Link to MamasHealth.com

 

Fad Dieting

What is a Fad Diet?

A fad diet is a diet that promises quick weight loss and is usually popular for only a short time. Fad diets are marketed to seem attractive to the person who wants to lose weight quickly. Most fad diets claim that an individual can lose weight without having to exercise, simply by following the diet’s plan of eating. However, most fad diets are considered unhealthy by physicians and deemed a gimmick.

Fad diets usually do not offer the consumer a healthy, long-term weight control formula. Fad diets are often very restrictive. Fad diets are not a healthy form of dieting that can be incorporated into a dieter’s lifestyle long term.

Many fad diets contribute to “yo-yo dieting". Yo-yo dieting is the successive gain and loss of weight due to excessive dieting. Yo-yo dieting makes weight loss slow when it is finally approached from a healthy perspective.

Complications of Fad Diets

Individuals who go on fad diets are putting their body at risk for disease and illness. Most fad diets restrict the individual from eating foods that are packed with the nutrients the human body needs to protect itself from fatigue and sickness.

For example, a diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates can cause the body to become low in electrolytes. This type of diet can also cause low blood pressure, decreased energy and fatigue. Also, a diet that is high in protein, but low in carbohydrates, can increase the individual’s chances of having kidney stones and gout. Also, a diet that is high in protein can cause your body to be at risk for calcium loss, which leads to osteoporosis.

What You Can Do

If you want to lose weight, it is best to stay away from fad diets. There is no magic pill or diet that will take your weight off. Talk to your physician about a healthy weight loss plan that is right for your individual needs. Exercise goes hand in hand with weight loss. Simply walking two to three times each week will boost your metabolism and help the weight to come off.

How to Recognize a Fad Diet

Vitalicious Natural Muffins-100 Delicious Calories

 

Hot Topics:

Domestic Violence: A pre-existing condition?

Serena: The wanna be vegetarian

Personal Story: How I recovered from my Eating Disorder

Mama wants to help: Food Bank programs and shelter assistance

Lucy Goes Green: Talk dirty to me

How to avoid Swine Flu

What no one will tell you about tummy tuck surgery

Mama's favorite item of the week: Trees for the Future

Foods for weight loss

Win a Gift Bag filled with Goodies from Stonyfield

Information obtained from MamasHealth.com™ should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner, nor should it be inferred as such. Always check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about a specific condition.

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use.
Contact us: PO Box 2170, Pasadena, CA 91102-2170

©2000 - 2009 MamasHealth, Inc.™. All rights reserved

Link to MamasHealth.com