Weight loss is time-consuming and frustrating, but fad diets promise quick and easy weight loss in only a few weeks. Although it my sound tempting, fad diets are dangerous and provide unsustainable water weight loss. Even if you see weight-loss results, the weight will return as soon as you go back to your normal eating habits. Talk to your doctor before making any modifications in your current eating plan.
How Fad Diets Work
A fad diet is a quick-fix diet plan that recommends eating one particular food or food group for several weeks at a time. This food or food group is usually very low in calories. Fad diets are designed to help you stay full, and may sometimes encourage you to eat as much as you want of a specific food group, like fruit or vegetables. Fad diets do not provide adequate nutrition -- instead, they starve the body and encourage water weight loss. Fad diets do not involve an exercise program and rely instead on very low-calorie meals to drop weight as quickly as possible. You might lose weight while following a fad diet, but you will gain all of the weight back as soon as you start eating normally again.
Recognizing a Fad Diet
Fad diets may involve limiting carbohydrates, eating mostly carbohydrates and no fat, combining two foods that are purported to burn fat, drinking only liquids, eating very small portions and eating only one food group. Some fad diets involve eating only grapefruit, cabbage soup, or a lemonade and cayenne pepper mixture. Fad diets often have lists of good foods to eat and foods that are forbidden. The bottom line is if the diet sounds like it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Risks
Fad diets are not only ineffective -- they could also cause serious health risks. A healthy diet involves eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. If you are cutting one of these food groups out, you may be lacking essential vitamins and nutrients in your diet. Following a fad diet may cause serious health conditions, like malnutrition.
Safer Weight-Loss Solutions
Instead of relying on a fad diet to help you lose weight, follow a healthy eating and exercise plan that you can actually maintain for the long run. Do not make any foods off-limits, but stick with mostly fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein like chicken and fish, and whole grains like brown rice and whole-wheat bread. Get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week, and aim for a safe weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Your doctor may recommend a specific diet and exercise program to address your needs.
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