Open any woman’s magazine and chances are you’ll see an ad for a fad diet. Thousands, if not millions, of people try these fad diets, so they can’t be all bad, right? The truth is there are pros and cons to fad diets. Whether or not these pros outweigh the cons is up to you. Let’s take a closer look into fad diets and see if they’re worth your time.
There’s no denying the fact that fad diets seem easy. For that reason, many overweight individuals are anxious to try them. After all, who wouldn’t want to lose weight by simply giving up one type of food or eating all the ice cream they want? Not to mention the hype behind these fad diets. That alone can spark the interest of those trying to lose weight.
Unfortunately, the same thing that sparks interest in a fad diet is usually what’s so unhealthy about it. For example, cutting out a certain food group can be dangerous to your health. Not to mention that a diet based on eating one food can lead to malnutrition. The food pyramid isn’t just something pretty to look at. It was designed to ensure you get the proper nutrients. Diets that eliminate one or many of these food groups can destroy your health.
Pro #2: Fad Diets Seem to Work
There’s no denying the fact that fad diets seem to work. Otherwise, no one would ever follow them. People on the Atkins Diet do lose weight. The same goes for people that stick to one food. Some people have even lost over 100 pounds using fad diets.
It may seem impossible to get tired of a diet that allows you to eat the foods you love, but that isn’t the case. Eating the same food over and over can get boring. This is actually why fad diets based on one food work. People get tired of eating that one food and end up eating less. Not to mention, that the cravings for the foods you can’t have can get overwhelming, making the diet hard to stick to. People need variety to stick to an eating plan. That’s why diets based on moderation work so well.
Pro #3: There Are Hundreds of Fat Diets to Try
If you get tired of one fad diet, you can always choose another one. There are fad diets based on eating one food, eating the foods you want, reducing a certain food group and even some based on liquids. If you’re willing to be a guinea pig, you’ve got lots of eating plans to choose from.
Fad diets come and go so quickly that many of them are never tested in a clinic setting to determine the risks they involve. This means that the diet could cause heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a number of other diseases and conditions. Healthy diets are tried and true. Diets that have been around for decades and allow you to lose weight safely are the best diets to choose from. A few examples include calorie counting, Weight Watchers and low fat diets.
