Friday, October 23, 2009

Run Away from Fad Diets as Fast as You Can

By Thong M. Dao

It's hard to believe fad diets are bad when so many people say they have positive results. The internet does not help in the matter either. Countless websites claim that fad diets show significant weight loss in just a couple of days.

That is always temporary. It's usually 90% water which will be put straight back on as soon as your body rehydrates, which it must do or else you'll suffer severe health problems or die.

Some popular fad diets are not what we call crash diets. These diets have been around for a while and what they try to do is to part you and I from our hard-earned money and make their inventors rich.

Some are good nutrition plans, though. But they cost you money while you can get the information from your doctor for free. Or those plans are too hard to get along with, so many folks give up after a week or two.

Here are 5 reasons why fad diets are bad.

1. Here's the fact about weight loss programs that promise you a quick fix. They require you to eat certain types of food. Following those programs means that you're not getting a balanced diet.

These programs usually recommend supplements. The problem here is most of the times, the supplements they offer can't be absorbed into the body unless you eat foods that are not allowed by the programs themselves. If you're faithful enough to stick to your diet for several weeks, you may notice some changes, feel tired and weak due to nutritional deficiency.

2. Fad diets are often boring and over restrictive. After the first day or two, you'll not enjoy your meals anymore. You'll then start to crave food constantly and break the diet. You may even feel guilty, thinking it is your fault that you did not lose weight.

3. American Heart Association, we all know it. However, fad diets do not follow their recommendations. Promoters argue that the diet is for just a short period. So tell me what happens if you do not obtain your weight loss goal in that time? You'll stop dieting and gain your weight back or you'll continue and run the risk of major health issues.

4. Many fad diets do not help you to incorporate enough servings of fruits and vegetables in your weight loss program, or give you the variety of foods that your body needs.

5. Quick weight loss diets are just a temporary solution and do not help you to make permanent changes to your eating habits. Permanent changes are the only way to maintain your target weight once you reach it.

Yo-yo fad diets only make your weight fluctuate. And in some cases, you may end up gaining more weight than you've lost. The up-and-down weight issue hurts not only your health but also your self-esteem.

Publicity materials probably bring you hopes for a couple of days, but over time you'll come to find out that what they're offering will not last a lifetime. The best way to lose weight is nothing fancy - eat healthy foods without overeating and exercise regularly. Stay away from fad diets if you don't want to waste your time and money.

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