Fad Diets

Yo-Yo Diets vs Complete Life Change
Any American with cable has seen an infomercial by some companies advertising the next “fool proof” diet scheme. These diet plans claim that customers will lose so many more pounds in weeks. Americans are obsessed with dieting, and today, a large part of the population is classified as being obese, or extremely over weight. Therefore, with the population looking for a quick and easy fix for their weight issues, many turn to the fad diets. However, most of these diets are not based upon solid nutritional information. Instead, people should be practicing good eating and diet habits. There are many negative side effects associated with the quick fix diets and long-term life changing diet work best.
Probably the most popular, of the fad diets is the low carbohydrate, or low carb diet. It is also referred to as a high protein diet. This diet has been made popular by the Atkins diet. There are an estimated seventeen million Americans counting carbs today. (Jegtvig) The thinking behind these diet regimens is that when a person eats sugars or carbohydrates, their body will produce more insulin. People practicing this diet are encouraged to eat foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol such as meat and eggs. They are told to avoid foods high in starches like bread, potatoes, cereals, and most fruits. People who follow this plan stand to lose weight at a very rapid rate. The diet actually makes the body go into starvation mode, where fat cells are broken down for energy. As a result the body will shed pounds of water in order to rid itself of the toxic breakdown products. (Scott) So it is not uncommon for someone to shed twenty, thirty or even fifty pounds in weeks.
While the people are happy to lose their unwanted weight, the companies promoting this diet fail to divulge some of the side effects. Eating foods high in fat and protein, while avoiding foods like fruit can be harmful to someone’s health. The diet companies want the consumer to think that carbohydrates are bad and promote weight gain. Also foods high in protein are usually high in saturated fat, which can lead to a rise in cholesterol levels. According to the American Heart association, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even some forms of cancer are all possible negative side effects of the high protein diet. The low carb, high protein diet has been known to cause dehydration, headaches, bad breath, nausea, and weakness. (American Heart Association)
People need to make a commitment to lose weight, get their priorities straight, set realistic goals, eat healthy, become physically active and change their lifestyle, if they plan to achieve any weight loss. The first step to improving chances of losing weight safely and keeping it off permanently is to make a commitment. Lose weight because you want to. (American Heart Association) Find a routine that fits your lifestyle and stick to it. That is a major problem for some people because they are constantly worried about what others think about them. The second step is to get your priorities straight. Do not set yourself up for failure by trying to improve your lifestyle if you are distracted by other major problems within your life. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change habits. If you are having marital or financial problems or if you are unhappy with the major aspects of your life, then you may be less likely to follow through on your good intentions. The third step is to set a realistic goal. Try to achieve a comfortable weight you maintained easily as a young adult. If you have always been overweight, try to reach a weight that will keep your blood pressure down and improve your energy. Accept that weight loss is slow and steady.
Ultimately the United States is a fat nation. A vast population of overweight people wanting to change their lives, but don’t want to do the hard work necessary to diet properly. A person’s weight is a simple math problem. In order to lose weight that same person must exceed their caloric intake by exercise. Most people do not want to exercise for a half hour three times a week in order to lose weight. They would rather focus on commercials on television with a promise of astronomical weight loss in a diminutive amount of time. Many will gain the weight back and sometimes even more once they stop the diet. It is a vicious cycle that fad dieters fall into, trying diet after diet seeing which one will work next and keep the weight off. When all along all they have to do is watch what they eat and exercise a little.