Fad diets are to the dieter what fast food is to the hungry consumer: a cheap and simple solution. Quick fixes, however, often have consequences. Fad diets are no different. The best way to lose weight is to pace yourself and develop new habits that will allow you to maintain a healthy weight long term. Experts recommend you should aim to lose around 2 lbs. weekly.
Failure
Fad diets often yield temporary results, as the dieter conforms to a low-calorie eating plan and his body begins to burn excess fat for fuel. And while the scale may display your success, it is likely that the majority of the weight you've lost on a fad diet is water or lean muscle rather than actual body fat. As you resume your usual eating habits, most of the weight you saw melt away will quickly return.
Health Complications
Fad diet proponents sometimes use statistics to scare overweight individuals into following their quick-fix plans, citing disease risks and complications associated with obesity. But fad diets are not the answer, because they often deprive the dieter of essential nutrients. In addition, rapid weight loss may increase your risk of developing gallstones -- painful formations in the gallbladder. People who consume fewer than 800 calories daily also impose risks on their heart, which potentially may be fatal.
Fatigue
Because fad diets are hard on your nervous system, dieters often feel fatigued and sickly. The lack of calories and nutrients in your diet only heightens these feelings, leaving you depressed and drained. A healthy diet, however, increases your energy levels as you consume a variety of foods for strength and sustenance.
Eating Disorders
Fad diets call for extreme measures for weight loss, which often change a person's thinking and relationship to food. Because some of these diets encourage you to eliminate certain food groups and consume only a certain food item or food group, you can develop unhealthy obsessions and ideas about foods, which might result in eating disorders. Chronic food deprivation often perpetuates emotional eating patterns and leads to the most common eating disorder, known as binge-eating disorder.
References
- HelpGuide; Healthy Weight Loss and Dieting; Maya W. Paul, Suzanne Barston; November 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Binge-eating Disorder: Definition; Oct. 9, 2010
- FamilyDoctor.org; Nutrition for Weight Loss: What You Need to Know About Fad Diets; December 2010
- Weight-control Information Network; Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths; March 2009
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