The Worst Fad Diets

Mark Twain's famous quote about there being "lies, damned lies and statistics" can translate to fad diets. There are diets, deceptive diets and fad diets. What is so insidious about a fad diet is the manner in which it is presented to the public and the promises people who market a fad diet make, promises that make you believe you'd be foolish not to try it. This could not be further from the truth. You may lose some initial weight from a fad diet, but you generally are not able to sustain the weight loss, according to the American Dietetic Association.

Spot the Fads

Many fad diets come and go, and some are worse than others. You can determine a fad diet from a good diet if you know some of the warning signs. Fad diets generally promise that you'll lose a lot of weight in a short period. You typically have to eliminate certain food groups, while other types of food are almost magical. Fad diets generally don't stress the need for exercise, but may suggest that you take pills or supplements as part of the diet. The bottom line is that the claims of a fad diet are usually too good to be true. The initial weight loss you experience is usually mostly water weight, and once you return to your normal diet, you put the weight back on. By eliminating certain food groups from your diet, you run the risk of not providing your body with the nutrients it needs.

Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage Soup Diet is an example of one of the worst fad diets because it claims that its users can lose up to 10 lbs. in one week, it requires you to eliminate food groups, and cabbage is magical. Its website criticizes more "mainstream," which translated means "healthy," diets because you can only lose the recommended 1 or 2 lbs. a week with them, and you'll probably become discouraged. Ironically, because of the severe food restrictions of the Cabbage Soup Diet, you are more likely to become discouraged and cheat that you are by switching to eating sensible portions of healthy foods, as the mainstream diets suggest.

Couch Potato Diet and Detox

Another worst fad diet is the Couch Potato Diet. This one tells you that you can lose weight -- all the while consuming pizza, burgers, soda and ice cream -- and you can do so without exercising. This diet acknowledges that you should get yourself and your kids off the couch from time to time, but the couch is the reward for doing some token exercise. Any sort of "detox" diet where you must cleanse yourself by drinking a special cleansing drink while limiting all foods except for fruits and vegetables belongs in the worst fad diet category. Rather than drinking a strange concoction, eat a high-fiber diet instead.

The Ridiculous

Nutrition professor Mark Haub of Kansas State University did lose 27 lbs. on the Twinkie Diet, but even he cannot recommend anyone else doing this. Instead of eating regular meals, every three hours for 10 weeks, Haub ate a Twinkie. To get some variety, he ate Hostess snack cakes and Doritos, too. His theory was that if he kept his calorie count below 1,800 a day, he'd lose weight. And he did. But, questions remain as to the long-term health effects of eating a junk food diet. Calorie count is not the only factor in a healthy diet. In "Medical News Today," biochemist Barry Sears is quoted as saying that where you get your calories is "extremely important." Eat a diet with protein, fiber, vegetables and fruits. Avoid refined carbohydrates, substituting them with complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, instead.