Yahoo Finance New Year’s Resolution Diets Don’t Work—Why Do We Keep Trying to Make Them Happen?
Channing Smith
January is meant to be a fresh start, but it always looks the same: a 31-day-long barrage of New Year’s resolution weight-loss ads falsely promising a “new you” for the new year.
This is never not triggering, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to surmise that repeatedly telling people they’re not good enough has negative consequences. But worst of all? It seems inescapable. I’ve curated my online feed with such great precision my bio should read, “Bond, James Bond,” yet it hasn’t kept the yearly barrage of discounted “detoxes,” “cleanses,” or the newest buzzword, “resets,” from emerging in my targeted ads—or personal inbox.
It’s not as if you can simply turn off your WiFi and move on. “New Year, new you” gym deals are tacked to every other telephone pole, well-meaning workplace weight-loss contests are broadcast next to water coolers, and chain pharmacies strategically store questionable diet pills in the checkout lane. I even watched my husband ignore a “fat burning supplement” ad on ESPN last night, just before scrolling past a promoted fitness ad on Reddit that read: “Only hot people sweat.”
It’s everywhere and it’s exhausting. As if we aren’t exhausted enough.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
The holiday season often means family and friends get free rein to critique our bodies, weight, and lifestyle choices. It's not just rude; it’s actively damaging. Here's how to combat (and stop yourself from doing) it.
The past few years have seen the rise of diet-pushing almond moms trending on TikTok, a rash of A-list celebrities publicly praising their drastic weight loss, the mainstream appropriation of injectable diabetes medications to emulate that very transformation (the demand for which is now so high that many people who need the medicine have since lost access), and mainstream media depicting body types as trends.
This mentality is so pervasive and culturally acceptable that even model Emily Ratajkowski, who wrote an entire book on body image titled My Body, recently stepped into a pair of jeans twice her size for a French fashion shoot, as if mimicking an extreme “before and after” weight-loss photo. To make matters worse, she shared the image on Instagram, where it received seemingly endless horrified comments.
Considering how pervasive diet culture is all year-round, why exactly do we have to get bombarded by weight-loss ads come January? Because it makes money.
“The diet, fitness, and wellness industries know exactly when to capitalize on our windows of vulnerability, and they strike when the iron’s hot,” psychologist Samantha DeCaro, PsyD, director of clinical outreach and education at eating disorder recovery organization The Renfrew Center, tells Glamour. “People are vulnerable because many of them feel some pressure to create a new year’s resolution, and in a culture steeped in health-ism and anti-fat biases, it’s no surprise that many people vow to become healthier and mistakenly believe the intentional pursuit of weight loss is the most effective way to do it.”
Bodies Bodies Bodies
After a decade of Kardashian-pushed BBLs and full-figured physiques, celebrities are now openly discussing and displaying rapid weight loss, heralding the return of extreme thinness in media. But as history has repeatedly shown us, treating bodies as commodities you can “try on” is damaging and dangerous—and frankly something we, as a society, should have already evolved past.
“The fitness and wellness industries know exactly when to capitalize on our windows of vulnerability, and they strike when the iron’s hot.”
However, it is not. Numerous studies have found that weight and body size are not accurate indicators of one’s health, but we’ve been conditioned to see self-improvement as being about appearance, as opposed to focusing on what truly impacts our well-being, such as social connection, adequate sleep, and learning new hobbies or skills, says nondiet nutritionist and body image coach Abbie Attwood.
“Instead, it’s ‘eliminate these foods’ and ‘exercise for X amount per week,’ which only serves to create a cycle of restriction followed by binge eating,” Attwood says. “These advertisements for ‘lifestyle changes’ make folks feel guilty about what they ate or how much they drank over the holiday season, and that guilt is a powerful motivator, but only for a short time. This leaves us feeling guilt and shame when that new ‘lifestyle’ doesn’t work; then it all starts over again in the following year, perpetuating the desire for a ‘reset’ each January.”
Translation? The diet industry isn’t broken; it’s working exactly as intended. Which is not particularly well, when it comes to looking out for consumers’ interests.
The diet industry isn’t broken; it’s working exactly as intended.
For starters, countless New Year’s weight-loss ads promote “cleanses” and “detoxes,” using terms made up by the dieting and wellness industries. “The reality is, you have organs that detox your body all on their own. No juice regimen–or any type of food regimen–is able to do that,” says Attwood.
The actual language is harmful, too, adds nondiet personal trainer and eating disorder awareness advocate Kira Onysko. “The premise of a cleanse or a detox is that you haven’t been eating ‘well’ and essentially need to restore your body back to factory settings through the elimination of certain foods and the hyper-focus on others,” she explains. “But the elimination of some foods and the elevation of others during the cleanse enforces a ‘good food versus bad food’ mentality, which is a characteristic of disordered eating and creates fear around food, while wreaking havoc on the digestive system, which can result in bloating and other IBS symptoms.”
Instead, Onysko suggests supporting your natural detoxification system by eating well-rounded meals to fullness, staying hydrated, and not restricting yourself.
“The reality is, you have organs that detox your body all on their own. No juice regimen is able to do that.”
Now, on to the next myth diet culture is selling: that genuine self-improvement can be obtained through food or calorie restriction (it cannot). “Too many people go through the process of trying to change their bodies in the hopes of obtaining happiness, only to discover that this wasn’t the solution after all,” Onysko says. “Research supports this: Dieting and pursuing intentional weight loss actually makes people feel worse about their bodies, not better.”
Restrictive diets also negatively impact mental health, adds Onysko. “Dieting is one of the biggest predictors when it comes to the development of eating disorders: 35% of people who diet develop disordered eating habits, which exist on a spectrum of problematic eating habits. Of that percentage, another 25% will go on to develop a full-blown eating disorder,” she says. “Dieting, as well as exercising for the purpose of weight loss, is also linked to increases in depression, lowered self-esteem, and reduced quality of life.”
When you think of all the diet schemes promoted every January, it’s clear they’re doing more harm than good.
“The January dieting culture is incredibly detrimental to mental health,” Attwood says. “Diets are set up to fail, so people are left feeling as though they are the failure, when in fact the diet and wellness industries make money off of the unsustainable nature of intentional weight-loss, creating a cycle of guilt, shame, and blame that distracts us all from fully showing up in our lives and pursuing things that are truly meaningful to us.”
“Diets are set up to fail, so people are left feeling as though they are the failure.”
If breaking this cycle sounds too intimidating, I have good news: You’ve already started. Not only are you choosing to read this story, but you’re in the right place to continue the work: online.
“There is ample research establishing a link between social media use and body dissatisfaction, eating concerns, anxiety, depression, and drive for thinness, but at the same time, social media can serve as a mental health resource when used mindfully and consumed critically,” Dr. DeCaro explains. So no, you don’t have to become a digital nomad to tune out all the noise.
As an alternative, Dr. DeCaro suggests unfollowing anyone posting information or advice about food who isn’t a registered, size-inclusive, anti-diet dietician, and blocking accounts that negatively impact your mood or increase the urge to engage in harmful behaviors, such as restricting or overexercising. “Certain social media sites have underutilized features built into the platform that could be helpful for some, such as setting a limit on TikTok screen time, and turning on restricted mode can reduce some triggering content,” she says.
That’s why Attwood recommends filling your feed with people of all body sizes who encourage you to eat for joy and pleasure: “I always tell clients to trust their gut instinct about someone they follow on social media. If it makes them feel a less than positive emotion, they don’t need a reason or explanation. Just hit unfollow. Your gut reaction is reason enough.”
If digital tools aren’t providing adequate reprieve from triggering content, Onysko suggests limiting time on social media in general throughout the month of January, or taking a break indefinitely.
Another pro tip? Try to reframe how you think of self-improvement. “The biggest focus should be on how you want to feel, not on how you want to look,” Onysko says. Dr. DeCaro agrees: “Shift your mental energy to your core values instead of your appearance. Create goals to live a life more aligned with those values. When you take the time to identify what is truly important to you, chances are the size of your clothes won’t matter as much as you thought it did.”
“Our bodies are meant to change, and will continue to change throughout our lives.”
For example, if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to incorporate more movement into your daily routine, be sure to disassociate the activity from weight loss or body size. “When we take the focus off of changing our body with a workout, that small mental shift can improve our relationship with movement and with ourselves. Exercise shouldn't feel like a punishment,” Dr. DeCaro says.
At the end of the day, it’s all about uncovering what’s truly important to you, and what you really want or need. “I always work with my clients to uncover what’s really beneath the desire to do a ‘reset,’ or diet. If we can identify the root beliefs that inform those desires, we can better understand what we’re really after and redirect our efforts to making changes that truly benefit our well-being,” Attwood explains. “If it’s about coping with anxiety, perhaps we instead decide to invest in therapy. Or maybe we find that a gentle daily walk helps release tension, or we start a new meditation practice, or get back to a soothing hobby like painting or knitting.” Find what sparks your joy, and hold onto it.
“If our happiness is tied to our body size, we will forever be chasing an elusive target,” Atwood concludes. “Our bodies are meant to change, and will continue to change throughout our lives. We have to divest from the idea that our worthiness is tied to our appearance, and the constant barrage of diet pushing in January impedes that year after year.”
And my New Year’s resolution is to make sure you know that.
Danielle Sinay is the associate beauty editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @daniellesinay.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
