Why are so many diets absolutely contradictory?

Answer 1

I've always found it interesting and rather odd that so many, as you say, "absolutely contradictory" diets exist. And not only that, but people who do those diets - from Atkins to Cabbage Soup - usually DO seem to end up losing weight at an accelerated rate, if they follow the plan faithfully.

My theory about it is this: we know that obviously less caloric intake results in lost weight. But all of us have to continue to eat SOME food, and many people struggle with lowering their overall caloric intake, *specifically because* it is an exercise in moderation, and people with weight issues often tend to have a mild-to-severe food addiction. Think about trying to teach a heroin addict how to "practice moderation" in his usage, rather than quitting completely - the addiction is always saying "just a little more won't hurt", which makes it a constant and exhausting battle. It's psychologically easier for many of us to go the "extreme" route rather than the "moderate" one when it comes to dieting.

The extreme route gives certain advantages - it usually sets very strict rules for things (or times when) you are allowed to eat. Or in the case of diet pills, it curbs your appetite entirely. These things, although they may seem hard, actually require LESS self-control than a healthy, moderate, permanent change in eating, because they close off so many options completely, rather than forcing the dieter to make a decision about how much is healthy.

In addition, with something like the Cabbage Soup diet, you get so sick of the soup after a few days that you don't even really want to eat it any more, which naturally curbs your appetite and cuts down on your caloric intake.

Also, most dieters are still secretly hoping that after they lose the weight they can go back to their old eating habits, so they like to go the extreme route in order to "get it over with". That is of course why so many dieters gain back the weight they lost after the diet is done. In the end, the only people I have known who successfully lost weight are the ones who committed to making a permanent lifestyle change and stayed with it. A diet can sometimes give a kick-start, but a lifestyle change is the only thing which will give lasting results.