Dr Megan Rossi, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with a PhD in gut health, has stated she would never recommend dieting to lose weight. In a recent Instagram post, she explained that restrictive dieting often leads to poorer long-term weight outcomes and instead recommended eating more food.
The Science Behind Restriction
Dr Rossi said: "I'd never recommend this if you are trying to lose weight. Here's why science doesn't support restrictive eating - and what to do instead. Restriction doesn't just affect willpower, it changes how your brain and body respond to food. That's because your body responds to restriction by increasing hunger, reducing energy expenditure, and making food much harder to ignore. In other words, you feel more hungry and your body moves less."
She also highlighted the 'forbidden fruit' effect, noting: "In one study, people who were told to avoid chocolate for a week ended up eating significantly more of it when they finally had access compared with those who hadn't been restricting themselves."
What to Do Instead
Dr Rossi advised: "Don't fixate on cutting foods out. Instead, keep your usual meals and simply add one extra serving of veg to every meal, e.g. tomatoes with breakfast, beans at lunch, and extra veg with dinner. Once that's second nature, aim to include something from the super six plant group every day."
The super six plant group includes vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes (beans and pulses), nuts and seeds, and herbs and spices. Researchers at the University of Bergen found that eating across these groups can add up to a decade of healthy years to your life.
NHS Advice on Weight Loss
The NHS also stresses the need for healthy eating, stating: "If you want to lose weight, one of the first things you can do is look at what you're eating and drinking. But it can be hard to know what to change."
The NHS recommends drinking more water, improving sleep, and enjoying more exercise, but does suggest reducing calorie intake by around 600 calories a day for safe and sustainable weight loss.
