Don’t fall into the fad diet trap.
Eleanore Gould, Community Dietician
Crash diets may promise fast weight-loss but do they really work?
Too good to be true!
Barely a week goes by without a new diet hitting the headlines. Many promise fast
weight-loss but as Guernsey’s Community Dieticians, Eleanore Gould explains, faddy
eating plans are not the answer for long-term weight management: “If the diet seems
too good to be true, it probably is. The body can only process a certain amount of fat at a time
and dramatic diets can put your bones and muscle structure in danger.” Extreme dieting will
cause your metabolism to slow down which will actually hinder your weight-loss; plus
faddy eating plans are likely to leave you with no energy to get on with your day-to-day
life. “Don’t be fooled by celebrities claiming to lose weight and feel great on weird eating
plans. They’ll have personal trainers, time to work out and aren’t rushing to work or running
around after the kids!” states Eleanore.
Five ways to spot a fad diet
1.Faddy diets often cut out whole food groups like carbohydrates or fat, or focus
on a single food like grapefruit, cabbage or a ‘superfood’.
2.If the diet promises you’ll lose more than one to two pounds a week it’s probably
too calorie restrictive and won’t be sustainable. Faddy diets focus on calories and
don’t mention good nutrition or a balanced approach to eating.
3. C
rash diets often don’t have a properly qualified nutritionist or dietician behind them.
4.Beware of celebrity endorsement or too much exposure in newspapers and
magazines. Headline making diets often make unrealistic promises.
5.Faddy diets often don’t mention exercise or help you develop good habits
for a long-term lifestyle change.
The right way to lose weight
“Look for a diet that advocates slow and steady weight-loss. The right eating plans will
encourage good nutrition and will also encourage you to get active and exercise more,”
explains Eleanore. A good diet plan will teach you about nutrition, eating more fibre and
getting your five-a-day. “Losing weight is hard, keeping if off is harder. Good diet plans help
you make the right food choices for a long-term improvement in your health.”
Don’t be swayed by the headlines, when it comes to successful and sustainable weightloss, forget the fads and choose a more common sense approach.
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