Turn on your television or flip through the pages of the latest magazine, and you'll notice fad diets promising quick, painless weight loss are in no short supply. Fad diets, such as the Cabbage Soup Diet, Master Cleanse and Rice Diet, have a way of recycling themselves through the ages, asserting their presence in the media until the next new diet comes along. But be wary of anything that promises you rapid results, warns the American Dietetic Association (ADA)--these bad diets are unlikely to work in the long run. Bad diets have certain distinctive earmarks that you can look for the next time you're tempted to try a new diet.
Starvation Diets
The quicker you lose it, the more rapidly you'll put it right back on, warns the ADA. Crash diets like the Master Cleanse, a liquid diet composed of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, deliver a scant 600 calories a day and are essentially starvation diets, points out Ed Zimney, M.D. Very few people can complete starvation diets, and those who do tend to overeat afterward out of sheer hunger. The Weight Control Information Network says diets with less than 800 calories are dangerous, as they can cause heart rhythm abnormalities--and death. A good diet results in 1/2 to 1 lb. of weight loss a week.
"Miracle Food" Diets
Grapefruit, celery, vinegar and cabbage soup not only help you lose weight, they burn fat--or haven't you heard? Not true, say the Weight Control Information Network and the ADA. There's no food you can consume that can make you burn fat, nor is there any combination of foods that causes you to be slimmer. Additionally, miracle food diets are extremely limited in the types of foods allowed. In a phrase, miracle food diets are boring. The ADA points out any diet that completely eliminates certain types of foods--even carbohydrates--will be deficient in vitamins and nutrients. You can make up for this by taking supplements, but you may still miss some crucial vitamins and minerals.
High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets
The ever-popular Atkins Diet and South Beach Diet corner the market on high-protein, low-carb plans. But the fact is the effects they have on your body in the long run are still unknown, says the Weight Control Information Network. Obtaining most of your intake from high-protein foods (eggs, red meat and cheese) does not a balanced diet make. Additionally, these fat-laden food types can cause your cholesterol to skyrocket, increasing your risk of heart disease. These diets can also make you feel absolutely wretched--nauseous, fatigued and run-down. These are classic signs of a bad diet.
Dietary Hoodoo
Diets that smack of chicanery or that challenge your common sense are by nature very bad diets. Take for example, the Blood Type Diet, which Mayo Clinic experts flatly state has no effect and is not supported by scientific study. In the grand scheme of bad diet history, the Blood Type Diet may be discussed one day along with the Tapeworm Diet, in which live tapeworms were ingested to consume the dieter's food intake, and the "Sleeping Beauty" Diet, in which dieters kept themselves sedated with prescription pharmaceuticals so they wouldn't eat.
No-Exercise Diets
Any diet that purports you can eat what you want and still lose weight is highly suspect--and these include all of the above. To lose weight, you have to reduce the number of calories you eat and increase the number you burn off. You can still eat whatever you want, says the Weight Control Information Network--just far less of it. Portion control is key. A successful diet plan incorporates some form of physical activity. The ADA says you should exercise 30 to 60 minutes almost every day.
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