You have two weeks until your class reunion, and you really wish you could lose 10 lbs. to impress your former classmates. Seeming like an impossible task, you see an advertisement for a diet that promises to help you lose 1 lb. a day by eating nothing except cabbage. Quick weight-loss programs such as these, known as crash diets, promise a quick fix with drastic recommendations that not only deprive your body of needed nutrients but offer only short-term weight-loss satisfaction.
Background
Crash diets, or quick-weight-loss diets, usually focus on one food or food group that should be avoided or primarily consumed. The American Heart Association gives an example of a popular crash diet known as the "Cabbage Soup Diet" that was originally prescribed to help heart-surgery patients lose 10 to 17 lbs. in the week before their surgery. Individuals on this diet are recommended to eat nothing except the cabbage soup they prepare from a special recipe, as well as some fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and vegetables are part of a balanced diet, they are only one part of the food pyramid and do not provide all of the nutrients an individual needs each day. In addition, such a diet has so little variety that it would get boring to eat every day; therefore, one could not maintain such a diet for very long.
Health Effects
Crash diets, since they lack variety, deprive your body of important nutrients such as fiber, calcium, vitamins or protein, depending on the food groups being avoided. The Weight-control Information Network reports that losing weight at a rapid rate of more than 3 lbs. a week for several weeks after the start of a diet can increase an individual's risk for developing gallstones. In addition, diets that provide fewer than 800 calories per day may result in heart rhythm abnormalities if maintained for the long term. Most crash diets will cause quick weight loss initially, but once you resume your normal eating habits, you'll likely gain back the weight you lost.
Identification
The American Heart Association reports that crash diets can be easily identified by the nutrition principles they violate. For example, diets that overemphasize one food or avoid a food group are likely crash diets, since they violate the principle of consuming a balanced diet. Because of this lack of variety, they are likely difficult to maintain and therefore violate the principle of making eating enjoyable. In addition, most crash diets will not emphasize physical activity; some may go so far as to advertise that exercise is not necessary to lose weight on their diet. Overall, if a weight-loss claim sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Considerations
A weight loss of 1/2 to 2 lbs. a week; consumption of a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy products; and regular physical activity are the healthiest ways to lose weight and keep it off for the long term. A crash diet provides nothing more than a quick fix and does not provide you with the skills and motivation needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle for long-term benefits.
References
- American Heart Association: Quick-Weight-Loss or Fad Diets
- U.S. News & World Report; Can Crash Diets Be a Good Way to Lose Weight?; Angela Haupt; August 24, 2010
- Weight-control Information Network; Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths; March 2009
- Weight-control Information Network; Better Health and You: Tips for Adults; March 2008
- American Dietetic Association: Staying Away from Fad Diets
Member Comments