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"We live in a quick-fix society," says Dr. Debra Mandel, a Los Angeles psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. "When we want something, we want it right away."
Worse, we're constantly presented with ways to lose weight immediately — advertisements convince us that we can lose inches by tomorrow, and be slimmer by next week. It seems like there's no harm in wanting to lose weight by yesterday. After all, it's possible. Isn't it?
Not at all, insists Mandel. Because when it comes down to it, fast weight loss can't last, because it usually means adapting to very difficult eating habits and an impossible-to-live with lifestyle.
Plus, "[with quick-fix diets], our metabolism slows down, and eventually we're eating fewer and fewer calories but not losing weight," says Mandel. "This leads to anxiety, which prompts us to eat even fewer calories to try to lose. The body rebels against that even more."
So it's a vicious cycle. Because if you don't get enough nutrients — which is a major risk when you're going for a quick fix — your brain, and then your body, will, well, insist that you eat. To your body, it's nothing more than survival. But to you, it will feel like you're giving into cravings and losing control. Then you'll feel shame and failure, which might very well send you to the fridge.
It's a never-ending yo-yo cycle of weight gain, then loss, then gain again. Go for slow and steady weight loss, on the other hand (a healthy rate of weight loss is two pounds per week or less), and not only will you be doing a service to your body, you'll be more likely to keep that weight off for good. Isn't that better than rebounding?
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