Weight Loss

Healthy Weight Loss: Do Fad Diets Really Work?

Sometimes people lose sight of one very important fact when they are on a weight loss program. They will overlook the health aspect of the weight loss plan in exchange for fast weight loss. This is especially true with fad diets that sometimes make outrages claims regarding weight loss. The fact is that some fad diets do help people achieve fast weight loss, but they can be very dangerous and once off the diet, the weight quickly returns. These types of weight loss plans are the farthest thing from healthy weight loss.

Why do people put aside health concerns to attain that quick weight loss when they know it may be harmful to their physical well-being? There are numerous reasons why fad diets should in no way be considered a healthy weight loss plan. Consider some of the following reasons to avoid such diets.

One reason why fad diets should not be considered as part of a healthy weight loss plan is the simple fact that most of them restrict the food you are able to eat. Many fad diets concentrate on a certain food type and stress that you avoid all others. This means you miss out on the nutrition you really need and can get from a more balanced diet approach. You also can become bored quite quickly eating the same food day after day.

Another reason why fad diets cannot be a part of a healthy weight loss plan has to do with the nutrition that your body losses while avoiding most other foods. Quite often these fad diets will tell you to take vitamins and supplements to make up for all the nutritional deficiencies you experience while on that fad diet. However, your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients from the recommended supplements unless you take them with food. And many of the foods that help you absorb nutrients are banned on fad diets.

As we lose weight we have to nourish our bodies. If we don’t give our bodies the nourishment it requires we are certainly not following a healthy weight loss plan. Fad diets are usually so restrictive and unappetizing that after as little as one day you will begin having overwhelming cravings for other foods and most likely you will not be able to complete the fad diet. This quitting will also wreak havoc on your self esteem as you may beat yourself up for not having enough willpower to stick it out with the diet for weight loss.

To achieve healthy weight loss takes time. And the goal is not only to lose weight but to keep the weight off permanently. Fad diets are temporary solutions for your weight loss problems. Even if you do follow through to the end with a fad diet you have not made permanent healthy changes to the way you handle food in your life. So fad dieters tend to be yo-yo dieters that go back and forth between extreme lo-calorie fad diets to periods of binging on food groups that were missing from the fad diet. Fad dieters are on a roller coaster of gaining and losing the same pounds again and again.

Advertising can be very powerful. It can be very misleading at times and such is the case with many weight loss programs. No matter what you see in the media about quick weight loss fad diets, realize that these diets will never work long term. The best way to achieve healthy weight loss and sustain that weight loss (so you never have to diet again) is to eat a variety of healthy foods, avoid overeating, and do regular exercise. This simple formula works every time.