Magical marketing makes the answer to long-term problems seem so simple. So we get it: Fad Diets can be tempting. You want to lose weight for numerous reasons, from wanting to wear something other than a ‘sack dress’ to an upcoming event or being able to keep up with the kids and grandkids without those aches and pains getting in the way. But here’s the truth: Your journey toward change should never compromise your well-being, relationship with food, or wallet. So, what is a fad diet? How can you spot one? And what can you do instead? Read on to find out.
What Is A Fad Diet?
A fad diet is a diet that’s become popular despite not following standard dietary recommendations. Popular fad diets promote restrictive eating, unusual food combinations, and or consist of expensive (and unnecessary) food products, ingredients, and or supplements.
Fad diets are not new. They have been documented for years. The 1820s, for example, saw the first version of what we now call the ‘Apple Cider Diet’ with the introduction of ‘The Vinegar and Water Diet’. The 1930s had the ‘Grapefruit Diet’. And more recently, the ‘Keto Diet’, ‘Paleo Diet’ and ‘Raw Food Diet’ have risen (and fallen) in popularity.
The Problem With Fad Diets
Fad diets come with more than their fair share of drawbacks.
Followers frequently experience symptoms such as dehydration, weakness, headaches and malnutrition. Moreover, these diets set people up for failure. The rigid rules and limitations make long-term adherence challenging. As such, ‘dieters’ are sucked into a cycle of weight loss and regain as they attempt to avoid food groups and ignore their internal hunger cues. Great for the marketers who sell these diet plans, but not so great for you and me.
And as the dieter gets sucked into the next miracle cure, they’re not told something important. They’re successfully losing weight from muscle loss and fluids – not the fat they are trying to shed from around their hips, thighs, and belly. Losing muscle mass affects your strength, endurance, and your metabolism. But more than that, losing muscle mass is a sign of malnutrition.
So you’ve got to ask yourself: Is quick and easy weight loss worth it? It disrupts your relationship with food and leaves you without the tools for a balanced approach. It’s a no from us. Fad diets are just not worth it.
How To Spot A Fad Diet
With over one hundred different diets advertising themselves as weight loss diets, it can be hard to tell which is a fad. Here are some quick and easy ways to know if you have stumbled across yet another fad diet:
- Promises to fix everything quickly (“Lose 10kg in 10 days!)
- Saying one food is magic (“Grapefruit Diet” or “Apple Cider Vinegar Diet”)
- Cutting out essential foods (“Atkins Diet” or “Keto”)
- Calling foods good or bad (“low fat”, “low carb”, “Weight Watchers)
- Saying food changes your body chemistry (“The Alkaline Diet”)
- Making strict rules for weight loss (“Intermittent fasting”)
- Sells you specific products for weight loss (“Herbalife”)
- Says you can lose weight in just one area (“Banish the Belly Fat”)
- Promises things that sound too good to be true (“No Exercise Diet” and “Eat as much as you want and still lose weight”)
A Better Way To Health
Quick fixes might sound nice, but real and lasting results come from changing your lifestyle over time. Fad diets are not the answer. You can lose weight without following weird rules. It’s all about finding balance.
Here at The 4% Club, we believe cheese, chocolate, and wine should be part of a balanced diet. Click here to learn more about how you can enjoy the finer things in life and still see results.
Over 8,000 women have used our methods to ditch fad diets for good. They’re able to enjoy real foods without guilt. And without sabotaging their health or waistline. Learn more about us here.
