It seems as though every other month there’s a new diet being hailed as a miracle weight loss plan and guaranteeing super-fast results. With 1 in 4 women and 1 in 4 men in the UK* considered obese, and skinny celebrities endorsing these so-called wonder diets it’s no surprise we are jumping on the band wagon in the quest for slimming solutions. In reality though fad diets are not a long-term solution, we look at 5 of the most popular diet crazes and why they are destined to fail.
The cabbage soup diet
What it involves: Eating nothing but cabbage soup.
Why it doesn’t work: Asides from the fact that no single food can give our body all the nutrients it needs, eating the same thing all day every day can get pretty boring, it’s difficult to maintain this diet as there’s only so much cabbage you can eat! Cabbage might be a healthy food but it won’t provide you with protein, healthy fats and B-vitamins that your body needs to function properly. Side effects of this plan include feeling faint and dizzy due to the lack of protein, as well as the not too pleasant flatulence.
The Atkins diet
What it involves: The key principle behind this diet is cutting out carbohydrates to allow your body to enter a state called ketosis where it burns body fat instead of glucose for energy.
Why it doesn’t work: Dieters will see a significant weight loss during the initial phase of this diet however this is mostly water weight and will be put back on very quickly once coming off the diet. Prolonged ketosis will result in breakdown of muscle tissue – since muscle burns more calories than fat, in the long run this is not good news for your metabolism. This diet allows you to eat as much protein and fat as you want but eating too much saturated fat has serious implications for your heart health and cholesterol levels which are associated with heart disease and strokes.
The lemonade diet – also known as the maple syrup diet or master cleanse diet.
What it involves: Drinking 6-9 glasses of a concoction of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and water amounting to 600 calories a day.
Why it doesn’t work: Clearly surviving off just liquid and starving your body with only 600 calories a day is going to make you lose weight that much is obvious, but as well as losing weight you will also lose the ability to function properly. Headaches, hunger pangs, dizziness and diarrohea are some of the side effects that you can expect. This diet has no nutritional basis, no protein, no fibre and is therefore not a sustainable solution.
The grapefruit diet
What it involves: This is a low-calorie (around 800 per day), low carbohydrate and high protein diet combined with eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice at every meal. The theory is that grapefruit contains an enzyme that when eaten with protein triggers fat burning and weight loss.
Why it doesn’t work: Whilst grapefruit is nutritious, low on the glycaemic index and high in fibre meaning it can help you stay fuller for longer, there is no scientific evidence to support the claims that grapefruit aids fat burning and weight loss. This diet is designed for rapid weight loss but much of that weight loss will be fluids. Essentially the grapefruit is fairly irrelevant as this diet is really about calorie-restricting, there is no long-term maintenance plan and since sticking to the 800 calories a day intake is not realistic for an extended period inevitably once you have finished the diet and return to regular eating the weight will creep back on.
The baby food diet
What it involves: Eating 14 portions of baby food a day - either homemade or from a jar.
Why it doesn’t work: Although the ideas of eating regularly and getting plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet are key to successful weight loss this can be achieved without resorting to baby food. It might be a bit of a novelty for a few days but eating mushy texture-less food isn’t going to be much fun in the long term and you’ll soon be craving “real food”. As well as the taste issue, at around £1 a jar and with 14 servings needed every day, this diet is not going to be too kind on your bank balance!
As much as we’d all love a quick fix there really is no such thing as a miracle weight loss plan, eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise and living a healthy lifestyle might not be revolutionary concepts but unlike the latest diet trend they can guarantee results that last!
*Figures according to Patient UK
For your unique nutritional solution, please contact Liza Welsh on Tel: 074 120 0279
Email: herbalife.pretoria@gmail.com
Disclaimers: *These products are intended for use as part of an energy restricted diet and with other foodstuffs, in conjunction with regular physical activity. No medical claims of any nature are made or intended in any of the stories submitted. The experiences of the parties concerned are their own personal experiences and the results obtained are due to the body receiving complete and properly absorbed nutrition on a daily basis. No guarantee is given or implied that you will experience the same results, as this depends on your adherence to the program. All nutritional programs are used with a calorie-controlled intake. **We do not claim that these products can cure or prevent any disease or medical condition, but merely that it can assist with the improvement of overall health if used as part of a healthy balanced lifestyle that includes regular exercise and adequate fluid intake.**
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