Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day is celebrated on the third Tuesday of January each year.
But what are fad diets? And why is there a movement to “rid the world” of them?
You’ve almost certainly heard of fad diets. These are diets that usually promise quick, sometimes dramatic weight loss by restricting what you eat, sometimes preventing you from eating entire food groups.
Here’s the dirty little secret: fad diets often work in the short term. Truth is, if you consume fewer calories than you burn each day, you’re going to lose weight. But these fad diets rarely work in the long term.
Fad diets are typically not supported by scientific research, but because of their promises of fast weight loss – and because people often know other people who have lost weight following some of these diets – it’s easy for people to be attracted to them.
What are some examples of fad diets?
There are some extremely famous fad diets out there. Some of them require you to nearly eliminate carbohydrates and increase your protein and fat consumption. Others have you avoid processed foods, consuming only juices, eating uncooked foods, or not eating grains and dairy.
Here are some common fad diets:
- Atkins Diet
- Juice Cleanses
- Keto Diet
- Military Diet
- Paleo Diet
- Raw Food Diet
- South Beach Diet
Why fad diets don’t work in the long run
Yes, you will probably lose some weight if you follow a fad diet, especially at the beginning. But fad diets don’t usually work long.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, as many as 95% of people who begin a diet gain all their weight back, and sometimes even weigh more. Nutritionists, doctors, and researchers often refer to this as the yo-yo effect because people lose a lot of weight quickly, then gain it back.
People can’t follow fad diets forever. You can’t go through life avoiding a carbohydrate every day, and you certainly can’t live off juice forever. These restrictions over a long period can even lead to dietary deficiencies, a slower metabolism, and loss of muscle. One thing we know for a fact: more muscle mass helps burn more fat.
These fad diets also don’t help people learn how to make healthy dietary choices, so once the restrictive diets finally become too much for someone to follow, they go back to how they were eating before.
Focus on building healthy habits
Instead of finding a quick fix with a fad diet, it’s better to establish healthy eating and exercise habits, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
People should learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods, understand what proper portions look like, allow yourself to indulge every now and then without going overboard, and focus on building long-term healthy habits instead of following restrictive diets.
While the weight loss may not happen as fast as with some of the fad diets, the weight loss is more likely to last. It’s also healthier for your body, both physically and mentally. The Mayo Clinic says it’s healthy to lose between 1-2 pounds per week, which means you need to burn between 500-750 calories per day over what you consume.
The Cleveland Clinic says people may benefit from working with a nutritionist or a dietitian. Certified personal trainers are not nutritionists or dietitians, but they can assist with weight loss through exercise and nutrition suggestions to get you going in the right direction.
If you would like to add a customized exercise routine to your weight loss journey, reach out to Uno’s Fitness about a free consultation.
Leave a comment