146: Do 98% of Diets Really Fail?

Hello friends! I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you all today because I have been down a rabbit hole for this topic. The question that prompted my research was “Where does the statistic that 95% of diets fail come from?” And I dug deep. I don’t advise you to go my route and Google, I did it so you don’t have to. But amongst all the fat shaming and weight discrimination, I found some answers. Some of those came from the book “Anti-Diet” by Christy Harrison. And the first place it was reported was in 1959 in a study done by Dr. Albert Stunkard. The research is there! The statistic is accurate. And that’s what this episode is about.  

Even back in the 1950s, obesity was assumed to be a disease that doctors needed to treat. Their assumption was that it should be an easy treatment: get people to eat less and move more. Right? This same assumption is prevalent in diet culture today. So when it fails, the blame is put on the patient instead of on the diet. A lot of studies are conducted over a short period of time so in that first six months it will look like a success. But if the patients are followed for longer, over a year or more, that’s when weight plateaus and people start regaining. Additionally, around 40% of people drop out of studies. So finding the origin of the ‘98% of diets fail’ statistic and proving it with additional studies requires a lot of digging. But it is a true statistic and I’m going to tell you why. I’m going to explain it all in this episode. I think it’s an important thing to discuss and understand because patients do not need to be blamed for the failure of the treatment. Diet culture is lying to us.

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About Dr. Michelle Tubman:

Dr. Michelle Tubman is certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine, which means she understands exactly what's happening in your body when you diet. Although she does not provide any medical advice in her coaching programs, this knowledge gives her an edge over most coaches.

She also holds Level 1 and Level 2 Precision Nutrition coaching certifications which make her skilled at coaching nutrition, dietary change, and habit change in general. Realizing that emotional eating and bingeing are complicated for most of us, she also did training in mind-body and intuitive eating. Peace around food is possible.

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Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Anti-Diet” by Christy Harrison
• “The Results of Treatment for Obesity: A Review of the Literature and Report of a Series” by Albert Stunkard, MD and Mavis McLaren-Hume MS

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Learn more about Dr. Michelle Tubman and Wayza Health:

• Website: www.wayzahealth.com
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