Many people embark on fad diets in hopes of losing weight quickly and effortlessly. Some programs, like the cabbage soup or grapefruit diet, are obvious fads, but others seem legitimate by backing themselves up with "research" and examples of "real" results. The American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Harvard School of Public Health support adopting lifelong habits that help you achieve a healthy weight, rather than fad diets that promise instant results.
Features
Fad diets usually promise a quick fix, like losing 20 lbs. in two months. They typically make claims that sound too good to be true and these claims are based on only one or two scientific studies. Fad diets might tease out a bit of information from a complex study without considering study design, peer review or size, notes Every Diet. Fad diets often provide lists of foods that can be considered "good" and "bad" or provide regimented plans to follow.
Unbalanced
Fad diets often focus on one particular food or gimmick. For example, the Atkins Diet overemphasizes protein at the expense of other nutrients. According to the American Heart Association, no one food has all of the nutrients you need for proper health and functioning. Beware of diets pushing a "super food," such as the acai berry or bananas.
Dangers
Some fad diets can endanger your health. Programs that encourage you to fast or put you near starvation can lead to fatigue, irritability, nutritional deficiencies and weakness. For example, the Master Cleanse, a diet in which you are directed to drink a concoction of lemon juice, purified water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for up to two weeks, contains no protein, no minerals or vitamins except C, and no fat, which supports important bodily functions. Registered dietitian Keri Glassman told CBS Morning News in April 2008 that the diet promotes starvation,
Potential Problems
Fad diets might work in the short term if you are able to adhere to their restrictions. But weight lost quickly usually is regained rapidly when you return to your normal eating patterns, says registered dietitian Joanne Larsen on Ask the Dietitian. She notes that the most weight a person can lose in a day is a half-pound, and any more than that is water. Your scale weight might go down for the short-term, but you have done nothing to improve your health or change your body for the better. Some fad diets can cause discomfort, such as extreme gas and bloating with the cabbage soup diet. Quick weight loss usually comes from muscle along with fat, so when you do regain weight it comes back in the form of fat, leaving you even fatter in the long run, Dr. Mehmet Oz writes in "You, On a Diet."
Strategy
If you are in doubt about a specific diet, check it out with a nutritionist or doctor. A slow rate of weight loss, 1 to 2 pounds per week, is a safe and sustainable goal. The best diets encourage you to change your eating habits for the long run rather than to rely on specific supplements or rigid plans. If someone tells you she used a certain diet and it worked for her once but she needs to do it again because she gained weight, chances are good that it is a fad.
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