Why do diets fail so often?

With 2011 on the horizon, many of us will see the New Year as another opportunity to make a fresh start. And a new regime is exactly what most of us will require after a holiday season of binge eating and drinking.

"After the Christmas binge, people experience lots of guilt and recriminations because of weight gained over this period. Many will be looking for a quick fix to lose weight. But because of their high expectations and the fact that the resolution made is fueled by guilt and remorse, it will be very hard to stick to," says Mahomedy.

Resolutions not sustainable

Dietician Celynn Erasmus agrees, saying that New Year's resolutions are often not sustainable because we tend to make too many changes and set ourselves up for failure instead of setting ourselves up for success. "Make one or two changes at a time towards a healthy lifestyle instead of taking an extreme approach to dieting, which you can't sustain," says Erasmus.

Mahomedy adds that we need to acknowledge that overeating is tantamount to substance abuse. She says we need to develop a healthy relationship with food and acknowledge the direct consequences overindulgence has on our health. "It's about making the connection between overeating and health issues before starting a New Year's resolution. It's also about realising that you can make healthy lifestyle changes at any given point in time and that it doesn't just have to be at the start of a new year," she says.

According to Mahomedy we have a stop-start pattern of behaviour, which results in us eating unhealthily and not exercising. When the kilos pile up, we take drastic measures and whip out the diet plan, instead of sticking to a healthy eating plan and living a wholesome lifestyle.

Everything in moderation

"We compartmentalise food because we've been programmed from childhood that certain foods such as chocolate and carbs are bad for us and that veggies are good. We believe that being on a diet means that we can never have chocolates. We fail to integrate our different food groups and eat a little of everything in moderation," says Dr Mahomedy.

She says the only way to sustain your New Year's resolution is to set attainable goals and not to look for a quick fix. "Look at a healthy eating pattern that incorporates all food groups. Don't chop out certain groups like carbs, completely from your diet," says Dr Mahomedy.

To make your New Year's resolution attainable, you have to set yourself up for success by making one or two gradual lifestyle changes that suits your lifestyle, whether you're a working mom or a bachelor, says Erasmus. And look for support, she adds. "People who have a friend, colleague or family member to support them and those who see a dietician have a better chance to succeed than those who don't because they feel accountable." Pharmacists can also assist with advice and support.

Enjoy a treat without guilt

Even when you're following a healthy eating plan, you should be able to enjoy a treat without feeling guilty, Erasmus continues. However, she stresses that once you've fallen off the wagon by binge eating over the holiday season, you shouldn't throw all caution to the wind and totally abandon your eating plan. "By constantly binge eating this holiday period you could undo a lot of good and do a lot of damage. A little bit of everything is good for you, but keep the portions under control or practice compensation for those times when you do over indulge," she says.

A mindset shift is possible, says Mahomedy. "Once you start looking at your current lifestyle, you will realise that your actions have consequences, that you are ultimately in control of your life and that only you can change your life," she says.

Kerri Lurie
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