The Pep Talk: Fad Diets

 The question that follows, “So what did you do in your Bachelors?” Me, “Food, Nutrition and Dietetics”. “Oh Wow! Please please please give some tips to lose weight”.  And I go like… Okay, I’m done here!

The question is asked by every second individual who wants to lose weight instantly. And they think that we dieticians have some magic pills. No No No! I’m hoarse of shouting out to people. But who is going to hear when every time you Google ‘weight loss’, the internet is filled with solutions for fast weight loss. That, my dear friend, is called a FAD DIET. 

Why is the internet filled with these junk diets? Everyone these days is influenced by the glamour world. Everyone wants to see some fast dramatic changes in their figure without putting any actual effort or developing good food habits. Companies promoting these Fad diets take advantage of these facts and offer your easy simple solutions. For example a fad diet that says that you could lose “X” kg in “Y” days, in this process something is taken away from you. Different type of diets have different methods like completely eliminating Fats or restricting the carbohydrates, the soup only diet or the juice only diet  are many such examples. A commercial diet that guarantees you weight loss or get your money back offer may sound really enticing. The truth is that you will lose weight only for a short period of time. In the long run you may gain more weight than you lost.

Most of these diets consist of eating a handful of this, a cupful of that, half a banana or rusty old toast. It simply makes you famished and stressed that you would after those certain amount of days overindulge in eating and just like your weight had plummeted down; it will gain more and much more at a faster rate.

The list of Fad diets is a long one. Few of them could be considered, few of them are stupid, few of them insanely dangerous and few of them are just hilarious. Allow me to give example of each:

Mediterranean Diet: It doesn’t even come under a list of Fad diet. It’s in fact a way of living for many people.

Atkins Diet: Although many may swear by it, Atkins diet has been labeled the fad diet of the 21^st century. This diet invented by cardiologist Robert C. Atkins totally restricts carbohydrates and emphasizes on proteins and fats. Pssst. Dr. Atkins apparently died of heart attack.

The Three hour diet plan, the three day diet plan or the grapefruit diet. Let’s not even discuss these.

The tapeworm Diet plan: Insanely dangerous. You swallow a tapeworm.  Yes. Orally. And then share your breakfast, lunch and dinner with the tapeworm in your stomach.  Oh the tapeworm can change paths and go into your bloodstream or into your brain. Yah right.

And the hilarious one, The Amputation diet: http://faddiet.com/amputationdiet.html just check this one out.   

Post by Zohra Sada