspiration to maybe look through some of this diet culture stuff, to look through this, these, you know, just lose weight and it'll cure everything kind of messages that we're hearing and really be able to stop and think about, you know, if is this something that you want to continue to focus so much time and energy on?

[00:07:05] Because the most current research shows that 95% of dieters end up regaining the weight they lost within two years.

[00:07:14] And all this is doing is promoting that weight cycling loop of you lose weight, you gain weight, you lose weight, you gain weight over and over and over again.

[00:07:22] And aside from it not being sustainable, it's also, in my opinion, a really exhausting way to live.

[00:07:30] So I want to just expose this research and what is coming out of these studies and look at some of the short-term and long-term side effects of dieting and weight cycling on your physical health.

[00:07:46] So one of kind of the big studies that was conducted was done by Dr. Tracy Mann, along with Janet Tomiyama, who was a UCLA graduate student of psychology, and she helped co-author this study.

[00:08:00] But Dr. Mann and Tomiyama at UCLA conducted one of the most comprehensive and rigorous analysis of diet studies.

[00:08:08] And they analyzed 31 long-term studies around dieting and weight cycling.

[00:08:13] And here's kind of some of the things that this particular analysis started to show.

[00:08:20] That many dieters experience low blood sugar and low energy because of that intentional undernourishment and underfeeding that goes along with dieting and calorie restriction.

[00:08:35] And also, in part, due to that inconsistency in eating throughout the day because of dieting.

[00:08:42] And so they showed low blood sugar and low energy.

[00:08:46] They showed things like moodiness and irritability because the neurotransmitters that regulate our mood tend to fluctuate when we're hungry or our blood sugar is low.

[00:08:57] And this results in your body releasing adrenaline and cortisol.

[00:09:01] And the surge of that adrenaline and cortisol can make you feel hangry or aggressive.

[00:09:07] They also showed that dieters tend to experience more GI issues like bloating or indigestion, irregular and consistent bowel movements, constipation due to the low fiber intake, or even diarrhea.

[00:09:24] It also showed an increase in fatigue and chronic fatigue and lethargy.

[00:09:31] And this is because of that, again, that low energy intake.

[00:09:35] And this fatigue can result in fogginess or the inability to concentrate, which then has an impact on productivity and being able to impact your cognitive function and being able to complete tasks and can cause lack of focus and lack of productivity at work, at home, in different activities.

[00:09:58] It also shows that chronic dieting and weight cycling can promote headaches.

[00:10:04] And it's funny because I can really relate with this one.

[00:10:07] I look back and I used to take so much Tylenol back in the day, like probably five days out of the seven days of the week because it just felt like I always had a headache.

[00:10:20] Like the afternoon would come and I was like, God, I just have this headache and I couldn't figure out why.

[00:10:23] And it's funny because it seems to be the reason why was because I was dieting and I wasn't eating enough.

[00:10:30] And after finding intuitive eating and learning how to nourish and feel my body consistently throughout the day, I very rarely experience any headaches.

[00:10:41] And so I'm not taking this unnecessary medication anymore.

[00:10:46] So that was a really interesting thing to see happen in my own personal life.

[00:10:51] Other potential side effects of chronic dieting and weight cycling include like a lowered immune function, because when you're dieting, your body is having to use the energy to compensate for the decreased energy intake instead of keeping its natural defenses.

[00:11:11] So it's like your body is having to divert where it would spend energy in your body to ensure that it's able to keep up, you know, these necessary functions.

[00:11:23] And so some things like your immune function, as well as, you know, in long term, like reproduction, those kind of systems are kind of shut down or become a little inefficient because your body is trying to compensate.

[00:11:39] And it's diverting that energy into things that are 100% necessary to keep you alive and ensure your survival.

[00:11:47] And so this comprehensive analysis is showing that all of these side effects end up compounding if you've been a chronic dieter and you're stuck in that weight cycling loop of losing than gaining.

[00:12:00] And so these are some of the short term side effects, maybe things that you're experiencing while you're actually in on a diet.

[00:12:07] You know, some of these things like that low blood sugar, that headache, that fatigue, you know, lowered immune function.

[00:12:14] And then these side effects may be compound.

[00:12:17] And when you end up in that chronic weight cycling, there tends to be some longer term side effects that end up showing up in these studies, including things like vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

[00:12:29] And this results in impaired immune function.

[00:12:32] It affects your bone growth and density, your skin and your vision health.

[00:12:36] And this vitamin and mineral deficiency is from that lack of variety of the consumption of foods, as well as the decreased amount of caloric intake and energy that comes with dieting.

[00:12:51] It's also been shown that it reduces your bone density and this increases your risk for osteoporotic fractures, which is a huge thing as we continue to age.

[00:13:03] And as we get older and enter menopause and into our elderly years, that bone density is really crucial to ensuring that we continue to be able to live active lives and be able to be strong and not, you know, fall victim to these different fractures.

[00:13:23] Chronic dieting has also been associated with muscle loss due to that protein breakdown that we talked about in our last episode when we were looking at that slowed metabolism.

[00:13:35] So again, when your body is not getting enough energy, it starts to break down your the protein that's in your muscles so it can convert that stored glycogen into glucose for energy to continue for your body to maintain survival.

[00:13:51] Again, that slowed metabolism that we talked about last episode.

[00:13:55] And it's a way for your body to compensate and it's a way for your body to increase its efficiency of being able to utilize the calories that you are consuming.

[00:14:07] This chronic dieting and weight cycling has also been shown to promote fat retention in the body, particularly when you enter that refeeding phase of the weight cycling loop.

[00:14:20] So when you start eating again, you tend to retain more fat.

[00:14:26] And this is happening because when you're engaged in these low calorie diets, the body compensates by doubling the enzymes that make and store fat in the body.

[00:14:36] And this fat retention has been associated with increased risk of metabolic syndromes.

[00:14:43] And it causes your set point weight to increase each time you lose and then regain weight.

[00:14:50] Dieting and weight cycling has also been associated with an increased risk of premature death and heart disease.

[00:14:57] And we can see this from the Framingham Heart Study, which was a 32-year study of more than 3,000 men and women.

[00:15:05] And the study showed that regardless of their initial weight, people whose weight repeatedly goes up and down, which is what we see in weight cycling,

[00:15:14] have a higher overall death rate and twice the normal risk of dying of heart disease.

[00:15:20] And it's important to note that with this study, that these results were independent of any cardiovascular disease risk factors.

[00:15:27] And they held true regardless of the person's weight.

[00:15:32] A similar study also showed some of these similar results.

[00:15:37] And this was the Harvard Alumni Heart Study.

[00:15:40] And it showed that people who lose and gain weight, who lose and gain at least 11 pounds within a 10-year period.

[00:15:48] Sorry, let me read that again.

[00:15:51] This Harvard Alumni Heart Study showed that people who lose and gain at least 10 pounds within a 10-year period don't live as long as people who maintain a stable weight.

[00:16:03] We also know that dieting promotes a change in body shape.

[00:16:08] And the regain of lost weight tends to accumulate in the abdominal area.

[00:16:13] And this type of fat storage has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.

[00:16:19] Aside from these, other physical side effects of dieting and weight cycling include chronic inflammation.

[00:16:26] And we know that inflammation puts us at a risk for all different sorts of metabolic syndromes.

[00:16:35] It puts us at a risk of cancers.

[00:16:38] It puts us at a risk of autoimmune issues, right?

[00:16:41] And so we have this chronic inflammation.

[00:16:43] It also is associated with higher blood pressure.

[00:16:47] Some forms of cancer and an increased risk of insulin resistance have all been associated with dieting and weight cycling.

[00:16:55] And the work that Man and Tomiyama did to analyze all of these studies, what they did is they took every study that followed people on diets for two to five years.

[00:17:10] And we said it was 31 studies.

[00:17:11] So they took all of the data that was gathered from these studies and they analyzed it.

[00:17:16] And what they concluded is that most people would have been better off not going on a diet at all.

[00:17:25] Their weight would be pretty much the same and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back.

[00:17:36] So weight loss is pushed on us constantly from a societal standpoint and from healthcare providers.

[00:17:43] But I hope that you're starting to see that it's rarely the answer.

[00:17:49] Instead, I propose that we focus on building healthy habits around eating behaviors, movement, sleep, stress management, and spiritual health.

[00:18:00] And in building these health habits, we will have a more profound impact on your overall health than just focusing on weight loss alone.

[00:18:10] So why is this important to us as Catholics and Christians?

[00:18:14] It's important to know these potential side effects that could be causing damage and harm to our physical bodies.

[00:18:21] Because we have to remember that our bodies are God's creation.

[00:18:25] And we need to take care of our earthly body to honor and worship God's creation.

[00:18:31] And we also need our bodies in good physical condition to live out God's calling to serve Him and others.

[00:18:39] Because our bodies are how we manifest God and His goodness to others.

[00:18:44] And ultimately, this is why we need to be good stewards of our body and our health.

[00:18:51] And knowing this, understanding really how our physical, mental, emotional health and wellness,

[00:19:01] the importance it is in order to live a good Christian life,

[00:19:06] is why I created the Faith Led Food Freedom Program that's launching in September.

[00:19:11] I finally have a name for it.

[00:19:12] Yay!

[00:19:13] Faith Led Food Freedom.

[00:19:14] I would love to know what you think of the name.

[00:19:16] But in this program, I will guide you step by step,

[00:19:20] not only through the intuitive eating framework,

[00:19:23] because that's critical to help you heal your relationship with food,

[00:19:26] but we'll also use mindset and belief work to help you heal your body image struggles.

[00:19:33] And the combination of this intuitive eating framework and healing your relationship with food

[00:19:38] helps you to be able to confidently live your life for the Lord.

[00:19:44] No more holding back from a life well lived,

[00:19:47] because your days are controlled by what you can and can't eat,

[00:19:51] or based off of how you're feeling about your body.

[00:19:55] But we'll also be working through other aspects of Faith Led Wellness,

[00:19:59] like Christ-centered self-care, stress management,

[00:20:02] establishing good sleep behaviors.

[00:20:04] And in the Faith Led Food Freedom Program,

[00:20:08] I'll show you exactly how to be a good steward of your health and wellness,

[00:20:11] so you can continue to align all aspects of your life to be Christ-centered,

[00:20:17] so you can live the life you were created to live.

[00:20:21] So if this sounds like something you are interested in,

[00:20:24] be sure to join that waitlist at waitlist.careattracted.com

[00:20:28] to become a founding member when registration opens in August.

[00:20:34] So, just want to say thanks again for joining me,

[00:20:37] and I hope you have a blessed week.

[00:20:39] Until then, Go Bloom!