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Why Dieting Can Lead to an Eating Disorder

Health professionals and researchers have found that dieting can lead to unhealthy behaviors and can even act as an impetus to the development of an eating disorder. So why is dieting such a big deal, and why should you worry if you know someone who is constantly going on diets? Dieting is unhealthy, health professionals tell us, because it can become compulsive, and lead to other compulsive behaviors. Dieting is also not the most effective means to losing weight. According to some health professionals, most diets rarely work, and if they do help a person lose weight, eventually the diet fizzles out and the weight comes back on. One statistic tells us that roughly 95% of all dieters will regain the weight that they lose on a diet, and sometimes they may even gain more weight. Dieting often fails to work because it signals your metabolism to get into starvation mode. Because you are not feeding your body enough nutrients, your body misinterprets this to believe that it may be getting starved. Your body's metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy and the precious calories it thinks it will need to survive in the future.

Dieting can also be dangerous because it may lead to yo-yo dieting. Yo-yo dieting refers to the unhealthy cycle of dieting, losing weight, and then regaining weight. Yo-yo dieting can play havoc with your health. Health professionals warn that yo-yo dieting can lead to several long-range health complications, including cardiac problems, long-term impact on metabolism, and other health risks. Another serious health risk of dieting is that dieters often suffer from malnutrition. In the effort to lose weight and stay slim, many dieters may not be consuming the right kinds of nutrients. Doctors warn that dieters are often missing key nutrients, including calcium, and various vitamins and minerals. Not getting enough calcium can lead to stress factures, loss of bone density, and for women, an increased risk of developing osteoporosis.

Dieters may suffer from several physical symptoms as a result of excessive dieting. These symptoms may include loss of endurance, respiratory problems including decreased oxygen intake, imbalance of electrolytes, dehydration, weakness, heart problems, risk of fainting, loss of muscle and strength, skin problems, sleep problems and thinning hair. Recent research indicates that dieting can also affect how your mind works. It appears that when you severely restrict the amount of calories you consume, it can also affect your energy levels and can reduce your ability to focus. Dieting can affect the agility and functioning of your mind, since your body is focused on conserving energy.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of dieting is that it can lead behaviors that in turn can lead to an eating disorder. Research indicates that many people who suffer from eating disorders began by dieting, which progressively worsened into a form of compulsion. Becoming preoccupied with losing weight and dieting can leave one vulnerable to developing an eating disorder. It is not the action of dieting itself that can trigger an eating disorder, but the behaviors it causes can lead to unhealthy patterns that can develop into an eating disorder.