This is my totally honest and open account of my experience with restrictive dieting, and not just the diet itself but the rebound from weeks and weeks of restriction.

Why am I sharing my experience?

The diet industry is a multibillion-pound industry with notably a very low success rate, and it’s not just because of weight-loss, because so many of us can actually lose weight, but because those who do manage to achieve weight loss gain it all back.

Weight regain or diet rebound statistics don’t leave for good reading, and not only do 60-70% people regain the weight back many people go on to gain more weight than when they started.

With obesity on the rise who helping these people who are actively trying to make a positive change to their health?

Why are these statistics not changing? Why is the diet industry failing people?

According to the British Nutrition Foundation 25% of men and 20% of women in the UK are considered obese, and a further 42% and 32% respectively were overweight according to BMI measurements. 

The diet industry is a money-making monster, and it’s seems common knowledge that diets in general have a very low success rate.

Which means the big winners here are the companies taking a slice of the billions spent by unsuspecting people simply trying to change their body because they aren’t happy with it.

Toxic companies selling quick fix fad diets endorsed by B list Love Island celebrities that do nothing other than harm to both our wallets and our mental and physical health.

I massively underestimated the fall out from a restrictive diet and what I thought would turn in to one day of eating what I wanted soon turned into an entire week and then rolled into two weeks before I managed to curb what felt like uncontrollable binging.

It was a few days after I had finished my transformation, I had a lightbulb moment and realised what was happening.

So this is why the diet industry is worth absolutely billions?

I’m getting a small taste of it and if I’m not careful il be another person contributing to the statistics.

Being a personal trainer and coach, I take pride in supporting people, there is nothing that fulfils me more than supporting people to a healthier more confident place.

And this experience albeit leaving me in tatters mentally, has completely opened my eyes to the struggles millions of us have each year.

It has been an invaluable learning experience for me and has done nothing other than reinforce my belief that food restriction of any form simply doesn’t work and can have a hugely detrimental impact on your mental health, how you feel about yourself and your confidence.

Restrictive dieting is damaging on so many levels, there is not long term

What is the solution?

Well, it’s not in the quick fix section in Holland & Barratt or last year’s Love Island Instagram page.

It requires a degree of knowledge, education, self-love, self-belief, discipline, and dedication to change.

Long term sustainability is key which means if you can’t wait for your diet to be over you are in trouble?

First, we must recognise that losing weight is really difficult, your body will aggressively defend its energy reserves at the first sign of weight loss.  

This doesn’t mean it’s impossible just a little harder, especially since you can get a McDonalds delivered to your door without moving nothing other than a finger.