There are two ways to lose weight -- the fast way and the healthy way. Although losing weight through crash dieting may seem like a simple and effective way to lose weight, they are not approved by doctors as a healthy and sustainable way to lose weight and keep it off. Talk to your doctor before making changes in your diet or exercise plan, especially if you have injuries or health conditions.
Facts About Crash Diets
Crash diets are published in books, written about in magazines and promoted on the Internet. Most crash diets involve eating very low-calorie portions of one food or food group every day for a period of several weeks. Crash diets often promise drastic weight loss and recommend strange food combinations to curb the appetite and burn fat. Because they are so low in calories, you may lose weight while following a crash diet, but gain it all back when you start eating normally again.
Types of Crash Diets
Just because a diet is well-known, it doesn't mean the diet is reputable, healthy or recommended by doctors. The cabbage soup diet and the Atkins diet are both considered crash diets, even though they have been prominently featured in books and magazines. The cabbage soup diet involves eating a homemade cabbage soup mixture for a week to lose weight, while the grapefruit diet, recommend eating grapefruit for every meal. Although these diets may sound safe, cutting out food groups or eating the same food every day does not provide a varied, nutritious diet.
Crash Diets vs. Healthy Diets
Crash diets may disguise themselves as healthy eating plans -- the key is to learn the difference. If a diet plan does not include an exercise component, it may be a crash diet. Crash diets use small, low-calorie meals to starve the body, rather than losing weight by burning more calories than you consume. If a diet claims that you can lose more than a few pounds a week, it is probably a fad. Healthy weight-loss plans do not recommend more than 1 to 2 lbs. of weight loss per week, unless you're obese and under a doctor's care.
Keeping The Weight Off
In order to lose weight and keep the pounds off in the long run, you must sustain the healthy changes you have made in your diet and exercise program. Crash diets are short-term programs that are not sustainable. Instead, focus on a diet that you can maintain for the rest of your life. No food should be off-limits -- instead, eat a variety of whole grains, lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar sparingly. Combine your healthy eating habits with a daily exercise program.
Member Comments