FAD DIETS

Get The Facts Before You Spend Your Money...

There is a growing number of people wanting to lose weight and it seems to be increasing year after year. Usually, by the time that we decide enough is enough and start looking to make changes, it is often because we are unhappy with our health and/or appearance. Because of this, there will always be people offering a quick solution in exchange for your money. Why wait months when you can pay to get it done in weeks or as I'm seeing more and more - in days?

Common sense tells us that this can't be for real but when you measure it up against how long you have until your holiday, the summer, or just the few months it will take to do it right - it seems worth the chance. Personally, I feel more should be done to regulate the claims that are made and the methods that are promoted. It's a sad fact that a fad diet seems irresistible when you want to lose weight fast and let's face it, who doesn't?

Fad diets are appearing everywhere, only today I've seen 4 adverts on social media selling diet plans and supplements that no respectable doctor or nutritionist would ever advise.

To get results you need to be clear on what your aim is. Anyone can lose weight - have a limb amputated - you've lost weight, right?

So, what we mean by the words "lose weight" is to lose body fat. Fad diets are not the answer. If any of them ever were there would only be one and everyone would use it. Instead, a new one pops up almost weekly and once they have made their money they will make up another one. The cycle continues, please don't get on the ride!

WHAT IS A FAD DIET?

According to the BDA ( British Dietetic Association), a fad diet is -

"A kind of plan where you eat a very restrictive diet with few foods or an unusual combination of foods for a short period of time and often lose weight very quickly. However, most people then get fed up, start over-eating and choose less healthy foods and pile the pounds back on."

FAD DIETS!

HOW TO SPOT BAD DIETARY ADVICE

Promise amazing results without having to change your lifestyle in any way Promise rapid weight loss of more than 2lbs or 1kg a week Promote the avoidance or strict limitation of a whole food group (and suggest substituting them with expensive supplements)
Promote eating only one type of food (e.g. cabbage soup, eggs, or avoiding all cooked foods (the raw food diet)
Suggest being overweight is related to a food allergy or a yeast infection Recommend "detoxing" or avoiding foods in certain combinations.
Offer no supporting evidence apart from a celebrity with a personal success story
Sell you products and supplements
Same advice given to everyone without accounting for specific needs
Based on a "secret" that is not yet common knowledge to doctors

Fad diets are not only a waste of time and money they are also harmful to health and offer no long-term solution. They are not based on anything other than starving your body of vital nutrients to lose weight. This weight loss is from our bodies breaking down healthy muscle tissue for energy and storing body fat for future survival. The energy stored in our muscles (glycogen) gets used up when we don't fuel our bodies sufficiently. Water is stored with glycogen which is why if we don't replace it, we initially lose weight. So, the weight loss you're getting is not from body fat like you have been led to believe.

Not only are you losing lean muscle tissue (which is your best fat-burning tool), but you are also slowing down your metabolism ensuring that when the "diet" ends you will gain and store more body fat too! This is one of the reasons that I don't like using the term "weight loss" with my clients. It is not a good description of what my clients want. Losing body fat is more often than not the goal of my clients who consider themselves overweight. To lower body fat percentage we need a balanced diet and structured exercise plan that is put together for the individual, not a generic one size fits all workout!

I will make sure that you get all the facts and support that you need to succeed in reducing your body fat to a safe and healthy level so that you look and feel great!