Who is an "Extreme Dieter," and What is an "Extreme Diet"?
The subtitle for this blog is "Food for Thought for Recovering Extreme Dieters." So just what is an "extreme dieter"? Answer: a dieter who will take extreme measures to lose weight, such as embracing fad diets, some of which are downright dangerous: sustained fasting, intentional vomiting, eating only certain foods, drinking only liquids (such as fruit juice or milkshakes), popping diet pills, etc. One of the most creative extreme diets: getting one's jaw wired shut so that one can't eat solid food. Yes, this practice was popular in the late 1970's. No, I never tried this one. Even back then, this one sounded too way out there. These extreme diets have one major characteristic in common: they are all temporary fixes, and, therefore, do little or nothing to help the dieter change his or her eating habits permanently. Any diet program that asks its participants to exclude (for extended periods of time) entire categories of food for the sole purpose of losi...