Why Diets Don't Work!!!

Every year there's a new one: the Acai Berry Diet, the Hollywood diet and the South Beach Diet are some of hundreds that are out there today.
 
People are always looking to lose weight as quickly as they can with as little work possible and there are people out there who know they can cash in on this.  Americans spend $40 billion a year on dieting books, pills, drinks, anything they think that will help them lose weight easily. What people don't realize is that fad diets don't work! Sure, they work on a short term basis, but longterm, you'll end up at the weight you started at. 

So what exactly is fad dieting? Fad diets are quick fix diet and/or workout programs that promise results that are too good to be true, because they are. Usually fad diets include a strict diet plan that have caloric intakes that are unhealthy. Jackie Warner's Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days for example, has her readers eating under 1,000 calories each day. No wonder people lose weight, THEY'RE STARVING THEMSELVES! Never should anyone ever eat under 1,200 calories. 1,200 is the bare minimum to healthily maintain your body. And if you workout, you need more than 1,200 calories. 

Another problem with fad dieting is that you usually cut out one of the main food groups. Popular diets cut out carbs. This may come as a shock but, carbs are good for you! Your body needs carbs in order to function properly. The body requires glucose from carbs to help it maintain properly. Carbs also contain fiber, which is important in an everyday, healthy diet. As for the "low-carb" diets, "Clinical studies have shown that for long-term weight loss, low carbohydrate diets fare no better than traditional diets where 50-60% of calories come from carbs" (Ellis).  

Plain and simple: fad diets also don't work! By cutting out necessary nutrients that your body requires, you can end up gaining weight: "If you don't get enough nutrients — which is a major risk when you're going for a quick fix — your brain, and then your body, will, well, insist that you eat" (Sperl). Not only that, but fast weight-loss is not sustainable--"According to a 2006 study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, most people who participate in weight-loss programs 'regain about one-third of the weight lost during the next year and are typically back to baseline in three to five years'" (Reisner). Because you are eating such little amounts during these diets, when you return to a higher caloric (aka healthy) intake, you're going to gain weight. Eating less then 1,000 calories a day will result in weight loss, but once you go back to eating 1,200-2,000 calories a day, you gain it right back. Also, a lot of fad diets don't result in fat-loss, they result in water-weight loss. The only thing you're really losing is excess water weight. 

Another problem with fad diets is that it can be a gateway into eating disorders. The "professionals" who sell these books and diets tell their readers that it's okay to eat that little. Uneducated readers can think that eating that little is okay for them and even healthy for them. People with eating disorders never eat over 1,000 calories or have a net-worth (total number of calories that have been eaten minus the number that were burned during a workout) over 1,000 calories. To have "professionals" tell readers that it is okay and encourage eating under 1,000 calories is not okay and is very unhealthy physically and mentally. 

Now, I'm about to share the biggest secret to weight-loss and being healthy, *gasp* FOR FREE. Healthy eating + exercise = healthy body AND weight-loss! It truly is as simple as that folks! Cutting out processed foods, fast foods and sodas that contain man-made chemicals and trans-fats that are unhealthy for you will help you lose weight. Adding in a few days of cardio and strength-training, and you will see the results you've always wanted. Want to know the best part about this plan? IT LASTS. By slowly changing your diet to one filled with fruits, veggies and everything else good for you, you will lose about 1-2 pounds a week. Sure, compared to these diets where you can lose three times that in half the time, it may sound discouraging. But healthy weight-loss obtained through a healthy "diet" (and I don't mean diet as in fad diet. I mean as what you eat on a daily basis) has been proven to "lead to sustainable weight loss" (Ladzinski and Kaipainen). The best part of a healthy diet means no restriction. In the healthy diet community, one of their favorite words  is "moderation." You can have whatever you want, as long as it is in moderation. You're allowed to have a piece of cake every other week, or have some pizza one Friday night. As long as you eat it sparingly, you can still eat it.


 
Fad diets are nothing but a scheme created by people who look to take advantage of this "fad wave" and teaching uneducated people unhealthy methods for weight-loss. Sustainable weight-loss is just one of the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Live healthy and you're all set.