Psychological Effects of Deprivation

One of the most unfortunate side effects of dieting is that dieters often develop an obsession with food and weight. As one ex-dieter put it, dieters waste energy thinking about food, planning new low-calorie desserts, and worrying about their weight — energy that could go toward running for office, getting college degrees, or creating works of art.

Success creates a climate for further success, while failure leads to low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and a sense that success is impossible. Many overweight people eat in response to feelings of stress and depression, so failure at losing weight — and the sense of deprivation created by food restriction — can promote the very behaviors the diet was meant to curb.

• Dieting can create an obsession with food and weight.
• Failure at dieting lowers self-esteem and breeds feelings of inadequacy.
• Many overweight people eat in response to stress and depression.
• Deprivation and dieting failure can promote the stress-eating the diet aimed to stop.

• weight-cycling — repeated failure compounds the psychological toll.
• food-is-a-friend — reframing food positively.
• caloric-intake-factors — emotional states influence intake.