September and the Pressure to “Reset”

September arrives with the promise of new beginnings, but also a weight of unfulfilled resolutions from the start of the year. We feel the shift – suddenly, an ice cream feels indulgent, even wrong. September demands urgency, a global check-up of willpower and sacrifice. Social media amplifies this, turning personal goals into collective pressures.

This month brings back post-vacation challenges, rapid “glow-up” diets, detoxes, and fasting trends. Be warned: so-called “miracle diets” are at their peak, promising rapid weight loss.These diets typically involve eliminating entire food groups without proper nutritional guidance, and they carry significant risks.

Certain diet types are particularly dangerous due to their focus on rapid weight loss:

• Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD): These diets provide less than 800 calories daily and are incredibly restrictive. They’re dangerous and should be avoided. Expect extreme hunger.
• Monodiets: These diets centre around a single food, like the “artichoke diet” or “pineapple diet.” They often highlight a perceived benefit of the food (like its diuretic properties) and involve eating it with every meal. They’re very low in calories, cause nutritional deficiencies, and can lead to a strong dislike of the featured food.
• Detox Diets: These drum-based diets promise to rid your body of “toxins” from unhealthy eating.