Written by: Suren Chiu, RDN, LDN

Weight loss programs are a form of commercialized starvation. I said it. The number of people trying to lose weight continues to increase. People say “calories in and calories out.” You just need to eat less. Exercise more. Follow this diet. In the end, it’s a message from social pressures that thinness is how we will feel confident and happy.  

Diets are often just a form of starvation. Many programs guide people to lose weight by focusing on a calorie deficit. This seems relatively harmless. But when you dive deeper into the science of it all, you’ll think twice before trying another calorie restricted diet.  

Back in the 1940’s there was a human starvation experiment around World War II. There was financial crisis. Food shortages. It was a time in the United States where many people were genuinely malnourished. A study of 32 healthy young men took calorie deficit to the test to see how it would affect them. There was a supervised dietary regimen, 12-weeks of a control period and then 24-weeks of semi-starvation. The calorie amount was prescribed per individual during the semi-starvation period. Each subject would lose about 24% of their body weight. The common ranges were between 1200-1400 calories daily. Then followed a 12-week renourishment period¹.  

What ended up happening was jarring. Physically, the men lost heart muscle mass, overall metabolism slowed down, they experienced issues with hormones and more. Mental health changes were also apparent, notably anxiety, depression, and loss of interest in daily activities. Thinking modes also changed. There was an increase in rigidity, obsessional thinking, and behaviors related to hoarding food. In today’s terms, we would call it binge eating².  

This experiment was never conducted again due to being unethical. Doesn’t the structure sound all too familiar? Let’s eat smaller portions today. Skip a meal or snack here and there. And then give-in later to dinner because I’m starving and the menu sounds way too good. When we consciously try to limit what we eat, this is a set up for overeating. Generally, when people follow a formatted diet plan for weight loss the eventual effect is to binge eat³. Doesn’t it sound like the Starvation Experiment? It also sounds like all sorts of meal kit services and diets designed for weight loss. It is basically paying a subscription or following a diet plan designed to help one starve. Just like the experiment in the Minnesota study.  

Our body pays a high price for restricting calories. The first thing to go is usually muscle¹⁰. People glorify fast weight loss. When our body doesn’t have enough food, it turns our muscles into a form of carbs for energy. This is to sustain our brains and to keep our bodies alive. As we continue to disrupt our body’s source of energy, this leads to further adjustments. Such as giving up hunger cues and forgetting what satiety or fullness feels like. Inevitably, the result is diminished connection and awareness with our bodies. We forfeit our body’s abilities to guide us to know how much to eat because we intentionally to underfeed ourselves⁴.  

Programs like Jenny Craig, the South beach diet, and others are big and fancy forms of organized restriction. Organized, commercialized, and industrialized. We see it so often that it has become the norm. Trying to lose weight is a normal part of casual conversations because our society has marketed it so effectively. Media, ads, and social media make the next fad diet look attractive⁵. Society also labels what beauty means so we don’t have to. Inevitably, this turns into adapting to fit society’s definition of beauty, confidence, and acceptance.  

What tips me off with the diet craziness is the toll it takes on mental health. Diets can easily turn into obsessions. Such as the obsession to limit calories, avoid specific food groups, and to follow rigid food rules. What originally intends to be “healthier” gradually turns into giving up gatherings with friends and avoiding anything that involves food. Easily, dieting can be tied to developing depression and anxiety^6,7. Add this on top of the food rules like eliminating carbs. Due to the deprivation, this can lead to overeating. It becomes a vicious cycle that is no longer a health-promoting way of living. It’s suffocating and miserable.  

Now back to my point with dieting. What exactly can we learn from the Starvation Experiment?  

• Restricting calories can decrease our metabolism^2,10 

• Muscle is broken down into carbohydrates when we fast  

• Many symptoms of fatigue can be related to hunger²  

• Mental health issues worsen with starvation^2,3,4  

• Starvation is the meaning of the word diet in a commercial context  

But the good news is, we don’t have to live that way. I encourage you to develop your own definition of health, beauty, and what it means to be confident. Society clearly has its own way of relaying it. And you can too. Calorie counting and dieting doesn’t either. Embracing ourselves as who we are takes time. But it doesn’t have to be dictated by what you see in ads, marketing, or social media. The weight bias we all experience makes it difficult to imagine health can possibly look like. Body inclusivity is becoming a trend despite all the diet culture non-sense^8,9.  

Improving health isn’t just about food. It can be honoring your mental wellbeing in other ways. Like trying a new hobby, talking a stroll, or trying a new workout that does not intimidate you. Explore, be curious, and find what health means to you. Don’t let outward pressures determine what makes you feel your best. Because you do.  

Sources:  

1. Keys, A., Brožek, J., Henschel, A., Mickelsen, O., & Taylor, H. L. (1950). The biology of human starvation (Vols. 1–2). University of Minnesota Press. 

2. Centre for Clinical Interventions. (2018, January 25). What is starvation syndrome? [Information sheet]. CCI. https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental-Health-Professionals/Eating-Disorders/Eating-Disorders—Information-Sheets/Eating-Disorders-Information-Sheet—What-is-Starvation-Syndrome.pdf 

3. Polivy, J., & Herman, C. P. (1985). Dieting and binging: A causal analysis. American Psychologist, 40(2), 193–201. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.40.2.193 

4. Burnette, B. (2024). The intuitive eating treatment manual: an essential guide for nutrition and mental health professionals. New Harbinger Publications. 

5. Roeder, A. (2015, March 19). Advertising’s toxic effect on eating and body image | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; HSPH.  

6. Schaumberg, K., Welch, E., Breithaupt, L., Hübel, C., Baker, J. H., Munn-Chernoff, M. A., … & Bulik, C. M. (2017). The science behind the Academy for Eating Disorders’ nine truths about eating disorders. European Eating Disorders Review, 25(6), 432–450. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2553 

7. Dabravolskaj J, Patte KA, Yamamoto S, Leatherdale ST, Veugelers PJ, Maximova K. Association Between Diet and Mental Health Outcomes in a Sample of 13,887 Adolescents in Canada. Prev Chronic Dis 2024;21:240187. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.240187. 

8. Association for Size Diversity and Health. (n.d.). Health at Every Size® (HAES) principles. https://asdah.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach/ 

9. Bacon, L. (2010). Health at every size: The surprising truth about your weight. BenBella Books.