Dateline NBC: Diet Psychology

[not2late]

Did anyone see this last night? I was flipping the channels and caught the program.

Anyhow, a diet researcher from Canada has a theory why dieters fall off the wagon: social pressure, the "what the ****" attitude, and stress.

For social pressure, they found that dieters eating habits are influenced by the people around them. For the Dateline experiment, they showed that people will take more servings of food if the people around them do, whether they are hungry or not.

For the "what the ****" attitude, they found that dieters will continue to eat and eat the wrong foods if they believe they already fell off the wagon. In this experiment, they had the test subject drink a big milk shake, then the asked them to taste and rate 3 cookies: chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies. They only had to each 3, but were allowed to eat more if they needed to. The dieters drank the shake, then proceeded to eat more than the minimum 3 cookies. In the post test interviews with these dieters, they said they weren't hungry after drinking that shake, but they ate over the minimum 3 cookies because they felt that they already broke their diet.

And for the stress part, they found that if dieters are under stress, they will eat for comfort. The interesting thing is that is is contrary to the "flight or fight" response that we each have. When you are under stress, your body should be gearing up to fight or run, not to sit around and stuff your face with food you don't need.

Anyhow, the researcher found these things only to be true in dieters. The people who aren't on diets were not as easily influenced by the people around them, they didn't keep stuffing themselves even after they were full, and they didn't munch during stressful times.

Most people feel deprived when they "diet" and I think some people expect to feel deprived. We had a member here quit Atkins after 1 week because she wasn't hungry and even wrote "there has to be something wrong with a diet where you're not hungry all the time".

So my question is what if you don't think of your "diet" as a "diet". Would these things still affect you?

[ttdriver]

That's interesting. The term "diet" implies deprivation in most people's minds.

That's the total beauty of this woe .. its NOT a diet and should never been seen as just a means to losing weight, but rather as a catalyst for improving your health, energy and vitality.

I stopped referring to my lifestyle as a diet a very long time ago. When asked 'are you still on *that* diet?' My answer is always the same: "its not a diet, its the way I eat."

When asked 'when will you go back to eating normal?' My answer is always the same: "I do eat normal. Meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, whole grains ARE normal. Twinkies are not."

Betty

[Isabeau]

I agree. I'm sure that's why I haven't been successful long term in the past. I totally feel differently on Atkins. It's the way I eat and will for the rest of my life and I'm convinced that the psychology of it for me has changed too. I don't feel deprived and I don't obsess about food the way I used to. Thank you Dr. Atkins!

[spazzyhilo]

Re: Dateline NBC: Diet Psychology

Most people feel deprived when they "diet" and I think some people expect to feel deprived.

Thats exactly why I dont diet.. I'm on atkins so I dont have to!

[iwritedocs]

You guys made me think about the word 'diet'.

The word "diet" is used incorrectly by most of us (especially non-atkineers). If you look in Webster's dictionary, the first definition says a regular, planned approach to eating (not necessarily less; sometimes it's more) but a PLAN. That's what a Dietician does, make a plan for eating.

The second definition for diet talks about reducing the amount you eat, but I believe that was not the original meaning for the word but added because of the way we use it.

Most of us don't have a plan when we are stuffing our faces with sugars and carbs and basically anything we can get our hands on that tastes good or is put in front of us.

So I'm altering my thinking and my responses to others now. When they ask about my diet, I will respond "You mean am I planning what goes into my mouth? YES, I am."

[ttdriver]

Most of us don't have a plan when we are stuffing our faces with sugars and carbs and basically anything we can get our hands on that tastes good or is put in front of us.

So I'm altering my thinking and my responses to others now. When they ask about my diet, I will respond "You mean am I planning what goes into my mouth? YES, I am."

:clapping AMEN!!

Betty

[soliwit]

Re: Dateline NBC: Diet Psychology

We had a member here quit Atkins after 1 week because she wasn't hungry and even wrote "there has to be something wrong with a diet where you're not hungry all the time".

REALLY ???? :yikes
Now that's the weirdest thing I ever heard in connection to doing Atkins.
People can be so strange !!! :confused

[not2late]

Re: Dateline NBC: Diet Psychology

We had a member here quit Atkins after 1 week because she wasn't hungry and even wrote "there has to be something wrong with a diet where you're not hungry all the time".

REALLY ???? :yikes
Now that's the weirdest thing I ever heard in connection to doing Atkins.
People can be so strange !!! :confused

Yep, that happened. She posted a "good-bye" thread, stating that she needed to force herself to eat because she wasn't hungry. That was the main reason why she stated she was quitting because "there has to be something wrong with a diet where you're not hungry all the time."

Those words are forever burned into my memory because it struck me as really sad. That for this particular person (and I'm sure many more) a "good" weight loss diet had to involve the physical/mental torture of being hungry.

We did post back to her that not feeling hungry was one of the benefits of Atkins, but she never replied.

Anyhow, it goes back to the Dateline experiment---"dieters" expect to feel hungry/deprived/whatever other negative "diet" descriptions so it makes it easier for them to "reward" themselves or let themselves go....

[ciaobella]

And for the stress part, they found that if dieters are under stress, they will eat for comfort. The interesting thing is that is is contrary to the "flight or fight" response that we each have. When you are under stress, your body should be gearing up to fight or run, not to sit around and stuff your face with food you don't need.

ummmm welcome to my life during finial i am so stressed i can't even see the bandwagon ....food has always been a comfort factor for and i know this has to change.....but right now i'd rather risk falling of the wagon and having a hard time getting back on in the first few weeks of summer than ruining my gpa....but thats just me

[ciaobella]

haha i think i should clarify....i can't focus on breaking a large habit right this second....as it takes a lot of time and consentration to do it succefully and pass my finals....so i am planing on breaking the habit but i just can focus on so many things at once or my head will explode


ps if any of my post sound a little confrontational or incoherent or there is no correct spelling keep in mind that i haven't slept in 3 nights :speechle:

[not2late]

I understand completely what you mean. But take it from someone who gained the "Freshman 15" for every year of undergrad and for every year of graduate school, you might want to take control of your eating habits before you wake up at age 34 and find yourself weighing 150 pounds more than you should.

[ciaobella]

ahhh now that the stress is basically out of my life i am going to really focus on breaking that habbit of using food as comfort....2big what did u find really helped u?

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: Dateline NBC: Diet Psychology

Anyhow, it goes back to the Dateline experiment---"dieters" expect to feel hungry/deprived/whatever other negative "diet" descriptions so it makes it easier for them to "reward" themselves or let themselves go....

OK, my opinion is this, those of us that look at this as a WOL and not a "Diet" I think tend to stick with it. Personally I have 7-8 month stretches w/o losing and ounce! I'm still here aren't I? that's because I believe in this as a way of life and am satisfied that my food choices are healthy and will pay off in the long run.

[cruiser gal]

The word diet to me before, psychologically meant a short term, quick fix. I have changed my viewpoint now, as I have now adapted a WOE lifestyle in my eating. I think before putting anything in my mouth, before eating was a thoughtless event!

[cangel]

Very interesting.