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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

Nikki Kiehl
September 6th, 2018
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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

Abstract
Have you ever had an issue with your weight or tried to maintain a healthy weight? Well,

many people all around the world have had problems with losing weight or maintaining a healthy

weight at some point in their lives. The process of continuously trying to lose weight can become

overwhelming and very stressful. When weight loss frustration starts, individuals will become

more vulnerable by believing weight loss advertisements. Weight loss advertisements will

promise that individuals will lose weight with just a few easy steps. These fad diets promise

results but fail to help individuals maintain a healthy diet over the course of their life. Dieting is

considered temporary, so it is best to change your eating habits overall (Healthwise Staff, 2018).

Understanding how fad diets work and why they don’t help promote long term healthy lifestyles,

I will review what fad diets are, why all nutrients are needed, and what direction you should take

to maintain long term weight loss.

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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

What is a fad diet?

Think back to when losing weight was becoming a necessity in your life due to potential

increased health risk. When your doctor discussed the health risk concerns, it was time to make a

change in your diet. After years and years of living the same lifestyle with the same poor eating

habits, it will be difficult to lose the recommended amount of weight. There are so many

different directions that one could take to lose the weight along with maintaining a healthy diet.

Different diets have been tried out, but nothing is working. At this point, becoming overwhelmed

and frustrated leads to becoming vulnerable to fad diets.

Fad diets have been around for many years and they continue to show up in our everyday

lives. To name a few fad diets, you may think of the Gluten-free diet, Atkins diet, Paleo diet,

Ketogenic diet, and many more. These diets consist of you either eliminating certain types of

foods from your diet or eliminating certain food groups all together. For instance, these types of

diets may be fat-free, low carbohydrates, or high protein, whereas some of the diets focus on

eliminating main food groups to eat (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2018).

The gluten-free diet is one of the more popular failed diets for individuals who do not

have celiac disease. The diet is used mostly by celiac patients due to the issues with digesting

gluten, but that doesn’t mean it is meant for everyone. This diet limits celiac patients from their

daily nutrient intake, so they must find other ways to consume those missing nutrients, such as

fiber, iron, and calcium (Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health, 2018). Minimal amounts

of research has shown that people with celiac disease tend to gain weight due to high amounts of

processed gluten-free products (Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health, 2018). There is no

evidence that the gluten-free diet is beneficial to one’s health and or helps an individual lose

weight (Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health, 2018). This diet should only be consumed
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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

by celiac patients and or individuals who have gluten intolerance. As individuals continue to

follow fad diets like this, they will not maintain the recommended amount of nutrients

(Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2018). Consuming too much or too little amounts of your

recommended daily nutrients can lead to deficiencies that will result in other health problems

(Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 2018).

Needed Nutrients and Their Benefits

When discussing the types of fad diets that one might follow, enough amounts of

nutrients are needed to maintain low health risks. The body needs energy to continue functioning

properly and without nutrients to fuel the body, one will suffer from deficiencies. Although

Helpguide Team Members recommend a balanced diet of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber,

vitamins and minerals, there are ways to consume them without going overboard (n.d). These

nutrients are found in healthy whole foods and you can consume them by making sure you chose

the healthiest options of foods in these categories (Helpguide Team Members, n.d.). Successful

dieting with recommended amounts of nutrients will result in helping an individual maintaining

long term weight loss.

Maintaining Long Term Weight Loss

It is very beneficial when researching diets to make sure they are promoting long term

health and not just a quick fix. The quick fix method defeats the whole purpose of losing weight,

readjusting eating habits, and then maintaining a healthy weight in the end. Fad diets will not

advertise how you will maintain healthy eating habits and weight because they target individuals

who are interested in losing the weight now.

When researching healthy diet tips, it is important to keep in mind the long-term effects

of weight loss. Eating a healthy diet by consuming the recommended amounts of foods from
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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

each food group will help with maintaining a healthy diet (Healthwise Staff, 2018). Along with

the recommended amounts of food intake, it is still necessary to eat those foods in moderation.

Individuals do not need to completely stop eating everything that they once loved, but

acknowledging which foods are healthier will be beneficial. This will consist of eliminating

unhealthy foods such as processed foods or foods that contain high calories. Training yourself to

eat a healthy balanced diet in moderation is key to healthy weight loss. A few recommendations

that Helpguide Team Members use are, preparing more of your own foods, make the right

changes, read labels on packaging, focus on how you feel after eating, and drink plenty of water

(n.d). In addition, Boyle (2017) recommends following the ABC’s for eating healthy because this

will result in focusing on adequacy, balance, calorie control, nutrient density, moderation, and

variety (pg. 30). Along with following the guidelines and recommendations, physical activity is a

necessity as well.
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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

Conclusion

As you continue to research how to lose weight in a healthy manner, keep in mind that

fad diets do not promote long term weight loss. To maintain a healthy weight and stick to your

health goals, you will need to continue eating well balanced meals throughout the day along with

physical activity. Helpguide Team Members suggests for moderation that you don’t need to

make “off-limit” foods, think smaller portions, take your time eating, eat with others whenever

possible, limit snack foods at home, and try to control emotional eating. It is not recommended to

eliminate healthy foods nor one of the food groups just to maintain long term weight loss. Fad

diets are not recommended because they promote the elimination of those said healthy foods and

possibly one of the food groups. Without consuming all the food groups, you will lack in

nutrients which will lead to health risks later in life.

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Fad Diets Do Not Promote Long Term Weight Loss

References

Boyle, M. A. (2017). Personal Nutrition. (10th ed.). Boston, MA

Cleveland Clinic Foundation. (2018). Cleveland Clinic. Diets: Fad Diets. Retrieved from
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9476-diets-fad-diets

Harvard T.H. Chan, School of Public Health. (2018). The nutrition source: Diet review, gluten-
free for weight loss. Retrieved from
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/gluten-free-
diet-weight-loss/

Healthwise Staff. (2018). UPMC Life Changing Medicine. Healthy eating. Retrieved from
https://www.upmc.com/health-library/article?hwid=nutri&locale=en-us

Helpguide Team Members. (n.d.). Healthy eating: Simple ways to plan, enjoy, and stick to a
healthy diet. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-
eating.htm