Sandra Aamodt: Why dieting doesn't usually work

Link to Sandra Aamodt's Talk: Why dieting doesn't usually work
Photo and Video provided by TED.

     In Sandra Aamodt’s speech regarding dieting, and why it usually doesn’t work, she uses a variety of tactics to engage her viewers and help them understand her points. Aamodt uses reason with facts and statics, personal stories and struggles, and humor to connect the audience and build her credibility.
     Then, Aamodt breaks her information down so that all viewers can understand it and relate to it. She describes us all as two different types of eaters: “those who rely on their hunger and those who try to control their eating through willpower, like most dieters. Let's call them intuitive eaters and controlled eaters. The interesting thing is that intuitive eaters are less likely to be overweight, and they spend less time thinking about food. Controlled eaters are more vulnerable to overeating in response to advertising, super-sizing, and the all-you-can-eat buffet. And a small indulgence, like eating one scoop of ice cream, is more likely to lead to a food binge in controlled eaters”. Once viewers have identified their “type”, they can set goals for dieting success more easily.
     Aamodt’s big idea is not how to diet, or which diets are effective, but how to begin listening to your body and knowing when it is truly hungry and what it is hungry for. Aamodt states, “ Diets don't have very much reliability. Five years after a diet, most people have regained the weight. Forty percent of them have gained even more. If you think about this, the typical outcome of dieting is that you're more likely to gain weight in the long run than to lose it”.

Have you had success with diets? Have you had success with Aamodt’s tactics of learning to listen to your body regarding when it wants to eat and what it wants to eat? Share your experiences!