DON'T GO ON ANOTHER DIET BEFORE YOU READ THIS!

The effects of dieting on mind and body

Have you ever lost weight on a diet?

Did you blame yourself when you regained the weight you lost?

Did you put it back on again? Did you blame yourself for being greedy, lazy or some combination of the two?

The sad truth is that the vast majority of people who lose weight from dieting put it all back on. Most put on more weight than they lost.

Even slim, healthy people end up with weight problems if they are made to follow a low fat, reduced calorie diet. This was demonstrated in an experiment carried out in the Korean War on conscientious objectors.

These were young healthy men of a variety of sizes, with no history of weight or health problems. They were put on a low fat diet of 1500 calories a day (positively generous by modern standards).

So, what happened to these men?

Many of the men found it impossible to stick to the diet

Food became the main topic of conversation, reading and daydreams for almost all of the men.

Several of the men became so obsessed with the wonders of food that they decided to become chefs after the experiment ended.

Many of the men found it impossible to stick to the diet; they ate secretly and felt guilty afterwards. They became more anxious and depressed. They had difficulty concentrating and they began to withdraw from other people.

Two of the men had emotional breakdowns and one cut off the end of his finger apparently hoping that he would be excused from the study.

Men who had no previous concerns with their appearance and weight began to be more critical about their bodies. Some of the men complained about feeling overweight even though they had lost weight.

After the diet

After the study, the men continued to be obsessed with food

At the end of the dieting period, the men's personalities reverted to normal.

However, many of them found that they could not stop eating when they were full and they ate more than they thought they wanted or was good for them. Some were eating up to 10,000 calories a day.

After the study was over, the men continued to be preoccupied with food and some reported that their cravings were even worse than before. Many had cravings for specific foods such as sweets, dairy products and nuts.

Ten of the fifteen men who were still in touch with the researchers became so anxious about their weight that they put themselves on another diet and a few were continuing to eat huge quantities.

Three months after the experiment, food was still a major concern for 15 out of the 24 men and this continued for a further eight months after the diet was over.

Now, do you want to try another low fat, reduced calorie diet?