I don't think it's the yo-yo part that keeps people coming back. It could become a great part of someones identity to be always dieting, especially through diet groups. You get support when you are doing well and when you are doing badly too, which as I think about seems rather revealing. Getting support for thinking/believing/actually doing badly....hmmmm.

The support - if you belong to a group, the talking about it, and the rituals that lead up to going on a "diet" are probably what get people hooked. Also the repeat failure and starting again with great determination. The sad thing is that with calorie restricted and low-faD diets, you are bound to fail, or at least go crazy in the process.

I think people really don't realize how truly addicted - and I mean 12 Step Addicted - they are to carbohydrates. LC seems like the perfect WOL, yet people can completely go off the deep end and abandon it. Addiction or not?

Karen