Article: Sobering Dieting Advice

From Dr. Arya Sharma's blog today - some very good points about constant self-guided (and often mis-guided) dieting! Good food for thought! 

http://www.drsharma.ca/sobering-dieting-advice-from-the-queb ec-public-health-agency.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_mediu m=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AryaSharma+%28Arya+M.+Sharma%2C +MD%29

"One of the brochures that was freely distributed at the recent Journées annuelles de santé publique (Québec) meeting I spoke at yesterday in Montreal, is a pamphlet produced by the Québec Public Health Agency (with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada) on the potential risks of dieting.

The pamphlet notes that:

• 1 woman out of 2 in Quebec wants to lose weight
• 45% of children aged 9 in Quebec aren’t happy with their figure
• Half of Quebec women try dieting more than twice a year
• Losing weight does not mean you are healthier (quite the statement coming from a public health agency)
• Many women mistakenly believe losing weight will improve their self-esteem, make them more attractive and make them sexier.

The pamphlet actually warns that:

“Always being on a diet might make you gain weight. The more you are preoccupied with your weight, the more you are at risk of suffering from depression and stress. Day-to-day activities like meals, getting dressed and playing sports can be transformed into major sources of anxiety."

The pamphlet is also very clear about why most commercial diets don’t work:

Diets don’t take into account the reasons why you are gaining weight:

• Heredity, disease, medication, age, etc.
• Eating habits, physical activity, being obsessed with one’s own weight, etc.
• Perfectionism, low self-esteem, anxiety, stress, etc.
• Standards of beauty, the environment, the type of work we do, etc.

Finally, it offers the following points to consider when thinking about losing weight:

• Weight-loss pace: Does my plan focus on losing more than 1-2 pounds per week?
• Methods used: Does my plan focus on what food I eat, physical activity and changing my habits?
• Is health professional support available?
• Food intervention: Do you vary the meals you make, experiment with different flavours, colours and ingredients? Eating right is good for your health but it can also be fun and delicious!
• Physical activity: Does my plan have an element of physical activity, the kind I enjoy?
• Efficiency: Has the approach I am taking been scientifically verified, and is it efficient over the long term?
• Danger: Is my plan safe, meaning is it devoid of danger and secondary effects?
• Advertising: Are the ads related to my plan realistic?
• What it costs: Can I realistically evaluate the total cost of my plan?

Thanks Karen.  Good food for thought.  I am struggling right now, and I think I need to take the whole "stress" thing to heart before I cause myself an anxiety attack.  :)

Awesome article Karen!