The Truth About Fad Diets

These days, it seems like most people have either tried to lose weight by fad diets or are currently on a restrictive meal plan to look better or feel better. From the South Beach diet to the Atkins diet, from Keto to liquid cleanses, from Thrive to It Works, the list is endless and quite exhausting. Unfortunately, these eating plans are not only unsustainable, but they are damaging to your body.

You may know someone who achieved huge weight loss success while on a diet. The thing is, the weight loss is typically temporary, with the majority of people actually gaining the weight back after a few months of completing a diet. In fact, people who diet usually gain back all of the weight they lost on the diet and then some! This happens because most diets are so limiting it is not only hard to stick with, but does not embrace balance which is essential for long term weight loss. Along with the weight gain usually follows cyclic patterns around negative relationship with food and the negative behavior of less healthy eating that started the desire to begin a diet in the first place.
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So, why does this happen? You might be thinking, if weight loss is possible, how come people end up gaining more weight after trying fad diets?
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Well, fad diets are neither satisfying nor sustainable. Most fad diets include extreme calorie restriction and can sometimes restrict specific food groups. These two factors result in depriving your body from the nourishment it needs. There is a minimum amount of calories your body needs to keep you alive. This number is referred to your Resting Metabolic Rate, or RMR. Eating less than your RMR may cause weight loss at first, but if your body is not getting the calories and nutrients it needs it can and will go into a fight or flight response and store fat in attempts to conserve the body’s energy reserves! This makes it very difficult to lose weight. By putting yourself on a restricting eating plan you are more likely to end up craving and giving into calorie dense foods because the body has been without adequate calories for so long..

Fad dieting is not beneficial for our bodies or our minds. It creates unhealthy relationships with food and can cause lasting damage to your hormone system.

Bottom line, it all comes down to creating balance in your diet and saying goodbye to ridiculous food restrictions. What is going to be the best for our bodies is as easy as finding balance with all food groups and only enjoying the ‘not as healthy’ foods in moderation. I like to think of it as an 80-20 rule. 80% of the foods we eat should be from whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, and the other 20% of our diets is for the times of indulgence. What fad diets most of the time do NOT allow for is indulgence but this is a part of normal eating. When we are able to fuel our bodies with adequate nutrition, stick to a balanced plan and allow the occasional indulgence, the result is less overall cravings, less yo-yoing of weight , diminished stress around eating, and creates a healthier relationship with food!