False Hope Syndrome Reveals a Big Problem with Dieting

Many people continue to practice the same diet fad or routine to lose weight even after the effort is proven to be ineffective. This mentality of dieters is called the False Hope Syndrome and happens due to:

1. Overestimating the weight loss amount.
2. Misjudgement of the time it would take to lose weight.
3. Not knowing how easy or difficult it would be.
4. Unrealistic expectations of the result of weight loss.

A dieter often believes the diet is the cause of failure, and he or she hasn’t tried hard enough. They overlook their own habits and behaviours and blame their intake.

We like to be in control of any situation, and have false hopes about the benefits of the ‘perfect diet’ we are consuming. The media and marketing companies are also contributing to plant unrealistic expectations in many people trying to lose weight.