When you hear the words “diet” or “food plan,” many negative associations come to mind. Many people believe that such indoctrination is purely fake news created by industries and businesses who stand to lose if people shift their eating habits. These companies want you to continue buying packaged foods laced with chemical additives, fake sugar, and other questionable ingredients. And they are right—most of the time.
Fad diets are indeed an industry, but not one that sells processed food and sugar substitutes. In fact, there is a booming niche business out there catering to people who want quick weight loss solutions that work with very little effort on their part. The rise of these less-than-reputable fad diets has been fueled by the millions of Americans looking for secondhand ways to lose weight.
But before dismissing diets as a ‘fad’ or resorting to extreme measures like taking weight loss drugs like Acxion, it’s worth looking at what does and doesn’t work in dieting, and not only the fads, but the core principles that will help you lose weight.
How diets help you lose weight
No matter what diet you choose to follow, the goal is always weight loss. Foods are generally classified as “good” or “bad” in order to help the individual lose weight by limiting their intake or avoiding certain foods altogether. Many diets may involve eating a food group only, or eating specific foods at certain times of the day, such as all fruit in one sitting in the morning, or all carbs and protein at dinner time. Another common way that people try to lose weight is through fasting—for example, not eating anything but water for a week.
There are other ways that fad diets can help you shed pounds than simply cutting your calories down. One popular weight-loss technique is using supplements like green coffee bean extract. This supplement helps curb hunger cravings while also boosting metabolism and assisting with fat burning.
Popular fad diets – past and present
There are some popular fad diets from the past that you might want to consider. One of the oldest is fasting, a way for people to lose weight without reducing their caloric intake. Another old-school diet is the lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper diet.
A more recent fad diet includes intermittent fasting—a practice where one restricts food intake for a set period of time in order to allow the body to enter into ketosis, or a metabolic state which can increase fat loss and decrease appetite.
More recently, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding veganism—a plant-based diet that excludes meat, dairy products, eggs, and other animal-derived foods in favor of only plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. This trend has seen an increase in popularity thanks to its health benefits as well as its environmental impact on our changing climate.
Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet is one of the most common fad diets, and for good reason. It is a gluten-free diet that suggests people stay away from processed sugars and grains in addition to dairy products and legumes. People who want to follow the diet are usually advised to avoid processed foods at all costs, because they are not allowed on this diet.
The Paleo Diet has been promoted as the solution to modern society’s ills, with fats being replaced by vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. When combined with exercise (which is also an important facet of this diet), it could be a healthy way of eating. However, there are many aspects of this diet that bring up red flags.
For example, there is no scientific evidence suggesting that a high protein intake can lead to weight loss over time. What’s more, the amount of protein in meat can be quite high; if you eat too much of it on its own or in excess quantities, you may experience negative health consequences such as kidney damage or heart failure.
The Paleo Diet does not take into account people living with diabetes or pre-diabetes; as a result, following this diet can exacerbate their condition or increase risk for future complications. In short: If you believe that following a fad diet might be best for your health in order to get quick results and lose weight quickly without going through any difficult dietary restrictions, this might not be the right strategy for you
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is a weight loss plan that was created by cardiologist and author, Arthur Agatston. The diet has been heralded as one of the most effective ways to lose weight in just six weeks.
While some people do see at least a few pounds shed on this plan, others report feeling hungry and deprived while following it. If you simply can’t reach your target weight with the South Beach Diet, you might want to consider other options.
Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet that is known for inducing weight loss. This type of diet focuses on consumption of meat and other proteins with fat. However, it does not suggest that you completely eliminate carbs from your diet like some other diets do.
The Atkins diet is very effective for people who want an easy way to lose weight in the short term. It also touts the ability to reduce blood cholesterol levels which leads to lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Low Carb Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, low carb diet that can help in achieving rapid weight loss.
The modified macronutrient profile of this diet helps you feel satiated throughout the day so you eat less calories overall and shed pounds quickly too. Some people experience side effects such as fatigue, headaches, dehydration and constipation but those are usually temporary. This type of diet only works when a person’s body relies primarily on fats instead of carbohydrates for energy so if you are trying to get rid of excess body fat without losing muscle mass then this might not be the right choice for you because this will cause your body to build muscles at a faster rate than usual.
The healthy way to lose weight
One of the most popular fad diets is the keto diet. The keto diet limits carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day, with 70 percent of your daily calories coming from fat and the remainder from protein. This low-carb, high-fat plan is known for giving your metabolism an intense boost in order to maximize fat loss. Another common fad diet is fasting.
Fasting can be done in a variety of ways throughout the day: intermittent fasting, 16/8 fast (skipping breakfast and lunch), or even a 7-day water fast. It’s up to you what type of intermittent fasting plan you want to follow—just make sure that it doesn’t interfere with your health or well-being. Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase metabolism and aid weight loss by burning more calories than usual during hours when food isn’t being consumed. It also limits caloric intake during these periods, which makes it easier for you to reach a healthy weight while still enjoying foods like pizza and ice cream every now and then.
And keep the weight off
The first fad diet we will discuss is the gluten-free diet. Gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, crackers, and even some soy sauce to a lesser extent, has been linked to weight gain. Since gluten can cause gastrointestinal distress and bloating, many people with digestive health problems prefer to avoid it completely. When they do so without consulting a doctor or nutritionist, they are actually left with little options. Gluten-free foods lack vital nutrients like calcium, iron, and protein.
These diets also come with a host of other problems such as vitamin deficiencies and nutritional imbalances. Long-term effects of going gluten-free could include: damage to the intestinal lining that causes food allergies or leaky gut syndrome, chronic inflammation in the body (which leads to chronic pain or fatigue), hormonal changes, and even autoimmune disorders!