Why Fad’s Bad

Diet trends you shouldn’t try.

Summer’s coming and you’d love to show off in your new bikini. Or maybe your high school reunion is next month, and you really want to look your best.

With all this pressure—whether real or imaginary—it’s no wonder that promises of quick weight loss get your attention. Who doesn’t want to lose the most amount of weight with the least amount of work? Quick weight loss with no exercise required can sound tempting to many people. This is where fad diets come in. They often sound like the real deal, but a closer look will reveal nothing but health risks and broken promises.

How can you tell when a diet is a danger, and what’s so bad about quick weight loss anyway? Read on to find out—plus, get tips to lose weight the safe way.

We’re the country that has more food to eat than any other country in the world, and with more diets to keep us from eating it. – Anonymous American

A Bad Fad?

When a friend tells you about a new diet she’s trying or you read online of the stars’ diet success stories, how can you know if the weight loss program is legit? Start by asking the following questions:

  • Is quick weight loss promised?
  • Does the diet claim things that sound too good to really be true?
  • Is there legitimate scientific research to validate the diet’s claims?
  • Are products being sold?
  • Does the program include a list of foods you can eat and foods that are off limits?

Answering yes to one or more of these questions is your first clue the diet may be a fad that won’t give the healthy, lasting weight loss you desire.

Common Diet Fads

Diets that strictly limit the type of foods you’re allowed to eat or exclude complete food groups can be harmful to your health. Examples include the grapefruit diet, cabbage soup diet, raw foods diet, a vegan diet, high-protein diets, and low-carb diets. Diets like these often don’t provide your body with the nutrients it needs.

Go off the diet and the weight will quickly return.

Many popular fad diets promise “miracle” foods or supplements that lead to weight loss: green tea, coffee, apple cider vinegar, or fructose water. Beware: as of yet, there’s no magic pill or potion for weight loss, so don’t waste your money.
Cleanses like the Lemonade Diet, Hallelujah Diet, or Martha’s Vineyard Diet Detox promise to detox your body, flush your liver, and cleanse your colon while losing weight. The truth is, these claims are unfounded. Your body already features natural detoxification organs (the liver and kidneys) to continually cleanse itself of impurities.

Additionally, while low-calorie diets, juice fasts, or liquid-only diets lead to quick weight loss, allowing you to lose water weight, muscle, and fat, these diets leave you feeling hungry all the time and ultimately will harm your metabolism in the process.

Dangers of Fad Diets

Fad diets aren’t created to be followed for more than a few days or weeks and don’t teach healthy eating habits. Diets that don’t provide your body with adequate nutrients and calories will cause your body to go into starvation mode and hoard calories. Once you reintroduce real food in a few days or weeks, and your body will hoard calories until all the lost weight returns, plus a little more for good measure. This leads to yo-yo dieting that is so prevalent.

The downsides don’t end with your weight. Diets that severely cut calories or food groups put one at risk for dehydration, malnutrition, digestive problems (diarrhea or constipation), an inability to concentrate, fatigue, kidney stones, gout, osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer.

Healthy Weight Loss

You may be disappointed to learn there’s no quick fix for weight loss. It takes work, and lifestyle changes that can be continued for the rest of your life are required. That means no more on again, off again dieting. Instead, you’ll need to eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and whole grains. You’ll also need to make exercise a regular part of your daily routine. With the right changes you can expect to lose one to two pounds a week for healthy weight loss. It may not sound like much, but these pounds will stay off.

 

 

“LET US HELP YOU LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST TODAY”

Allan Alguire

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