Beware of Diet Fads When Trying to Shed Pounds

It might be actresses such as Suzanne Sommers and Jane Fonda, or
models such as Christie Brinkley or Kathy Ireland. It seems that
a number of celebrities today offer their own weight loss
programs. The programs are appealing because we see these
various svelte celebrities and we want to have bodies just like
them. The celebrities are also highly likable, so we have a
predisposition to be accepting of their products.

However, did you ever stop to think whether these celebrities
have any nutritional training? Do they have medical training? Is
the information that they offer nutritionally sound? Or is it
just a good sales pitch?

Nutrition experts Annette B. Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin, authors
of the book Get Skinny the Smart Way, say that consumers should
be leery of celebrity-inspired diet books. They point out that
such books are often based upon nutritional fiction and that,
while the diets outlined in these books may result in short-term
weight loss, they can be far from healthy in the long run.
Therefore, you might consider passing up the celebrity diet
books and opting for those written by nutritional experts
instead.

But celebrities aren’t the only ones preaching fad diets. For
instance, there’s the so-called grapefruit diet which recommends
consuming a grapefruit prior to each meal. Another fad is the
cabbage soup diet, which requires you to consume all the cabbage
soup you can handle. Other fads call for eating all the eggs you
can…consuming only raw foods…or fasting every other day.
Such diets are not only based on nutritional
misinformation–they can also be dangerous.

For instance, let’s take a closer look at the cabbage soup
diet. No major health organization has endorsed it. Moreover,
the American Heart Association disapproves of it, noting that it
can actually harm you. Promoters of this diet say that you can
lose as much as 15 pounds a week by following it–what they
don’t say is that most of that weight is water weight. Once you
begin eating normally again, you will see your weight rise once
more. Some of the side-effects of the cabbage soup diet include
a feeling of weakness, stomach pains, and diarrhea.

Yet another questionable diet approach is what’s known as food
combining. Such a diet assumes that you are overweight because
you are not eating the right combination of food. The
requirements of such a diet can seem quite arbitrary. For
instance, you might be told that you can eat a banana only in
the morning. This is rubbish, since your stomach can deal with a
variety of different foods at one time. The idea behind such a
diet is to eat food with fewer calories, but there are other
methods you can use to accomplish the same goals.

Some companies even claim that you can shed pounds while you
dream. They say that, if you use their product right before
bedtime, you will lose weight. In actuality, no company can make
such a claim with any degree of credibility. It is impossible to
burn a large number of calories while snoozing. In other cases,
you may be tempted to try to lose weight by consuming special
milkshakes or candy bars. In essence, these products are just
milk and candy with certain vitamins and minerals added.
However, one rarely feels satisfied after consuming these
products.

As a result, you may find yourself actually consuming
additional calories during the rest of the day. While you might
be able to theoretically lose weight in the short-term, you’ll
find it difficult to maintain the weight loss over the long haul.

The fact of the matter is that there is a great deal of money
that can be made through the sale and marketing of diet
products. As long as America has a large contingent of
overweight people, companies will try to make a profit off of
overeating. It is up to you to be savvy enough to recognize a
diet fad when you see it and opt for a different approach to
losing weight. You’ll find that there are really no short-cuts
to weight loss. Any successful diet program takes time,
patience, and determination, along with a willingness to change
your eating patterns.

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