Being thin might be an aspiration for many, but for some people, it can turn into an obsession. Obsessive dieting is also known as "hardcore dieting." Simply put, it's an obsession to achieve a particular weight, which is never reached. Many people who diet obsessively keep changing their goal weight, so they are always in the process of dieting and always reaching a new goal. According to The Weight Foundation, many people who diet obsessively are not even overweight.
Eating Disorders
One serious danger of obsessive dieting is the possibility of developing an eating disorder. According to the International Eating Disorder Referral Organization, people with anorexia are extremely afraid of losing control over their food and their weight. As a result, they become obsessive about the amount of food they consume, counting every calorie and often skipping meals to make up for perceived "food abuse" on a previous meal. Those with a binge eating or bulimia disorder have a similar dysfunctional relationship with food. They have a single episode of overeating, followed by extreme dieting or purging in order to get rid of the food they put into their body.
Nutritional Imbalances
People who diet obsessively are likely to use whatever methods they can find to lose weight. While many might start by simply reducing calorie intake, some will eventually move on to crash diets or to simply skipping meals in hopes of losing weight. Obsessive dieters are also more likely to try outrageous dieting methods, such as eating cabbage soup all day or focusing on a single fruit, as in the case of the banana diet, where only bananas are eaten the entire day.
Low Self-Esteem
Obsessive dieting can lead to a permanent dissatisfaction with the way you look and feel. If you're always worrying about every single calorie you eat, you'll have a harder time accepting your body. If you ever eat an unplanned meal, you might feel disappointed with yourself and experience feelings of failure and anger for not keeping up with your diet. This can, in turn, increase your obsession even more, as a way of dealing with the perceived failure.
Physical Consequences
Obsessive dieting not only affects your mind, but also your body. If you insist on dieting, you might end up experiencing side effects from the lack of balanced food. According to the eating disorders website Something Fishy, people who have eating problems can experience dizziness, low blood pressure and low heart rate, fatigue, poor circulation and memory problems.
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