The Truth About Fad Diets: 8 Popular Diets That Do More Harm Than Good
If there’s anything I’ve learned when trying to lose weight dieting is this:
If you attempt to cheat your body fat off by simply gulping down the newest diet pill craze, don’t expect too much; your fat will come back to haunt you again.
It is just a matter of when.
Do you remember the fad a few years ago when Hydroxycut was popular?
The FDA has recalled 14 Hydroxycut diet aids as they have grave health issues linked with them, which include liver damage.
To tell you the truth, the best place to get a healthy weight loss plan is from your trusted physician.
So, if you wish to have a sexy and slim body just like Hollywood stars, you should consult your doctor first before attempting to try any weight loss fad.
Fad Diets – Why are They Bad for You?
The following are the reasons why fad diets are bad for you:
They Promise Quick and Easy Weight Loss
Usually, bad fad diets promise easy and quick weight loss and are mainly based on consuming more of one kind of food and not another.
While some people get instant results from these diets, the results are unfortunately not sustained.
Sticking to this kind of diet will lead to nutritional deficiencies in your body.
They are very restrictive…
…And boring, so you will surely give up instantly.
Your body and mind will play a trick on you, and you will start to crave everything that you cannot have.
Then, the guilt will set in, and you begin to binge.
They do not follow nutritional recommendations
To ensure the optimal health of citizens, the American Heart Association has given nutritional recommendations on food.
Did you know that most fad diets do not follow these nutritional recommendations and give you low-carbohydrate and high-fat foods, which, if you pursue for a long period of time, can lead to heart disease?
They promise instant results
Fad diets that promise instant results are just momentary solutions and don’t help you in making lasting changes to your eating patterns.
So, it is important to make permanent changes to your eating habits.
Adding fruits and vegetables to your weight-loss program and maintaining a positive mindset can lead to a dramatic change in your life.
They lead to grave health issues
As aforementioned, engaging in any fad diet will require you to avoid eating the proper portion of vegetables, fruits, fiber, and protein.
Sooner or later, you will just suffer from grave health issues that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Scary, right?
Regardless of the picture and appeal of skinny girls that you see on TV, if their diet plan does not have sound nutrition behind it, it is all a TV glitz.
Bear in mind that external beauty is just skin deep, but when you love and care for yourself from the inside out, including a healthy diet, you will feel and look beautiful.
1) Sugar Busters! Diet
Similar to all low-carb diets, the sugar buster diet is largely based on the theory that insulin, manufactured when eating some carbohydrates and sugars, hinders weight loss.
Yet, this type of diet only lasts for 14 days, as you gradually increase it to 30% protein, 40% fat, and 30% carbohydrates.
What You Should Know
Are you interested in following this diet plan?
The following are the things you need to do:
1) Start Getting Rid of Things
Get rid of simple, refined carbohydrates, such as white foods like refined sugar, rice, and flour.
Also, for a 14-day period, you must eliminate products containing sugar, such as jams, candy, and snack foods.
Sugary foods with a high glycemic index must be avoided, including raisins, pineapples, and bananas.
Root crops such as corn, beets, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes also rank highly on the glycemic index and must be avoided.
2) Calorie Intake
The great thing about the sugar buster diet is that you are allowed to consume foods with complex carbs that have a low rank on the glycemic index, provided that you don’t exceed 30%-40% of your daily calorie intake from your chosen carbs.
Acceptable carbohydrates include vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy, whole grains, and vegetables.
3) Protein, Protein, Protein
Since protein is an essential factor in your intake of calories, you have to eat meat.
However, unlike other kinds of low-carbohydrate diets, you must choose the leanest meat cuts.
Seafood and fish are the most ideal protein sources, followed by poultry meat, lean beef, lamb, and pork.
In this diet, eggs are also enabled as a protein source.
4) Fats are encouraged…
Also, fats are not just permitted on this diet; they are greatly encouraged.
As much as possible, you must get rid of saturated fats.
Since your body will be supplied with saturated fats when you consume meat, make certain to use healthy oils when you cook, such as olive oil and vegetable oil.
5) No Alcohol…
Since alcohol has a high rank on the glycemic index, it must be avoided at all costs.
Yet, an occasional glass of red wine is acceptable provided that you don’t abuse it.
The sugar buster diet also requires you to limit your caffeine intake to just 2 or 3 cups/day.
6) Stick to proper meal schedule
When on a sugar diet, divide your meals into 3-6 small meals throughout the day.
Also, don’t eat after 8 pm, leaving two or three hours between your last meal and bedtime.
If you want to engage in the sugar buster diet, these are just some of the guidelines that you need to follow.
With discipline and determination, you will see a difference in your body in just a few weeks.
However, since this is a fad diet, you have to work extra hard to prevent your body from gaining weight back.
Always remember that maintenance is the key to a sexy, slim body.
2) Eat Right for Your Blood Type Diet
In accordance with Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, the practice of eating in accordance with your blood type dates back to ancient times.
It reveals what your ancestors consumed and which foods are most compatible with your diet.
Your blood type reveals which foods can restore and maintain the body’s health and help it reach a healthy weight.
A lot of Americans are not aware of their blood types, unlike the Japanese, who consider it essential to identify their blood types, not just for nutritional purposes but also to reveal their personality and character.
The Facts
The Eat Right for Your Type diet was developed by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo and his father, James, twenty years ago.
It revealed how the foods you consume affect your body’s ability to handle stress, maintain mental clarity, maintain a healthy weight, and boost energy levels.
D’Adamo’s research reveals your ancestors’ diets.
These differ among blood types, and yours may be dissimilar than that of your family members or spouse.
How the Diet Works
According to D’Adamo, the key to weight loss and health when consuming foods in accordance with blood type lies in lectins, a type of protein molecule.
Your body has its own way of reacting to lectins in a different way than a person with a dissimilar blood type.
This implies that both of you may consume the same foods, but one of you may be more likely to contract a disease or gain weight, while the other is unaffected.
Peter D’Adamo claims that after engaging in the Blood Type Diet for 1 month or more, 3 out of 4 people experienced significant improvements in various health conditions.
The most common effect is weight loss, but there are reports of improvements in digestive function, stress resistance, mental clarity, and overall energy.
Gerhard Uhlenbruck, a professor at the Medical University of Cologne, endorsed The Eat Right for Your Type in European countries and touted D’Adamo as one of the most inventive scientists on the continent.
Blood Types
According to medical doctor Michael Lam, the blood type diet entails restoring the body’s genetic rhythm.
The said diet works simply because you can follow a logical, clear, and well-researched plan largely based on your body’s cellular profile.
AB, B, A, and O are the human blood types, wherein O is the most widespread and oldest, while AB is the latest and rarest.
Lam theorizes that the blood type diet requires anyone to follow this fundamental outline.
People with blood type A often thrive on vegetables, including seafood.
They are required to eat foods high in vegetable oils and carbs, but to avoid wheat, dairy, and meat.
On the other hand, those with blood type O must consume high-protein meats, including lean meat.
They must keep their carb intake low and eliminate corn, cabbage, and wheat. People with blood type B must have a balanced intake of fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat.
Those with blood type AB must consume a vegetarian diet.
3) The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that Robert Atkins developed to help control his weight.
The diet worked perfectly, so he published a book series on its success and implementation.
To date, the diet is considered a groundbreaking plan.
Dr. Atkins claims that his diet works by shifting the body’s metabolism into overdrive, unlike other diet plans, simply because it forces the body to burn less refined carbs and more fat and fuel.
Thus, you lose fat, which in turn helps boost the health of your heart. Conceptually, the Atkins Diet is an easy-to-follow diet plan.
How To Start
Are you interested in engaging in this type of diet? If yes, then do the following:
The induction phase is the initial two weeks of the Atkins diet.
It entails cutting out up to 20 grams of carbohydrates from your diet, which in turn sets it into a rapid fat-burning state.
In this stage, you are required to eat only salad greens, vegetable oil, eggs, butter, cheeses, shellfish, fish, poultry, and meat.
You also have to drink 8 glasses of water a day, avoid alcohol, and take a multivitamin.
After the initial two weeks, start eating the induction-acceptable veggies from step no. 1 in great quantities. This revolutionary phase is referred to as OWL, which stands for Ongoing Weight Loss.
This phase is designed to last 9 weeks, adding a different food group or food each week.
The OWL phase stages are as follows:
- Week 3 – induction-acceptable veggies in large quantity
- Week 4 – fresh cheese
- Week 5- seeds and nuts
- Week 6 – berries
- Week 7- alcohol
- Week 8 – legumes
- Week 9 – fruits – 16 –
- Week 10 – starchy veggies
- Week 11 – whole grains
Begin the pre-maintenance phase in the 12th week.
This phase requires you to increase the amount of carbs you take in by around 100 calories/week until you notice a change in your weight, then back it off by 100 calories.
Look for the carbohydrate amount or tipping point you can ingest.
This phase is a bit challenging because it is designed to last for several weeks until you determine your tipping point.
Then, start the lifetime maintenance phase after you determine your tipping point.
Don’t stop making healthy, delicious food choices, and maintain the amount of carbs you ingest on a week-to-week basis.
To maintain your ideal weight, this phase should continue for the rest of your life.
You will be amazed by the results later on.
If you are one of those people who want to have a muscular and fit body, now is the right time for you to give the Atkins Diet a try.
However, make sure you strictly follow the guidelines to see rapid results.
You also need to consult your doctor, as nothing beats peace of mind when it comes to trying something related to your health.
4) Protein Power Diet
As the problem with obesity grows continuously, more and more individuals are searching for a diet program that can lessen their weight effectively.
Protein Power Diets are one of those programs.
Many people say it is a highly effective plan because the latest research suggests protein offers multiple benefits that can help people lose weight quickly.
Shed The Pounds
One of the most common problems in a diet program is the difficulty of overcoming the feeling of starvation.
One good thing about the Protein Power Diet is that it makes you feel full during the diet period.
If there is one thing that dieters would love about protein, it is its ability to help you control your cravings for carbohydrates.
A few years ago, a book titled Protein Power, written by Mary and Michael Eades, became popular in the fitness world.
The premise of the said book was simple: enhance your health and lose weight by going on a high-protein, low-carb diet.
This proposition was supported by several scientific studies on the effects of reducing a person’s carbohydrate intake.
However, this approach is not simple.
To lower carbohydrate intake, a person should limit their vegetable intake and increase their tofu intake, as it is a great protein source.
A Protein Power Diet highly recommends consuming fish, red meat, eggs, and mozzarella, which are packed with protein and have minimal to 0 carbs.
Given the diet’s concept, it is indeed a great way to lose weight in just a few weeks, but if you think counting carbohydrates per meal is a daunting task, just resort to a normal diet that focuses more on exercise.
The Three Phases Of A Protein Power Diet Plan
1) Intervention
During this phase, you need to eat 7-10 grams of carbohydrates per meal. Also, the amount of protein you must consume will be calculated using the so-called protein diet formula.
2) Transition
This phase will help you experience increases in carbohydrate intake, up to 50 grams/day.
3) Maintenance
This is the last phase of the Protein Power Diet, which requires you to maintain the amount of carbohydrates you can consume so you do not gain weight again.
When you are on a diet, always remember that not all foods are made equal. Prime ribs have a different calorie count from white meat or turkey.
If you are interested in following the Protein Power Diet plan, the following are the recommended foods that you should consume: fruits, dried beans, grain products (in small amounts), vegetables (non-starch), turkey, pork, chicken, eggs, and all kinds of beef.
On the other hand, the following are the foods that you should consider as your enemy: refined sugar, peas, sweet fruits, popcorn, bread, pasta products, rice, and cereal.
The Protein Power Diet is one of the most popular fad diets today. Would you like to give it a try to have the kind of body you have always wanted?
5) The Fast Food Diet
Nutritionist and cardiologist, Stephen Sinatra, has a frustration with his patients’ fast food addiction and their inability to modify their eating habits.
Later on, he concluded that it was important to work with his patients’ lifestyles rather than to fix their diets.
After some observations and tests, he realized that people today no longer have time to spend on food preparation due to their busy work schedules.
Therefore, they need a diet that perfectly fits their hectic schedules.
To address his patients’ dietary concerns, he wrote The Fast Food Diet.
The book is designed t provide dieters with factual information so that they could make healthy food choices.
The Diet Basics
According to Sinatra, dieters can have a chance to lose 100 pounds in the first few years without giving up their favorite fast foods.
His fundamental premise is that if people consume 80% of their food as healthy, then it is alright to consume the other 20%.
This means that the consumption of fast food must be limited to 20% of the diet, with the remainder coming from healthy foods like lean meats, low-fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Sodas and French fries are not a part of the diet plan, and all fried foods must be avoided as they are a major source of unhealthy trans fats.
The book provides dieters with complete information so they can make low-calorie food choices at their favorite fast-food restaurants.
The book suggests choosing grilled chicken rather than fried, replacing baked potatoes with French Fries, selecting nonfat instead of oil-based or creamy salad dressings, drinking a refreshing carbonated water with lemon instead of soda, and substituting mustard for mayonnaise.
The book also presents a 6-week menu plan that provides a 1500-calorie allowance per day for women and 1800 calories for men.
It also recommends nutritional supplements to address the shortcomings of a reduced-calorie diet.
Advantages Of The Fast Food Diet
- Ideal for dieters with a fast-paced lifestyle
- Comes with a complete 6-week plan
- Gives nutritional guidance for eating in shopping malls and restaurants
- Stresses the significance of the glycemic index for appetite and health control
- Encourages vegetable and fruit intake
- Can greatly benefit dieters who are not able to give up fast food addiction
- Includes quick-cook recipes
- Provides vegetarian options
- Encourages exercise for the effectiveness of the weight loss plan
Disadvantages of the Fast Food Diet
- Supports the consumption of unhealthy foods sold at fast food restaurants
- Difficult to get a sufficient nutritional intake without supplement inclusion.
- Necessitates a mineral and multivitamin, dietary fiber, fish oil and additional calcium.
- Does not include a maintenance plan
- If dieters do not succeed in incorporating healthy lifestyle changes, there is a possibility for rebound weight gain
- •Does not apply to dieters who cook their meals
- Sets unrealistic expectations for weight loss
- Lacks online support
Even though the fast-food diet provides dieters with the information they need to reduce calorie intake, it still fully supports fast-food consumption
, which contains unhealthy ingredients. Sinatra acknowledges that fast foods have substances that boost exposure to free radicals, thereby increasing the risk of several diseases.
6) The 3-Day Diet
The 3-Day Diet is one of the strictest diet plans.
It comes with a specific menu, after which dieters must have at least 4 or 5 days of normal eating before resuming the diet for another 3 days.
The proponents of this diet say that dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in those 3 days.
However, skeptics claim that the weight loss is just water weight.
If you are curious about who is telling the truth, read the succeeding paragraphs.
All You Need To Know
The 3-Day Diet menu plan includes coffee, dairy products, eggs, meats, toast, vegetables, and fruits.
It differs significantly from other short-term diets, which usually rule out animal products, bread, or both.
This menu also outlines that drinking 4 4-oz glasses of water every day is important.
Condiments like mustard, soy sauce, herbs, lemon, vinegar, ketchup, pepper, and salt are permitted.
Even though this diet has multiple variations, this is the most common.
Speculation/ Theories:
Food combinations at every meal include a high-protein component and a low-fat one, such as meat and vegetables.
These particular combinations are theorized to give the digestive system a total cleanse, boost metabolism, and burn fat, but no specific explanation is provided for how they work.
According to most diet experts, weight loss is caused by a low-calorie diet and the loss of water weight.
Benefits
The 3-Day Diet can be a good start to a long-term weight loss plan by giving a head start.
It also creates a 3-day menu so dieters no longer have to make their own. Considering that the diet is only short-term, people can avoid cheating by eating their favorite meals or dishes on the 4th day.
Considerations:
If you want to achieve quick weight loss, you have to strictly follow the 3-Day Diet menu.
This means not skipping, under-eating, or over-eating any component.
The main purpose of not following the diet for longer than 3 days is to maintain the body’s metabolic rate in response to its low-calorie nature.
People who follow this kind of diet should be careful not to overeat immediately after finishing, which is considered one of the most common problems with low-calorie diet plans.
Misconceptions:
This diet is also known as the Cleveland Clinic Diet.
However, the Cleveland Clinic has a statement on its site that it did not create this diet and that it hopes attaining weight loss can be as fast and simple as possible.
This clinic is well known for advocating traditional Mediterranean dietary practices that concentrate on seeds, nuts, olive oil, unsaturated fats, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Have you always wished you were as sexy as Angelina Jolie? Why don’t you give the 3-day Diet a try?
However, you have to prepare for its unfavorable effects to your body.
7) Cabbage Soup Diet
One of the best ways to lose weight is to reduce your calorie intake while exercising regularly.
When you undergo the Cabbage Soup Diet for 1 week, you will be able to lose 10 pounds because the number of calories you consume is low.
This high-fiber, low-fat diet is easy to follow and encourages you to make your own variations, making it less restrictive and a bit more appealing.
There are people who use this type of diet as a stepping stone to a moderate, long-term diet.
Reports show that most people who tried this diet have achieved their desired weight in just 1 week.
The Irony
The program’s foundation is a special Cabbage Soup recipe that lets you eat healthy foods whenever you want.
What is ironic with this diet is that it is designed to help you deal with any starvation that you may feel, but the problem is that you are likely to starve at all times, as this diet is a highly restrictive plan that severely cuts down your different nutrients and calories as well.
7-day Eating Plan:
The Cabbage Soup Diet entails a 7-day eating plan. Since it is low in nutrients and calories, it is ideal if you do not follow it for more than seven days.
You must take a long break between every 7-day cycle if you prefer to go through the diet again.
To give you an idea of how to get started with this diet, here is the 7-day eating plan:
1st day
You can consume the soup and the fruits you want, except bananas.
2nd day
You are allowed to consume cabbage soup and the vegetables you want, but fruits are not allowed. For dinner, you are allowed to eat a baked potato.
3rd day
You can eat the cabbage soup with any veggies and fruits that you crave for. However, bananas and potatoes are exempted. – 29 –
4th day
Today, you can eat as many bananas as you want.
Drinking skim milk is also allowed, plus the cabbage soup.
5th day
You can eat 6 tomatoes and 10 oz of beef along with the cabbage soup.
6th day
You can consume as many veggies and beef as you wish, along with the soup.
7th day
This day, you can consume unsweetened fruit juice, veggies, cabbage soup and brown rice.
As you will notice, the Cabbage Soup Diet is a restrictive menu.
You are forbidden to consume a lot of foods, and until day 5, you don’t obtain any real source of protein in the diet.
The restrictions in the diet are the reason many do not recommend it.
Yes, it can help you lose weight due to the foods’ low-calorie content, but it would likely be water weight.
Plus, the lack of nutrients is 100% unhealthy.
Therefore, this is not a healthy diet plan to follow.
If you want to try the Cabbage Soup Diet, you’d better think twice.
8) Starvation Diet
The concept of weight loss is simple—eat less.
But what if eating less is taken to the extreme? This is where several diseases come into play.
Starvation, also known as severe food deprivation, actually obstructs weight loss. See how ironic the world of weight loss is?
Well, that is just the way it is.
Though it may seem contradictory, starving your body of food can make achieving your weight loss goals more difficult.
Less Is More
Not eating the right amount can slow the body’s metabolic rate, making it more difficult to achieve weight loss.
Your body automatically detects changes in calorie levels and reacts accordingly.
If you starve or restrict your diet, your body will start to conserve its fuel: stored fat.
As a result, fewer calories are burned, so you cease losing weight.
While being on a diet means hunger and deprivation, staying well-fed at the right time and in the right amount actually leads to more effective weight loss and maintenance.
The Protective Mechanism of the Body:
The body’s metabolic response to food deprivation shows a defensive mechanism of survival.
When you do not consume food, the body presumes that you may be experiencing famine.
Since the body does not know when food will be available, it preserves its stored calories for later use.
This evolutionary defense of your ancestors creates an eating pattern called “all or nothing,” which is proven ineffective for your weight loss goals.
Yes, sustained food deprivation over an extended period will lead to weight loss. However, this is not a realistic or healthy weight loss plan.
Starvation diets will not only damage your metabolism but also your body.
Starvation Drops Serotonin Levels:
Apart from damaged metabolism, food restriction can also cause your serotonin levels to drop dramatically.
You might be wondering what serotonin is.
Well, it is a neurotransmitter that creates a feeling of satisfaction, peace, and calm.
When the levels of your serotonin get low, you feel more cranky and agitated.
When you attempt to modify any habits, this cranky or agitated state can make it more difficult for you to stay motivated and successful.
As a result, dieters give in to the temptation of eating more than what they should.
Consuming foods rich in carbohydrates helps maintain consistent serotonin levels, giving you emotional and physical strength to stay on the right track.
Eat to Lose Weight
Would it be too ironic if someone told you to eat to lose weight?
Well, it is a shift in perception that must accompany successful and sustained weight loss.
According to Dr. Laura Pawlak, research strongly suggests that one of the most effective approaches to permanent, gradual weight loss is a diet plan that includes several fruits, legumes, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.
Her book, entitled Stop Gaining Weight, stresses the importance of eating 5 or 6 times per day with several plant-based and high-protein foods.
The book also points out that those who want to lose weight must drink plenty of water.
The Disadvantages Of Fad Diets For Long Term Weight Loss
With several fad diets in the world of weight loss today, aren’t you tempted to follow one?
Hollywood stars are avid followers of these diets, which is why they receive countless praises from the media.
Avoiding food groups and severe calorie restrictions may seem worth your effort to achieve your desired weight.
However, did you know that these fad diets can seriously affect your overall well-being and health?
Learning about the cons of fad diets will pave the way for you to achieve a safer, healthier, and more sustainable weight loss.
The Bad Side
Severely restricting your calorie intake may lead to nutritional deficiencies.
If your body’s sodium and potassium levels are low, it may affect your heart and lead to heart attacks.
Other deficiencies include vitamin B12 and iron deficiencies.
To function, your organs greatly rely on the energy from carbohydrates.
Thus, if your body lacks carbohydrates, it may lead to liver and kidney failure. These fad diets may also trigger disorders in eating, like bulimia nervosa and anorexia.
Restrictions on Foods
In order for your body to function at its optimal level, you must consume healthy foods that are rich in minerals and vitamins.
This process is reversed by fad diets.
To attain the promised weight loss, these diets limit you of the food you can eat.
As a result, your body is robbed of essential nutrients. When boredom creeps in, you will later on crave prohibited foods.
Therefore, instead of losing weight, you tend to gain more.
Cost of Fad Diet
As you will notice, fad diets come and go easily.
They are also expensive because they require you to buy pills, powders, shakes, bars, and books deemed important for maintaining the diet.
If you neglect to do this, you may fail in your attempt to lose weight.
South Beach and Atkins are two of the many diets that require dieters to purchase a variety of items to support their diet.
Weight Gain:
When you decide to follow a fad diet, never expect to achieve long-term results.
Why?
This is because you will regain your weight once you begin eating normally again.
For your information, the quick weight loss you achieve on any fad diet is mostly muscle tissue and water, not fat.
Thus, once you decide to stop dieting, the body reloads its water content, thereby resulting in weight gain.
Following any fad diet will leave you feeling disappointed rather than fulfilled.
If you think that it is your best friend, think again.
Did you know that fad diets are your worst enemy?
Therefore, it is still better to lose weight slowly, but surely and healthily. Start looking for the right diet that will work best for you now!
But wait.
Don’t forget to consult your doctor first.
Wrapping Up
No matter which method works for you, just know that weight loss is possible.
It is always important to put your health over everything else.
Don’t be discouraged when thinking about starting a diet; it can be done!
The great thing is, once you begin, you will feel great, and it will not even be a chore anymore.
Good luck!
