Do “fad” diets work?
Yes they do.. but not for long. “Fad” diets do work, if weight-loss is your only concern. As long as you don’t mind the serious and sometimes fatal side effects of some fad diets, they are fine. We suggest you stick with a healthy, balanced program such as Healthier for Life. 95% of all the “fad” diets on the market fail. People keep trying to find the “quick-fix”, but there is no such thing. Consistent, healthy eating, combined with a regular exercise program is the key to long-term health and fitness.
Many people do lose weight on fad diets. However, experts point out that it’s usually because people are eating fewer calories on the diets, not because of some magic ingredient or food combination. For example, people may lose weight on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet, but it’s not because they cut out carbohydrates. It’s because that diet limits calories. A calorie is a calorie, and whether it comes from protein, carbohydrate, or fat, you still have to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight. Most fad diets promise fast results. But when you lose weight rapidly, you lose mostly water and muscle, not fat. Because fad diets don’t teach you how to change your eating and activity habits, the weight comes right back as soon as you go off the diet. And diets that restrict what types of food you eat aren’t easy to stick to for very long.
