If you think about it, there’s a reason some diets start trending. It’s because they promise to help you lose a tremendous amount of weight in a short duration. But what people often fail to realize is that fad diets are bad for them. They are not suitable for the long run. In fact, most of these trending diets gain the title of ‘fad diet’. It is because they promise quick fixes but fail to stand the test of time. In fact, most of the fad diets are so unsustainable in the long run that dieters inevitably tend to go back to their previous food habits. And gain a ton of weight while doing that.
Fad diets tend to gain a lot of popularity as they propagate a shortcut to a healthier life. Reality could not be farther than that. A healthy body and a sustainable lifestyle are a product of years upon years of making healthy choices. Fad diets equalize weight loss to good health. They make dieters prioritize starving the body and losing weight over nourishing the body and building strength.
Imagine this: You just follow the rules of a fad diet. You don’t exercise, you don’t sweat it out. And all the extra flab on your body falls right off. Literally within a few days. Isn’t it too good to be true? Who wouldn’t fall for these diets when they promise such staggering results?
You know a diet is a fad diet when you can spot the following from a mile away:
- Claims to be ‘magical’ and ‘foolproof’ in your quest to lose weight quickly.
- Asks you to eliminate certain food groups completely, labeling them ‘bad’ for you.
- Recommends the consumption of a ‘superfood’ which will solve all your weighty woes.
- Undermines the importance of exercise.
As a rule of thumb, remember – when it comes to weight loss if it is too quick and easy it will be more harmful than good. If you look closely, all these water fasts and cleanses have rather dangerous side effects.
Here’s why fad diets are bad and why you should avoid them:
Fad diets conveniently ignore the root cause of the problem
They directly try to address the weight gain without understanding the reason behind the weight gain. More often than not, they dictate the elimination of foods that are generally not bad for you in the first place. This tends to create acute deficiencies in your body. When you are through with your 15-day juice cleanse and go back to your old eating habits, you put on all the weight you lost. You then try the juice cleanse again and fall victim to this vicious cycle.
Fad diets disrupt your health
They make you deprive your body of important nutrients. As a result, you may develop serious health problems such as low blood pressure, anemia and your muscles can lose strength. Due to a reduced intake of good fats, your joints may lose lubrication. Eating a nutrient deficit diet also has a deeply negative impact on your immunity. You can become susceptible to infections and other illnesses.
Fad diets make you think short term
Your life isn’t going to continue only until that vacation, or that event, or even your wedding day. Life goes on. But, fad diets don’t. When you follow a fad diet, you only believe in short term benefits. And, more often than not, your long term plans suffer because of this. Fad diets are bad because they’d rather have you starving for two weeks than making healthy changes for the long run. Let me elaborate with a very simple analogy.
We all know fizzy soda drinks are bad for our health. They contain high levels of refined sugar that leads to weight gain and several health issues. We know we need to cut them out permanently. But quitting soda in favor of some fad diet feels doable because we know we don’t have to do it permanently. As soon as the diet is over, we go back to gulping down glasses of soda with our burger meals. This completely renders the purpose of the diet moot.
Fad diets affect your mental health
They sell the idea that a healthy lifestyle is not necessary if you want to lose weight or become fit. They put all your focus on limiting food intake and losing weight to fit the desired body shape. When you follow a fad diet, you obsess over every kilo lost and every inch reduced. Your primary goal becomes a losing weight, and you are willing to do it at any cost. They also make you believe that you can get the “perfect” body with a few quick fixes.
Yo-Yo Diets
Nutritionists across the world often refer to fad diets as ‘yo-yo diets’. The reason for this name is simple. When you follow a fad diet for say a few weeks, you lose weight rapidly. You then go back to eating normally again and you end up gaining the lost weight back, faster this time. So, you look for another quick fix and this back and forth continues. Like a yo-yo. It can put your heart under a lot of pressure and become the root cause of many health-related complications later in life.
So, remember – fad diets are bad for the long run.
Nutritionists have time and again warned people and elaborated on why fad diets are bad. It is important that we realize the importance of the gift of a healthy life. We need to nurture our bodies, make healthy lifestyle changes, and eat balanced meals. This is a commitment we need to make every single day. We must remember – long term results are far more important than quick fixes.
