According to the Boston Medical Center, approximately 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products in their pursuit of a slimmer body. However, over a third of American adults are obese.
Fad diets usually help people lose weight quickly; however, the pounds usually come right back when quitting the diet. In the end, such diets are unsuccessful because they do not promote healthy eating habits and behaviors that can be incorporated into an individual’s everyday life.
Here are a few things to look for to help you identify a fad diet. Beware of diets that…
- Omit or restrict food groups or macronutrients (i.e. cutting out all carbs or foods from the grains food group): The main food groups are vegetables, fruit, protein foods, grains, and dairy. Foods from these groups provide the nutrients our bodies need to function properly.
- Are very low in calories (i.e. less than 1000 calories a day): Severely restricting calories will cause a person to lose weight, but they will likely miss out on essential nutrients and become lethargic from the lack of energy intake. Plus, very low-calorie diets are not sustainable over the long run.
- Promise quick weight loss (i.e. more than 2 pounds a week): A realistic and healthy weight loss goal is ½ – 2 pounds a week. Slower but more apt to keep it off!
- Make you purchase a specific company’s products (i.e. pills, shakes, meal replacement bars, etc.) ; Oftentimes meal replacements can be included in a healthy diet and help you lose weight. However, people often struggle when they stop consuming those products because they did not learn how to make healthy food choices.
- Do not have scientific evidence to back them up: Fad diets usually have claims without scientific evidence to back them up. Instead, they use endorsements and testimonials to entice people. These endorsements lack credibility as they could be from paid actors or diet coaches trying to make money by selling their products.
- Doesn’t allow you to enjoy your favorite foods every once in a while: Food should be enjoyable! The key is portion size and moderation. When told to give up certain foods, people tend to overindulge on “cheat days” or once they reach their weight loss goal.
- Doesn’t promote physical activity: To lose weight, a person must create a negative calorie balance by burning more calories than they consume. Engaging in physical activity will aid in weight loss and help keep the pounds off. Not to mention the many other benefits of regular exercise!
Bottom line: if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!
-Written by Amanda Berckes, SDSU Dietetic Intern
