Four Popular Diets that Will Not Help You Lose Weight


On a daily basis, we are bombarded by numerous ads that promise quick weight-loss results without changing eating habits or increasing the activity level. Many overweight people fall victims of such dieting fads. They order expensive supplements, pop down questionable pills, and eagerly expect their pounds to start disappearing – often in vain. In fact, it is impossible to lose weight and sustain a slim, healthy body by simply taking supplements or following a “cabbage soup” diet for some time – a common result of such “dieting” is nutrient deficiencies, damaged heath, and even more extra-pounds due to the well-documented “yo-yo effect”. There are dozens of “quick-fix” dietary approaches on the market, but the sad truth is that they simply do not work.


According to nutritional expert Dawn Jackson-Blatner, who represents the American Dietary Association, successful dieting is not about taking “magic pills” or adding “super-slimming” foods to your diet; but it is about exercising and consuming fewer calories than your body needs to sustain its present weight – as simple as this! Any diet that allows you to eat as much as you want is a fad diet, says the expert.

The following is a list of four popular dietary approaches that will NOT help you lose weight on a long run:

1.    Mono-diets that advise that you should eat a strictly limited selection of foods, such as the grapefruit or cabbage soup diets.

Although such diets are hard to follow, they do lead to initial weight loss. However, after some time dieters start suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies and their bodies enter the “starvation mode” that prevents them from reaching their weight goals. The dieters feel fatigued, hungry all the time, and often depressed; they can also develop acne, hair loss, and persistent headaches. When the “miracle diet” is over, the lost pounds quickly return together with more extra-weight.

Remember that healthy dieting is all about moderation – you still can and should eat your favourite foods, but only in small amounts. If you force yourself into eating products of only several food groups, you will set the stage for eventual binging on forbidden treats resulting in subsequent weight re-gain.

2.    Extreme “detox diets” that incorporate harsh procedures like colonics, coffee enemas, or liver flushes, including the fruitarian diet and Master Cleanse.

Experts warn that most “detox diets” are dangerous for heath, not supported by scientific research, and should be avoided. In the opinion of Dr. Pamela Peeke, who works for the Discovery Health, our bodies are well-equipped with effective mechanisms of detoxifications to wash out toxins, waste matter, and by-products of metabolism. There is no need in additional “detoxification” by means of herbal therapy, liver flushes, or colonics, says the doctor.

3.    Diets that rely on “miracle” supplements or “super-foods”, including fibre products, digestive enzymes, “metabolism enhancers”, coconut oil, green tea, pineapples, or wheat bran.

In fact, to successfully lose unwanted pounds, you do not need to take expensive supplements or gag down “bird’s nests” or other “miraculous superfoods”.  All you need is a reduced-calorie diet of whole foods and a daily multivitamin / multimineral pill to ensure that you are getting enough vital nutrients.

4.    Starvation diets, including water fasting, juice fasting, extreme vegan diets, or the Hollywood Diet.

According to dietary experts, fasting is a dangerous procedure that is unacceptable for diabetic patients, pregnant and nursing women, and people leading an active lifestyle. Fasting for prolonged periods of time is especially dangerous and can lead to severe health consequences. In addition, people on starvation diets lose lean body mass; fasting also forces the body to drastically slow down the metabolism leading to a subsequent gain of even more weight (the yo-yo syndrome).

Gene Savarin

Cheap Herbal Phentermine

Posted on August 21, 2008 
Filed Under Diet Reviews, Nutrition and Weight Reduction, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tricks


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