I.....HATE.....FAD....DIETS and I would think we all are aware that they are called FAD (Fake And Dangerous) for a reason. But yet, day after day I continue to see these fad-diet posts littering my Facebook and Twitter pages and it makes my blood boil for a number of reasons.
Therefore I felt compelled to make a super small list of my top 3 reasons explaining why fad diets simply suck!
1.) The fake problem - Most of the people pushing fad diet products are usually apart of some sort of network marketing scheme to get you to buy into a product even if it is completely bogus. This one I find most insulting and absolutely ridiculous that people try to purposely sabotage the well-being of their own family members and friends for profit. No different than those big pharma companies I see the same people bitching about on a daily basis...how ironic!
2.) The financial problem - Spending $100, $200 sometimes even more a month on fancy vegan shakes and diet-focused food products is a big problem to me. Why? because what happens if you were to lose your source of income and could no longer financially support the premium cost attached to your diet...then what? Easy! Your diets fails and your body pays the ultimate price by usually gaining back all of the weight you lost....and then some. Lose/Lose!
3.) The science problem - Fad diets are scientifically proven NOT to work long term, not to mention could cause a lot of adverse health effects. They may work at first but then your body eventually becomes unresponsive so you have to restrict more and more just to get any results which ultimately pushes your body into a "survival mode" because now you are literally starving it to be thin. Which means your body will hold onto ever single calorie you eat.
Best practice?
Balanced, not dangerously restricted is the way to go for long term sustainability without shocking the f*ck out of your systems and sanity. There are no quick fixes in life and weight loss is no exception.
You must be in it for the long run and have a healthy perspective/mentality about it if you want optimized physical and mental health year after year. Bad diets have been linked to craziness like memory loss and decreased cognitive abilities, mood dysregulation (hangry), dizziness, insomnia, trouble focusing, low sex drive, and much more!
Honestly....I could probably go on, but I feel these are my biggest pet peeves when it comes to reading/hearing about fad diets and products, but if we all know they suck, then why do they keep coming up with new fad diets?
Why do people keep falling victim to the marketing and hype knowing good and well they suck, unsustainable, and sometimes, even dangerous to do?
So my only food-related advice is to use basic common sense. An apple is better than a donut. Spinach is better than potato chips, and water is better than soda.
But most of all, take your time, listen to your body, and keep yourself healthy-active because no one should ever be dying just to be thin.
You are worth more than your weight!