The Appeal of Fad Diets
Fad diets are easy for just about anyone to fall for. When you first decide to lose weight, it can be tempting to do something drastic. You feel like you just can't spend one more day overweight. This mind-frame sets you up for falling for the empty promises of scams. Here are some pointers for identifying and avoiding fad diets.
A Sure-Fire Sign of a Fad Diet
The most common sign that a diet is a fad diet is that it promises quick weight loss. Fad diets make unrealistic promises, such as, "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!". Diets that lead to rapid weight loss (more than about two pounds a week) are not nutritionally sound and are almost always too restrictive to be adhered to for any considerable period of time.
Fad Diets Bring Results... Temporary Ones
The weight you lose when you start a fad diet is comprised mainly of body fluids, or water weight. The catch is that this weight usually comes back -- with a few extra pounds added, too. Losing so much weight, so soon, gives dieters a sense of accomplishment, but when the weight inevitably returns, the cycle starts all over again.The temporary results can often lead to frustration, depression and a sense of failure. The sad part is, people often follow fad diets because of these very same feelings, so they get caught up in a cycle of constantly going on and off unsound diets. In the end, they feel worse, and sometimes, weigh more than they did in the first place.
Typical Signs of a Fad Diet
Here are some more clues that you're considering a fad diet:
- Fad diets are typically very low calorie, which is unhealthy and can even be dangerous. Most people can lose a substantial amount of weight on a diet of around 1,500 calories a day, which allows for at least three 300-400 calorie meals and two 100-200 calorie snacks. If a diet requires you to eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day, if you are a woman, or fewer than 1,400 calories a day if you are a man, it is not nutritionally sound.
- Fad diets usually require sudden, drastic changes, such as completely eliminating an entire food group or cutting your caloric intake by too many calories. Making such rapid changes does not prepare you for returning to normal eating or teach you how to make important lifestyle changes such as portion control or making better food choices, skills which are crucial for long-term weight management.
- Fad diets are often low on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which means they are short on the foods that provide many important nutritional needs, resulting in malnutrition and poor health. Depending on the type of diet plan, it may be deficient in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, or important vitamins and minerals, or they may provide too much protein. Fad diets do not provide guidelines for a healthy, long-term eating plan.
