Fad diets are meal plans or aids that promises quick "weight loss in a short amount of time"(ezinearticles). Usually these fad diets are targeted at peoples who desperately want to lose weight. Some of these fad diets are endorsed by celebrities and so became popular around the world. Fad diets generally focus on one particular food or food type and restrict our calorie intake. Furthermore fad diets "claim that an individual can lose weight without having to exercise" (mamashealth). Therefore most of these fad diets promoted out there are low in calories. Examples of these fad diets are, Cabbage Soup Diet, The Lazy Zone Diet, South Beach Diet, Chocolate Diet, Atkins Diet, Scarsdale Diet Plan, Amputation Diet, The Three Day Diet, Seven Day All You Can Eat Diet, Lemonade Diet, Hollywood Diet, Weight Watchers Diet, One Good Meal Diet, Chicken Soup Diet, Liquid Diets, Diet Pills, Metabolism Diet, Grape Fruit Diet, Russian Air Force Diet, Mayo Clinic Diet, The Blood Type Diet, Cookie Diet, Sugar Busters, Protein Power, The Zone, The Pritikin Principle and many more. Though following a fad diet can help us lose weight fast, it has its own share of disadvantages too.
Fad diets are helpful to those people who want to lose weight in a short period of time. When a person strictly follows a fad diet, he or she can potentially lose those extra pounds during the first two weeks due to calorie restriction. As a result they can fit into their smaller size clothing and feel "hot" right in time for a party, event and even festivals. Sadly weight lost is not permanent when a person follows a fad diet meal plan. They tend to gain everything they lose and sometimes gain more within a few months when they return to their normal eating habits. Furthermore individuals who claim rapid weight lost have actually lost water and muscle rather than fat. Since muscle weight is lost, thus gaining pounds is most definite after quitting these fad diets because their metabolic rates have slow down.
Fad diets typically have healthy food combinations in each meal plan. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean meats are the main food types in fad diets. Processed carbohydrates, deep fried food, sugar loaded drinks and desserts can only be consumed sparingly. Therefore it is clear that fad diets encourage us to eat balanced meal for our well being. For example, Schwarzbein I & II, The Zone, South Beach, The Mediterranean, Metabolic Typing and Perricone are some of the diets that promote to eat healthy meals. Though these fad diets do offer plans of well balanced meal throughout the day, one must not forget that they are still very low in calorie. Individual who are following a fad diet usually consumes 1000 to 1800 calories per day. Calorie intake varies for each person according to their heights, weight and activity level. So, if a man or a woman starts on a fad diet, will definitely feel fatigue, dehydrated, constipation and very hungry by the end of the day. He or she will find it hard to strictly follow these fad diets and find themselves gaining all those weight they had lost. Possibility of binge eating can occur too. Furthermore, additional support such as vitamins and minerals should be included in their diets to avoid deficiencies.
Fat diets such as The Hollywood Cookie Diet and Chocolate Diet are popular diets for individuals with sweet tooth. Having delicious cookies and chocolate as meal replacement is definitely a dream come true for dieters who want to lose additional pounds and also enjoy sugary treats. In addition, these diet cookies come "in a variety of flavors such as chocolate chip, lemon and oatmeal raisin" (ifitandhealthy). By following these diets, dieters will not feel deprived of sinful treats everyday making them able to follow Hollywood cookie diet and Chocolate Diet without giving up half way. Besides that, these indulgences are enriched with healthy ingredients such as "vitamins, minerals and made with wheat, soy, milk, and eggs" (ifindhealthy). Though celebrities may claim that they have lost fifteen pounds in a month, substituting meals for cookies and chocolates is definitely damaging to our health in a long term. This is because; these diets are low in major nutrients which are important for our well being and can cause serious illnesses such as, retard in growth and depression. According to "Ronald Kleinman, M.D., chief of the Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Nutrition Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston" ( Dietriot), stringent diet that are low in nutrients and "may cause girls to stop menstruating, and will prevent boys from developing muscles, he says. If the diet doesn't provide enough calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D, bones may not lay down enough calcium to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life" ( Dietriot). The side effects of a high protein diet, like Atkins Diet on the other hand, are kidneys and heart problems too.
Next, few fad diets recommend dieters to eat certain food type or a particular food. In addition there are websites which suggest consumers where to get these proposed meal plans too. For instance low calorie drinks and food of the weight watchers diet and the Hollywood cookie diet can be purchased online without the hassle of going for shopping and saves time. Furthermore, these products are labeled with the names of these fad diets before they are delivered to malls making them easily found. Dieters will not have to waste time preparing low calorie meals but just order and are sent home for their own convenience. So, shedding pounds will not be a difficult task at all. Sadly, these buyable fad diet meal plans are simply too expensive and are not filling. These diets are definitely costly making them diets that are hard to follow for a long period of time. Besides that these fad diet meals are not available in malls all over the world to .So dieters who order them online have to pay for the delivery or shipping fee as well. Hence, it is evident that certain fad diets are way too expensive to be followed by everyone for an extended time.
In conclusion it is evident that following any type of fad diets has its own pros and cons. The answer to permanent weight loss will be consuming well balanced meals right on time and exercise regularly. For balanced eating to be successful for a long term, one must eat plenty of legumes, vegetables and fruits; wholegrain cereals, pastas, bread and noodles; include fish poultry lean meat, milk, yoghurt and cheeses; limit saturated fat and opt for low fat foods; choose food items low in salt, sugar and consume alcohol sparingly. One must eat slowly and enjoy food to avoid overeating. Most importantly never skip meals especially breakfast to feel energetic throughout the day. Finally, exercising for at least twenty minutes a day is the key to success to lose weight and keep our mind and body healthy.
