This is what we know: Dietary restriction (also called caloric deprivation) results in hunger, which leads to a biologically driven binge. My previous mentor liked to say that our bodies don't care if we are happy; they want us to survive. So just as depriving your body of fluids creates extreme thirst (our body's way of urging us to drink water)
I remember as a kid I was obsessed with Halloween candy. It was the one day of the year where I could get as much candy, eat as much candy as I could. I had a one-track mind. I didn't find joy with Halloween because of the costumes or hanging out with friends. I'd just get a pillowcase and fill it up with as much candy as I wanted.
In 2018, Weight Watchers rebranded itself as "WW," announcing that it was no longer a diet but a "wellness and lifestyle program." The shift sounded refreshing - even progressive. After decades of being synonymous with calorie counting and weigh-ins, the company seemed to embrace a broader vision of health. But beneath the glossy marketing and pastel app graphics, little had actually changed. The points system remained, weigh-ins persisted, and the focus on weight loss stayed the same.
An influencer pops up with a "what I eat in a day" post-the perfect-looking meals have no carbs, few calories. Another influencer tries to humorously share their night out partying, and a mom shows how she needs wine to get through the day. Ads for fitness programs fill your feed, promising that "you can fix your life in 3 simple steps!" The next day, a coworker talks about the new diet they want to start;
