Diet-O-Rama

Why Diets Fail (From Margo Maine's Body Wars p. 45) ***NOT because of lack of willpower       Dieting leads to binge eating which is how the body reacts to deprivation      Diet plans do not recognize the underlying emotional issues associated      with compulsive eating      Dieting dissociates the person from the body's natural cues for hunger      and fullness Set Point Theory This theory suggests that everyone has a preprogrammed body weight that their body tries to maintain (Maine, 2000: 45).  This has stuck with us since the beginning of civilization when our ancestors often went without food for extended periods of time.  To survive, after burning off water and lean muscle tissue, the body would slow it's metabolism so that the remaining fuel source (fat) would be burned more slowly (Poulton, 1996: 87).  The problem is after this period of starvation is over and normal eating resumes, as protection, the body begins storing fat in anticipation of the next famine.

By 1990 Americans were spending $50 Billion dollars annually on diet products; roughly the equivalent of the Gross National Product (GNP) of Ireland... (Maine, 2000:45)

Dangers of Dieting If you or someone you know is thinking of going on, or is following a particular diet you should check this out. what you should know about the "fad diets"

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Solution? Laura Fraser offers a solution in her book Losing It, she suggests that we should rebel against our diet culture.  She says that this society still seems to give rewards for being thin, and push the myth that the only way you can be happy is by being thin.  She suggests that women need to realize that they can be good decent human beings even though they are not a size six (284).

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