Dieters are successful only if they properly follow a good, balanced diet. Bad diets won't work even if they are followed to the letter, and some may even cause severe health problems. Learn how to avoid wasting time and money and sacrificing your health for a diet that won't work in the long-term.
Fad Diets
A fad diet is a diet that promises dramatic results, usually a large amount of weight loss in a short amount of time. An example is the Cabbage Soup Diet, which promises up to 10 lbs of weight loss in only seven days. Fad diets become popular because of their false promises and because sometimes they do work for a short amount of time, according to FamilyDoctor.org. However, much of the weight lost is water weight that comes back when the diet is discontinued. Stay away from diets that claim you will lose more than 1 or 2 lbs per week, don't encourage you to eat a variety of foods and promise that you can keep weight off even while eating whatever you want.
Diets That Are Too Restrictive
Diets that are too restrictive are unlikely to be followed for long, so any weight loss at the beginning will be gained back. Diets that prohibit certain foods or food groups, like the "grapefruit diet," can lead to cravings and eventual overeating. It's better to maintain a balanced diet by allowing all foods to be a part of it, but focusing on fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and beans.
Diets That Are Too Low-Calorie
Very low-calorie diets, or those that include 800 or less calories per day, are sometimes tried by those desperate to lose weight in a short amount of time. However, these diets are not advised because they can interfere with the body's hunger and fullness hormones, causing weight gain in the long-term, according to Go Ask Alice, a health service from Columbia University. They may also lead to fatigue, constipation, nausea, diarrhea or gallstones. They may work as a last resort for the obese if medically supervised, but they aren't a successful method for healthy weight loss for the general population.
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