The lure of quick weight loss is difficult to ignore. The Internet is overwhelmingly filled with weight-loss methods that include meal ideas, slimming pills, and fad diets. Fad diets are there to offer a seemingly easy solution to slim down—something most people want to achieve.
Most fad diets have been revealed to be less than ideal, since they propose unhealthy eating patterns with a lack of complete nutrients. For example, the latest fad diet is the Keto or Ketogenic Diet, which is a low-carb, high-fat diet restricting food percentage to 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs. The diet works by lowering glucose and insulin levels to trigger the body to use its fat storage for energy. Local celebrities such as Ruffa Gutierrez and Billy Crawford have already tried it while international celebrities Tim Tebow and Kourtney Kardashian have touted it as a reset button for the body. But similar to the Atkins, South Beach, or Paleo Diet, the Keto Diet only offers a temporary fix to a long-term problem.
The problem with fad diets is that they are programs that are supposed to be followed for just several weeks, which may not be the right approach to permanent weight loss. If a fad diet was truly successful in maintaining a person’s ideal weight, the diet wouldn’t be considered a fad anymore. According to WedMD, the psychological costs of giving up their fattening lifestyle seems too great, so they opt for the “quick fix.”
Another problem with fad diets is they are too restrictive, forcing people to think of food as either “good” or “bad.” For example, the Keto diet limits food intake to protein and fats while removing out carbs. However, cutting certain food groups, such a carbs can lead to side effects such as nausea, headaches, or mental and physical fatigue. Restricting a person for a certain amount of time can also drain them of their willpower and energy. It won’t be long until they give into their cravings and gain back the weight that was initially lost. In 2007, researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles concluded that at least one-third to two-thirds of people on diets gain more weight than they lost within four to five years.
While fad diets typically claim to be the most effective or cutting-edge, the principles behind the diets are mostly recycled ideas that have been reused for years. For example, the Keto diet is actually just a glorified form of a low-carb diet that is high in protein. The Atkins diet, on the other hand, is also a low-carb, high-protein diet with the difference of introducing carbs later on.
Confusion about nutrition is the main reason why fad diets still exist. Fad diets teach people what to eat and what not eat, but fail to teach them how to eat properly. Doctors, dietitians, and people who have been successful in losing weight permanently have been giving the most simple and sensible advice for years: Eat less and exercise more.
More importantly than being thin, diets should encourage people to be healthy with the focus of not losing pounds but on reducing the risk of heart disease or diabetes. Since fad diets tend to appeal more to people’s vanity, inspiring the desire to be healthy takes a backseat. The goal should be pushing to lead healthier and well-rounded lifestyles, without the need for quick fixes.
