Most doctors and dietitians stand firmly behind the time-tested belief that losing weight should be a gradual process. Despite claims made by medical experts, countless dieters still succumb to the irresistible allure of quick-fix fad diets and programs. In the end however, most dieters ultimately discover that fad diets and programs are simply not effective for sustaining long-term weight loss.
Characteristics
Drastic calorie reduction is the basic principle behind most fad diets. Fad diets assert that a significant reduction in your daily calorie intake will result in a substantial amount of weight loss in just one or two weeks. Most fad weight-loss programs present dieters with a very narrow range of food choices. Dieters can only eat specific foods that the program claims will help promote weight loss. Dieters are also typically instructed to avoid specific foods that the program claims can cause added weight gain.
Popular Fad Diets
Past and current popular fad diets include the vegetarian diet, the Atkins diet and the cabbage soup diet. The vegetarian diet involves eating only fruits, vegetables and grains while avoiding meat, poultry, fish and dairy products. The Atkins diet involves dramatically reducing your consumption of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates serve as your body's main source of energy. By depriving your body of its main energy source, the Atkins diet attempts to make your body start to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. The cabbage soup diet involves eating large amounts of cabbage soup for seven days. Dieters must prepare the cabbage soup according to a special recipe.
Effects
Since fad diets tend to offer very limited food choices, most dieters have a hard time sticking to these diets for long. Once the fad diet loses its appeal, most dieters will ultimately regain the lost weight. Fad weight-loss programs can be unhealthy as well as unappetizing. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, consuming fewer than 800 calories a day can lead to a potentially fatal heart arrhythmia. Fad diets that completely restrict your intake of one or more food groups can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Dieters who follow the vegetarian diet often do not get enough protein.
Considerations
While the prospect of losing weight swiftly and with little effort may seem too difficult to resist, the fact is that your body is not designed to shrink from a size 12 to a size 2 overnight. For lasting weight-loss results, forget the fad diets and follow the old-fashioned rules of eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly and applying portion control. Most medical experts agree that this is the safest and most effective way to achieve and sustain a healthy weight.
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