I believe that shame is the most insidious part of the diet/binge cycle. In our diet culture it’s commonplace for people to walk around with an underlying and persistent feeling that something is wrong with them, and that they are to blame. A pervasive sense of loathing seeps into the core of their being. This body hatred is culturally induced, and, as we discuss in The Diet Survivor’s Handbook, “the act of dieting mirrors the notion that you are either a good person because you are dieting or a bad person because you have broken your diet.”1 Diet failure is almost always guaranteed; research tells us that the majority of people will gain back the weight and one-third to two thirds will end up higher than their pre-diet weight.2 The natural reaction that follows a diet – overeating or bingeing – only serves to confirm that something is intrinsically wrong, deepening the sense of shame. As one client related, “I felt desperate to lose weight so I could finally feel good about myself. I got so many compliments while I was dieting. But when the weight came back everyone was silent. I felt so ashamed.”
Eating Disorders Resource Center
