Why Fad Dieting is Bad for You

When dieting is the topic, expect to hear a word or two about fad diets. Fad diets are so popular yet so ineffective. If you want to lose weight, fad dieting is not exactly the best way to do it.

Before we discuss why fad dieting is bad for you, let’s be clear on what can be considered as a fad diet. Fad diets can be classified into three major categories. First, you know it is a fad diet if it focuses only in one food or food group. Second, it is a fad diet if it bans a whole food group. Last, the food intake is limited to incorporate a certain lifestyle. A fad diet can be a combination of two or all categories as well.

Atkins diet, South Beach diet, Breatharian, Nutrisystem, Gerson therapy Grapefruit diet, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Macrobiotic diet, and any of those diets you have tried because they promised you that you will lose weight with minimal effort in a short period of time… All are fad diets.

It may be hard to accept that you have been tricked into trying these diets but it is not too late to stop fad dieting. The reasons we are going to share with you are backed up by intensive study. So if you are ready to face the truth, here are why fad dieting is bad for you:

1. Fad diets are dangerous to adolescents.
Fitting in is a major concern with most teenagers, particularly the girls. This means wearing the right clothes, having the “in” hairstyle, so on, and so forth. Nearly all adolescents equate their chances of being popular to how pretty or sexy they look. As such, they try anything that promises weight loss without much thought on the consequences.

Let’s take the Grapefruit diet as an example. If you are the president of the student council, editor of the school newspaper, and have exams and reports every other day, you need all the energy you can get and you cannot get it from eating the same fruit everyday. You lose weight but you are also stressed and there is a high chance that you will end up in a hospital bed.

2. Fad diets neglect to mention the need for exercise.
Dieting will not work if there is no physical activity involved. Sure, you may lose pounds if you do not eat as many as before but without exercise, the pounds are likely to come back once you stop your so-called diet. If you want to lose weight, the healthy way, you have to exercise.

3. Fad diets have one too many side effects.
Losing weight is your goal, right? Losing energy, getting headaches, being dehydrated, and having digestive problems are not part of the plan. Then why try fad diets? Fad diets cause what we just mentioned and sometimes they can bring about more serious problems like cardiac arrest, and yes, even death.

4. Fad diets advocate food deprivation.
Since most fad diets cut back the intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, what is left for you to eat? Food deprivation may result into weight loss but it also leads to a weak immune system. Do you know what happens to somebody who has a weak immune system? Let’s put it this way. He or she is susceptible to all kinds of diseases, bacterial, viral, and fatal.

5. Fad diets reduce the metabolism.
Most fad diets are based on low calorie or low fat intake. Since you are not allowed to eat calories or fats, your body will naturally slow down its metabolism. It will keep holding on to the foods you consume thinking that it will be a long time before you eat normally again. When the time comes that you go back to your normal eating habits, your metabolism rate is still slow. In other words, you go back to gaining weight.

6. Fad diets disregard the importance of a balanced diet.

Ever since first grade, you have been hearing about balanced diet. Eating a balanced diet is one way to ensure a healthy lifestyle. If you want to live long enough to see your grandchildren get married, disregard fad diets. Fad diets are the exact opposite of balanced diet. Losing weight may be important but it is not as important as living well.

Losing weight may be your personal Mt. Everest or your Holy Grail. It may be difficult to achieve but that is not an excuse to try everything that comes your way. There are a dozen of ways to lose weight. Try the other eleven.