How to Cope When Your New Diet Makes You Feel Like You’re Going through Withdrawal

To get to the bottom of the “withdrawal” effect of a new healthy diet, we went straight to the experts.

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There’s not enough scientific evidence to support that people really go through ‘withdrawal,’ per se, says Keri Gans, R.D. author of The Small Change Diet.

Actual withdrawal—like the kind you go through after cutting an addictive substance—and cravings are two different things, says Gans. One is physiological, while the other is merely psychological. The latter is what most of us deal with during a slim down, she says.

“This is why deprivation diets don’t work,” says Gans. “The more you deprive, the more you miss.”

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The same idea applies to salt. “If you’re used to a certain level of salt and you drastically reduce it, your taste buds notice,” says Michelle Dudash R.D., Cordon Bleu-certified Chef and creator of Clean Eating Cooking School.

While it’s more likely that you just miss French fries and ice cream, some scientific evidence suggests that revamping your diet could make you feel physically miserable. “Studies done on animal models show that high-fat and sugary foods can cause chemical changes in the brain,” says Alissa Rumsey, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  So, theoretically, cutting out those foods could produce some withdrawal-like physiological symptoms in humans, she says. That being said, animal studies don’t prove that the same thing can happen in humans.

Regardless of whether you feel like you’ve got detox-like symptoms from sugar and fat or you just really miss donuts, it still sucks. To cope, Gans recommends finding things to satisfy those cravings that have fewer calories or deliver more valuable nutrients—rather than cutting out the foods entirely. (Get after your weight loss goals with these moves from Women’s Health’s Look Better Naked DVD.)

For example, if carbs are your kryptonite, have the whole-wheat pasta—just bulk it up with grilled shrimp and lots of sautéed veggies, says Gans. Fruit with natural sugar is a great sub for your sweet tooth, too.

You can also get crafty with flavor substitutes, says Dudash. If too much sodium from salty packaged snacks leaves you hankering for buttery popcorn after dinner, she suggests adding more acidic ingredients, like lemon juice or red wine vinegar, to your dinner. “When you’re reducing sodium, adding an acidic ingredient helps foods taste better by bringing more flavor to your tastebuds,” she says.

You got this!