Good Points and Bad Points of Fad Diets
Fad diets appear and vanish over the years, and you may have been tempted to follow one in the past (or even now). Before you do anything, you might want to first think about the pros and cons of fad diets so you can make a sensible decision.
Pros and Cons:
Pro – They are typically pretty simple and don’t need plenty of planning or preparation. You may have to eat only 1 food, or 1 or 2 fast and simple foods instead of preparing big meals. That may be really attractive if your life is busy.
Con – They are often unenjoyable; having you drink or eat revolting things (or at the very least things that do not taste that great). If you do not like bland or foreign flavours, most fad diets will probably be a turn off to you.
Pro - Fad diets often work very quickly for weight loss; it isn’t rare to drop 5-10 pounds speedily. Much of that will be water weight, but it is definitely possible to burn away some fat too.
Con – The weight loss is rarely permanent; you’ll gain the weight back fast. You might even gain back more weight than you lost because your metabolism (basal metabolic rate) will have slowed down a little bit if you were cutting your calories down too low.
Pro – Fad diets can appear fun and exciting because they are unlike any other diet you’ve tried before. This effect can be intensified if you are following the diet together with some friends, family members or work-mates. Group challenges always incentivize you more than working on your own.
Con – Fad diets can become boring and uninspiring pretty fast simply because they’re so limiting. This is true even if you are dieting together with friends.
Pro – Fad diets can also give you a sense of success and achievement because they create results so speedily. Sensible eating plans frequently take a little bit longer to yield noticable results, so fad diets are captivating solely for the fast losses.
Con – But weight may not be the only thing you lose on a fad diet; they could cause serious health complications and leave you wishing you never attempted the diet in any way. It’s not uncommon for people to be afflicted by heart or kidney problems when making extreme changes to their diet.
Obviously, fad diets have lots of pros and cons, appraise carefully before deciding. It is usually best to do a check with your health care professional before starting a diet, particularly if that diet is very strict and your nutrition may suffer.
HealthStatus.com has more than 30 free tools you can use to evaluate your health including a body fat calculator and an ideal weight calculator.
December 30 2011 08:45 pm | Fad Diets & Weight Loss Myths