Fad Diets:Is it Worth it?

It is January. Know what that means? Everyone is an health, nutrition, and fitness expert; are  you ready to be bombarded by the fiendish health craze?  “Diet” is about to become the four-letter-word that everyone is doing while intensely hating it.  Every year a ‘magic’ formula diet program comes along that finds short-lived success while achieving incredible popularity.  In reality these programs are more brilliant marketing than significant and maintainable improvements in diet.  Notice the key words there: significant and maintainable.  Point number one:

If it makes you miserable doing it, you will not stick with it long enough to achieve lasting results.

So what is the point of trying? Most of these programs have the potential to cause a significant amount of weight loss in a short period of time.  Sounds good right?  The problem is what sounds good to the brain does not translate into permanent, healthy changes in the body. Take the Atkin's Diet as an example. It is one of the most well known programs out there. The Atkins’ Diet program began in the 1970s’ and if it worked as a permanent solution for weight loss and prevention of weight gain then there would not have been new ‘improved’ Atkins’ programs in both the 1990s and 2000s.
More recently, the Paleo Diet has gained popularity. The concept is simple; paleolithic man did not have the obesity and related health problems that affect most of the modern 21st century man. The solution is simple: eat like none of the modern junk food exists. So that means: meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.  No grains, no starch, no artificial sweeteners, and certainly, no pizza. These are actually some pretty healthy guidelines. However, a program that calls for strict adherence and leaves zero room to accommodate real life events like birthday parties or weddings is not realistic. What is the fun of a diet program that has zero flexibility and leaves a person sitting in the corner munching on raw broccoli.

A program that does not teach how and when it is okay to cheat is not real life applicable. Why bother with something that does not account for real life?

The first tell-tale sign of a fad diet is constant, new and improved versions.  As an example, here is how most of these fad diets work; if person goes from eating the standard unhealthy American diet of refined sugars in baked goods, fried foods,and sugary drinks but then makes the change to a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, this can cause such a shock to the body resulting significant weight being lost in a short period of time.  Some people have lost twenty pounds or more in less than a month.  The problem with this rapid weight loss is that the body cannot compensate for this quick of a change by increasing the metabolic rate to burn more calories.  An increase in metabolic rate is achieved through a well-balanced diet and exercise.  For most people, it is not possible for the body to lose more than two pounds per week and keep the weight off.

There are several common claims that fad diets make as part of a clever marketing strategy.  Watch out for these claims and avoid programs marketed with these strategies.  It will save your time and money. Buyer Beware.

Claim	Reality Check
It is new, modern, improved, or recently discovered	Translation: It has not been around long enough for independent research to verify the claims
Fast or Rapid Weight Loss (more than 2lb/week)	It might be possible but the weight will come right back
Significant Weight Loss without exercise	I call it like it is: this statement is a load of crap deeper than anything coming out of Washington
Rare, ‘magical’, or ‘miracle’ foods	The only magic here is how quickly your money will disappear.  These products are often incredibly expensive.
A rigid menu or limited food selections, eating the same meals day after day	Be healthy by eating anything you want that does not come in a bag, box, plastic wrap, or is handed to you through a window
Including any supplements that claims to cure disease or other ailments	If it does not have independent research verifying the claims; it does not work.

  

Do not get suckered into fad diets.  They come and they go; hence the labeling of fad.  Here are some tips for identifying a healthy diet program.

1.       No prepackaged meals.  The program should teach how to eat real food that is cooked in a healthy manner and portioned into healthy serving sizes.

2.       The emphasis should be on changing what to eat, when to eat it, how to eat it, and how much.

3.       The program should be capable of accounting for physical activity levels for each individual person because every person’s body burns a different amount of calories while at rest and during exercise.

4.       The preparation of the food should be as close as possible to how the food occurs in nature with the exception of properly cooking to avoid food poisoning and illnesses such as salmonella.

5.       The program should be free of any meals or food that has sugar added to it.  The naturally occurring sugars in food are good.