A few nights ago, I was struggling with writers block, and I asked my husband for a topic suggestion. He said I should write about all of those crazy fad diets. There are so many! Some examples are the grapefruit diet, the cookie diet and the cabbage soup diet. There are numerous diets promoting low carb intake, like the Zone, Atkins and South Beach diets. There are also a number of diets that promote healthy eating with certain restrictions, like the raw food diet and paleo diet. If you walk into a bookstore, there will be a whole section promising weight loss if you just follow the book.
People often ask me what I think about these diets. I have numerous thoughts based on my own experiences, as well as what I have learned through my health coach program.
Do these diets work? Sure. Some of them are really effective for weight loss. For instance, if you do the master cleanse (a.k.a. the lemonade diet), you will certainly lose weight. This diet consists of only drinking a specific concoction for a period of at least 10 days. The drink is water mixed with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. If you really stick to Atkins or the Zone and reduce/eliminate carbs, you will definitely lose weight. There is no question about these diets working.
The problem with diets is this: they are diets, not lifestyle changes. Very few of these fad diets are sustainable for a long period of time. So, if you use one of these diets to lose weight, but don’t want to stick with this way of eating forever, the weight will eventually come back.
So, my suggestion when people ask about fad diets is to ignore the promises made on book covers and websites, and instead to find a way of eating that is sustainable for YOU and your lifestyle, and that includes the nutrients required for good health. If you are a person who loves pasta, the low carb diets will never work. We are all different, with different bodies and different cravings. Fad diets recommend one way of eating to everyone. This is ineffective and often these ways of eating lack balance. We need carbohydrates, protein, AND fat. Often, these fad diets don’t allow participants to eat all of the nutrients required for our bodies to run effectively.
Personally, I like a diet called the 90/10 diet. The diet is this: 90% of the time, you eat wholesome, healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and high quality protein. Perhaps some high quality dairy as well. I would also suggest including lots of water, limited alcohol, and little to no processed food and sugar. As for the other 10% of time, it covers things like meals out, holidays, cake on your birthday etc. I have found this to be a balanced, sustainable way of eating.
The bottom line with fad diets in my opinion is this: yes, they work. There is no question about that. The real issue is whether the diet presents a sustainable way of eating for you and your lifestyle. If the diet seems reasonable to you, then perhaps it will be great and you should give it a try. If the answer is no, then it’s not the right diet for you. I mean, really, who wants to eat cabbage soup everyday for the rest of their lives?
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