Fad Diets – A List:
Following is a list of some of the popular fad diets:
Cabbage Soup Diet Master Cleanse Grapefruit Diet (1) 3 Day Diet 5 Bite Diet 17 Day Diet Acai Berry Diet Air Diet Apple Cider Vinegar Diet Atkins Diet Baby Food Diet Beverly Hills Diet Blood Type Diet Cotton Ball Diet Detox Diet HCG Diet Hollywood Diet Liquid Diet Low-Carb Diet Low-Fat Diet Negative Calorie Diet Paleo Diet Sacred Heart Diet Sleeping Beauty Diet South Beach Diet Tapeworm Diet Zone Diet
Most of these diets help you shed pounds quickly. However, they may have adverse effects. They cannot be considered as long-term solutions for weight loss. They just provide quick-fix and temporary solutions, and the consequences can be unhealthy. Let’s look at three top fad diet plans in detail. All of them have disadvantages and advantages. They can help you lose weight, but they aren’t long term healthy solutions. The best way to keep fit is a balanced diet and exercise.
1. The Cabbage Soup Diet
Cabbage soup diets usually include eating nothing but cabbage soup through the week, in addition to fruits and other vegetables. On the first day, you may eat cabbage soup and a tomato; the next day, you’ll eat cabbage soup and a turnip; on the third day you’ll be eating cabbage soup, tomato and turnip and so on. Advantages
You can have unlimited amounts of cabbage soup and the specified foods (fruits and vegetables). The no-limits policy on cabbage soup ensures that you don’t feel too hungry and lose weight quickly. In some cases, the weight loss is quite immediate and people have shed as much as 5 kgs in a week. Its antioxidant properties help remove toxins from your body. It’s cheap to furnish and quite easy to prepare.
Disadvantages
The cabbage soup diet can leave you fatigued and make you feel weaker than usual. In most cases, the weight loss has been found to be temporary. Cabbage soup can cause stomach cramps. Cabbage soup isn’t quite palatable and it may begin to taste dull after a couple of days.
2. The Master Cleanse
Beyoncé Knowles made the master cleanse an instant hit. The diet regimen is aimed at ridding the body of excess fat and detoxifies it. The diet substitutes regular food with cayenne pepper, maple syrup and lemon-flavored water. It is an especially laborious task, and sometimes the cleanse may continue for 40 days. Advantages
It makes you feel better as you get rid of junk food, tobacco and alcohol from your diet. Its strong antioxidant properties help detoxify the body. The mix is quite palatable and economical to make. Although it can be incessantly long, The Master Cleanse is one of the shorter diets compared to other regimens with the average time being 10 days.
Disadvantages
It can be hard to follow, as no food is allowed. It needs physical and mental fortitude. It can induce rapid muscle mass depletion and reduce energy levels as well. Your body will take time to adjust to the normal food upon the completion of The Master Cleanse.
3. The Grapefruit Diet
Often hailed as the Hollywood Diet, the grapefruit diet can last up to 12-18 days on an average. Grapefruits are slated to contain a fat-burning enzyme. Usually, you will eat ½ a grapefruit; alternatively, you can drink around 250 ml of grapefruit juice, along with specific meals. Meals will usually feature up to 5-7 glasses of water and protein. Advantages
The grapefruit diet plan is quite easy to follow. It is a healthy food to consume, is low on calories, has close to zero fat and is crammed with Vitamin C. It helps lessen the risk of diabetes and hypertension.
Disadvantages
The calorie intake is reduced to 800. This limit is well below the daily nutrition needs and may cause fatigue. The rigid regime may cause stomach ache, dizziness or headaches due to food deficiency. The extra protein can lead to complications like Kidney stones (2).
Cautions
Following are some cautions you have to exercise while using fad diets. You should ignore any weight loss product or diet plan that:
Claims to help shed more than 2 pounds a week. Remember that weight loss and weight gain are gradual processes and gaining or losing 2 pounds in a week seems highly improbable. Makes unreal promises. You don’t have to remove fat and calories from your diet to lose weight. Healthier plans advise you to cut down on certain foodstuffs. Removing a nutrient from your diet can lead to other complications. Includes ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos. Stay away from tricksters who use this technique. These products usually pay people money to right rave reviews and use unheard names of nutrition experts. Restricts your diet to fruits and veggies and encourages you to refrain from a balanced diet.
[ Read: GM Diet Plan ]
Our Verdict
The cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet and The Master Cleanse help reduce weight. However, all of them only provide temporary results. To really get fit, you need to balance your eating, exercise, and pay close attention to what you put inside your mouth. Are all fad diets successful? Fad diets are mostly unsuccessful. Sure, you lose weight while sticking to the diet, but when you start eating regularly, you put that weight back on. And going on fad diets can impact your health negatively. You should look for healthier diet options instead. Talk to your nutritionist who will identify your body type and create a suitable and sustainable diet plan for you to help you lose weight. Is Keto a fad diet? Yes, the keto diet comes under the fad diet category because it promises quick weight loss. But, again, once you start eating regular food, you may notice an increase in your weight. Also, owing to its higher fat content, it is not recommended by cardiologists. Hence, check with your nutritionist before starting any diet. Are fad diets sustainable? No, fad diets are not sustainable. How do fad diets affect metabolism? Fad diets minimize what and how much you eat. They slow down your metabolism, which is why you gain more weight easily once you stop the diet. What is the difference between a healthy diet and a fad diet? A fad diet minimizes what and how much you eat so you can lose weight quickly. This means you eat very little food, not giving your body enough nutrition to function properly. A healthy diet contains balanced nourishment from fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, healthy fats, and carbs. They also cut out processed foods and trans fat. Follow a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly to help sustain your weight loss journey.
