Fad diets can be extremely tempting, promising fast results through simple methods and minimal effort. They often give people the misconception that they can lose weight overnight, creating false hope for those who struggle with weight loss. In reality, fad diets are all hype, and may cause you more harm than good.
Read on to discover 5 reasons fad diets don’t work, and aren’t worth the risk to your health.
1. They require unnecessary food restrictions.
Fad diets that promise quick weight loss will usually instruct you to eat more of one food group and refrain from eating another. Unfortunately, some of the foods they usually ask you to eliminate are necessary for maintaining a balanced diet, such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, and essential fatty acids. To address this, fad diets usually recommend taking additional supplements. However, even with the addition of supplements, it can be easy to develop nutritional deficiencies, potentially derailing your weight loss goals.
2. They fail to address the root cause of weight gain, giving only short-term results.
Since fad diets don’t encourage any permanent lifestyle changes, they only provide a temporary solution. Fads may help you lose weight at first, but if you don’t address the root cause of your weight gain, you’ll likely gain back every pound you lost, possibly more. This traps you in a cycle of yo-yoing, which puts stress on your body and may lead to high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, depression, and other medical conditions.
3. They can be expensive.
Some fad diets require people to take pills, powders, or drink supplements daily. These can be very costly, especially in the long term.
4. They are often anti-exercise.
Any diet that promises you weight loss without counting your calories or doing any form of exercise is unhealthy and unrealistic. Incorporating exercise into your weight loss journey is necessary if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
5. They aren’t motivating and don’t allow for cheat days.
Fad diets usually promote an all-or-nothing approach and make you feel guilty if you fail to keep to their restrictions. After a few days of following the diet and restricting yourself from eating certain foods, you may start craving those restricted items. Unfortunately, many fad diets need to be followed precisely if you want to see results and can be completely compromised by a single cheat day. This is often demotivating and may lead to binge eating if you aren’t careful.
Regardless of how amazing fad diets may sound, they won’t help you in the long term and may be detrimental to your health.
Unfortunately, there is no magical overnight weight loss solution, but we've put together a great resource tool for helping you reach your weight loss goals.
Download our free weight loss guide here. It will give you answers and insight into when and why weight loss becomes so difficult!
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is by making changes to your lifestyle to establish and maintain a healthy diet, a regular exercise regimen, and a restful sleep schedule.
If you're eating right, moving regularly, and getting enough sleep but the scale still won't budge, talk to your medical provider about getting your hormone levels checked. Having a hormonal imbalance can make it nearly impossible to lose weight, which can be extremely demotivating and frustrating. Schedule your Free confidential Telehealth Consultation today and let's discuss the right path to lasting weight loss for you.