Let's Rid the World of Fad Diets

Let's be clear on some things. There are no foods or combination of foods that miraculously burn fat. There are no products that will magically melt away fat while you sleep.  But there are lots of fad diets that claim to do just that.

"Eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Melt away pounds and inches with no exercise and without dieting." You've seen the claims. Heck, you might have even fallen for a couple of them. I know I did. I understand. Who wants to give up their favorite foods and be forced to a lifetime of eating like a rabbit? And exercise? Who has time for that? So I totally get it. For a "small" amount of money, they promise to show you how eating the "right" foods or taking the "right" supplements can solve your weight loss problems. And then you can get on with your life...your new slimmer, trimmer life. 

There's just one problem with that. It doesn't work.

While there are diets that will help you lose weight quickly, most of that weight is water. And severely restricting calories means you may not be getting all the nutrients your body needs. If it can't get it from your food, it will get what it can elsewhere. This is why many on very low calorie diets experience muscle- and even bone-loss. Unless you are under an experienced doctor's supervision, very low calorie diets are dangerous. 

There are several variations of this. Have you ever tried the grapefruit diet? Or the cabbage soup diet? Or the low-carb diet? I have. Let me tell you how boring it is to eat the same food every day. Or how deprived you feel when you can't have a piece of your granddaughter's birthday cake because, you know...CARBS! Any diet that promotes eating "all you want" of a specific food (just how much cabbage soup can you eat in one day? EWWW) or restricts entire food groups is not only boring, it's not healthy. Diets like these tend to be lacking in critical nutrients. And I don't care if you are taking a multivitamin everyday. You are still not going to get everything your body needs.

So okay...but what about combinations of foods. Doesn't that work? Aren't there foods that turn your body into a fat-burning machine if eaten together? No. There is simply no credible evidence for this claim. Or its opposite...eating certain foods in the "wrong" combination will produce toxins in your digestive system. What it does do is once again cause you to focus on eating or eliminating certain foods. See the above paragraph for why that is not a good idea. 

Not all diets are fad diets and unhealthy. Diets like the Mediterranean Diet are excellent ways to lose weight and improve your health. How do you tell the difference? Look for the warning signs:

• Severe calorie restriction
• Focus on eating quantities of a specific food or combinations of food
• Eliminating entire food groups from your diet
• Very rigid menus

If the diet you are considering has any of these, walk away. And if you still aren't sure, ask yourself this question: "Can I eat like this for the rest of my life?" Because if you can't, all your efforts might be useless. One problem with all of these diets is that once you stop them, you usually gain all the weight back...plus a few extra pounds just in case you decide to do something this crazy again.

How CAN you lose weight healthfully and for good? Eat a well-balanced diet of nutrient-dense, healthy food. Allow yourself the occasional treat when you want it (prevents binging!). Drink lots of pure, clean water. Try intermittent fasting. Exercise. It doesn't have to be strenuous. A brisk walk everyday is enough. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Reduce stress. 

Pretty simple, right? So let's rid the world of these crazy fad diets once and for all and focus on a healthy lifestyle. Once you do that, the weight will take care of itself.  

If you want to see how I eat now, check out the book The Blue Zones Solution. It's my healthy lifestyle bible!