Fad Dieting

First and foremost, you need to accept the fact that losing weight healthfully and effectively is not effortless. It requires much planning, insight, and motivation. Fad dieting, on the other hand, is just that—a fad. Fad diets are trendy. They do not stay around for any length of time. They also can be risky and dangerous, and they rarely provide long-term, effective results.

The Current Diet Industry

Hundreds of diets are created and shared with us each and every year. We spend billions of dollars keeping the weight-loss industry alive—diets, gimmicks, beverages, powders, pills, equipment, and more. We find these every month in women's magazines, hear about them from friends, and see new celebrities promoting their new "diet" books and products through commercial advertisements and infomercials. Each diet claims to help you take off those extra pounds painlessly and effectively. Trends come and go, promising fast and easy weight-loss results. But if these diets really worked, would more and more come out each year? Would we always be looking for another one? Wouldn't we already be at our ideal weight?

Weight-Loss Schemes

It's difficult for people to believe that our world can be so scientifically and technologically advanced and yet that medical miracles in weight loss just don't exist. We all wish dieting could be miracle-easy, but unfortunately it is not. Losing weight is just one of those processes that cannot be controlled through a quick process. As much as we want to believe what we hear, an immediate red flag should go up if you see promotions like these:

  • Easy and effortless
  • Guaranteed to work
  • Miracle results
  • Miraculous
  • Breakthrough
  • New discovery
  • Fast working
  • Magic pill, magic formula, or magical cure
  • Quick weight loss
  • Secret formula
  • Eat one type of food only
  • Eat food in a particular order

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Diet Success Stories

Of course we are inspired by those fabulous success stories and promises like "Drop 10 pounds in a week," "Shrink your stomach," or "Lose two dress sizes in one month." And those remarkable before and after pictures. Are these really the same person? Why wouldn't we be intrigued? It sounds so good. But that may be just it—too good to be true.

Spotting a Fad Diet

Fad diets are categorized as those that promote quick weight loss. In many cases, these diets are restrictive, unbalanced, offer unrealistic promises and can lead to health and related problems. Weight will be lost, initially, but most likely it will be regained. And on top of it all, results are usually temporary at best, so frustration follows. People who choose to follow these diets often feel like failures because they cannot stick with them.

Any and all of these common denominators can be found in fad diets:

  • These diets are essentially low or very low in calories and although not advertised as such, are usually well below caloric recommendations.
  • These diets are deficient in many nutrients, including carbohydrates and fiber, and many vitamins and minerals.
  • These diets are well out of balance of dietary recommendations, requiring too many proteins and fats and too few carbohydrates or too many carbohydrates and too little protein and fat.
  • These diets cause initial weight loss from body fluids, thus giving dieters a sense of accomplishment, when in fact the weight will soon* return, and accomplishments will turn into failures.
  • These diets do not promote portion size. They do not teach consumers how to eat in moderation.
  • Some of these diets encourage "food combining," eating certain foods together or apart.
  • Many recommend that dieters follow suggested eating plans for extended periods of time.
  • Often these diets discourage long-term compliance, knowing how
    harmful they may be if followed for extended periods of time.

The initial thought of a quick fad diet is encouraging to many people—just lose a quick 5 to 10 pounds. But long-term consequences are much greater. Fad diets just don't work. Don't start a habit of being drawn in to these programs. You will just set yourself up for disappointment that will ultimately make you feel like you have failed. Seek better choices for yourself. Gradual changes that require long-term modifications to your eating patterns and lifestyle make more sense all the way around. If you are really willing to try anything to lose the weight, why not do it the right way?

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