Tuesday, April 19, 2011

4 Fad Diets To Avoid

By Ada Denis

The insanity regarding weight loss has affected every obese
person out there. And why not? A decision to lose weight is a
good one, but you need to do it healthily. Unfortunately,
most people take to the unhealthy weight loss method called
'fad dieting' and end up losing muscles rather than fat.

Keep in mind that a fad diet cannot offer you a permanent
weight loss solution; only a healthy food plan can. So don't
focus on how to lose weight fast; rather, focus on how to
become healthy through weight loss. In this article I will
tell you about top four fad diets you mustn't follow.

1. Liquid Diet

Under this diet plan, you are required to eat only liquids
and avoid all solid foods. Liquids such as milk, protein
shakes, and fruit juices are recommended. If you follow this
diet only for a few days, you will become weak and limp.
This is definitely not a practical diet to go with since you
won't be able to follow it for the rest of your life.

2. Grapefruit Diet

Have you ever heard of or followed this diet? If you have,
you will know that this diet plan restricts your food intake
to a ridiculously low level, probably to that of a baby.
Under this diet plan, you need to eat only grapefruit and
protein-rich foods at every single meal of the day. This
diet is based on the belief that when protein is combined
with grapefruit, it accelerates a person's fat burning
process by enhancing his metabolism, thereby helping him
lose weight.

Now this might be true, but ask yourself - could you eat
grapefruits all your life? I would surely get bored. Plus
the weight loss you achieve through this diet would be just
temporary. Obviously, this is not a diet plan for you.

3. Egg Diet

This is basically a stem of the Atkins diet. This diet is
based on the concept that if you eat a protein-rich diet and
avoid all carbs, your body would be forced to burn fat to
produce energy since it won't find any carbohydrates. For
this reason you are suggested to eat as many eggs as you
can, along with cheese and meat.

In reality though, the concept doesn't work. When your body
doesn't get an adequate supply of carbohydrates, it won't
burn your fat deposits; instead, it would start burning your
lean muscles. Gradually, you will turn into a smaller
version of your former self, albeit with the same huge
potbelly you had. But far from that, your metabolic rate
would be reduced to a very low level as well. Do you still
think it is a good idea to go with this diet?

4. Banana Diet

Yet another crazy diet, which asks you to eat only bananas
for your breakfast. Of course, you could eat anything for
the rest of the day. The rationale behind this is that
bananas help in quicker digestion, thereby preventing the
body from absorbing all calories and turning them into fat
deposits. There is no scientific study or proof to backup
this claim, so I am not sure if this diet works at all.

When choosing a diet plan, you need to choose one which is
not only healthy but also viable; plus it should help you
achieve permanent weight loss. None of the above fad diets
fit this criteria, so they are definitely not for you. If
you are just looking forward to losing a few pounds, then
definitely go with any of the diets above, but don't be
surprised if those pounds come back as soon as you quit
dieting.

Any other fad diet you know of that works or not? Leave
a comment and let us know.
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