Fat Be Gone… The Healthy Way…Goodbye Fad Diets and Gimmicks

Are you tired of hearing about diets that claim you can “eat whatever you want and still lose weight” or tell you “you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days”.  Or how about the diet that includes only eating cabbage or grapefruit for weeks in order to achieve your weight loss goals.  If you are, then you’ll be happy to know that today is Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day!  If you’ve ever tried any of the weight loss gimmicks or fad diets you’ll be the first to know that these things don’t work.  Each year Americans spend $30 billion dollars on weight loss products and programs, most of it consisting of new gimmicks and fad diets that go on the market and claim to be the new weight loss solution.  After reading my blog today you won’t fall into these weight loss traps and waste your money! 

Top ten ways to spot a fad diet:

1.  If it’s too good to be true, it probably is! 

• Companies promising you to drop 2 pant sizes in 2 weeks is very unrealistic and if you think a product or program sounds too good to be true, follow your gut feeling…it’s usually right!

2.  Diet recommendations promise a quick fix

• Quick fixes don’t work.  If they did everyone would be at their ideal weight! 

3.  Eliminate one or more of the five food groups

• Eliminating one or more of the food groups is depriving your body of certain nutrients and will send cravings through the roof.  It’s better to eat small well-balanced meals and set healthy eating habits for life than depriving your body of certain foods. 

4.  Recommendations made to help sell a program or  product such as special pills, powders, or herbs

• This is the #1 trick in the weight loss industry.  They want you to buy their product and magically you will lose weight!  Unfortunately this is very untrue and can be unhealthy for your body.  Most diet pills contain laxatives or diuretics that make your body eliminate water not fat.  Other diet supplements claim to speed up metabolism and block the absorption of fat, however the ingredients in these supplements have not be tested to be safe and the affects on the body are still unknown. 

5.  Lists ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food

• There is no such thing as a bad food and diets that deprive you of certain foods tend to be short lived.  Foods should not be labeled ‘good or bad’, but rather should be eaten in moderation. 

6.  Diet is based on dramatically cutting back on calories

• I like to call this the ‘starvation diet’.  Diets that recommend eating small amounts of calories and promise drastic weight lose is completely bogus.  Our bodies are simply not designed to shed pounds quickly and medical professionals will tell you it is nearly impossible for a healthy active person to lose more than 2-3 pounds of fat per week.  On a very low calorie diet, our body’s natural reaction to near-starvation is to get rid of water.  So weight you are losing on these types of diets are in fact not fat but water weight.  As soon as food is consumed normally again, the body soaks up all the water that was lost.

7.  Draws simple conclusions from a complex study

• Simple conclusions may not contain ALL of the facts.  It’s important to investigate the study and look at all the pros and cons. 

8.  Recommendations that ignore differences between people

• Everyone is different and has separate nutrient and caloric needs.  If a diet fails to recognize this, it is probably a gimmick or fad diet.

 9.  Findings are based on a single study

• Most products report some kind of clinical findings that support their product, however one study does not make it a valid study.  It is important to look at who did the study (was it a reputable scientific organization), how it was done, how many people participated in the study, and lastly how many studies were done to prove these findings. 

 10.  Dramatic results in short periods of time

• Dramatic results usually mean all weight that is lost will be water weight and WILL come back on once regular food is introduced back into the body. 

Now you know some red flags to look for when introduced to a new product or diet.  Don’t fall into a company’s trap and waste your hard earned money on gimmicks and fad diets.  Good old hard work and dedication is the best way to achieve your health goals. 

What are some gimmicks and fad diets you’ve tried or heard about?

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