Why Fad Diets Make You Fat

I feel sorry for people who are trying to lose weight for the first time. They probably head to Google, type in “weight loss diet” and are bombarded with a ridiculous amount of information that constantly varies from one source to another. The truth is that there is more than one way to lose weight. No diet fits the bill for every individual.

As a “want-it-now” culture it’s no surprise that some of the most popular diets publicized are those that are meant to eliminate an insane amount of weight in a short period of time. I’ve seen channels such as VH1 and E! broadcast stories of how celebrities lose weight by liquid only diets, lemon and cayenne pepper diets (yuck!), or diets that consist of soups with nonexistent caloric value. After seeing how gorgeous those stars are it’s no surprise that we fatties at home find their techniques appealing.

If it works for them then why won’t it work for me?

It’s true that celebrities lose weight quickly with their extreme diets. What the media fails to highlight is how quickly they gain it back. When movie stars need to lose weight for a role, they often put their bodies in starvation mode through a significantly calorie deficient diet. As soon as filming is complete they’ll return to their previous diets and regain their weight just as quickly (plus a little extra for many). The reason this happens is because your body is an efficient survival machine. When you don’t consume enough food it eats through your muscle and then your fat. As soon as you chow down it beings a desperate storing process, transforming what you consume into fat because it believes you’ll die without it.

So what does this mean to you?

It means don’t follow the diet of the day/week/month. Programs such as the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet will allow you to lose weight initially, but soon afterward stall (like in almost any diet). You then reintroduce your carbohydrates and balloon up again. Instead, pick a healthier route and stick to it. You won’t just lose weight but completely transform your lifestyle.