Need To Lose Weight? Avoid Fad Diets

When you need to lose weight it is easy to get attracted to diets that promise a quick fix and magic formulas. These fad diets often boast about rapid weight loss success by way of extreme eating plans or very low caloric intake. Unfortunately, these diets do not provide long-term benefits. If anything, they can cause serious health problems.

If you desperately need to lose weight, the most effective and safest way is with a healthy balance of proper and nutritious food and exercise. Here are 5 reasons why rapid weight loss fad diets are not the way forward if you need to lose weight.

5 Reasons Why Fad Diets Don’t Work When You Need To Lose Weight

1. They Make You Put On More Weight

When you need to lose weight, if you can do it in the quickest possible time with the least amount of effort it is going to sound great. But rapid weight loss is usually due to your body losing water. A fad diet may help you to lose a few initial pounds but once you return to your normal diet (and everyone always does), you will put all the weight back on, and more often than not, you gain more! This is called rebound weight gain.

2. They Can Lead To Poor Nutrition

Often a rapid weight loss program will restrict certain food types which means you lose out on the nutrients that you would obtain if you were eating a healthy and well-balanced diet. Carbohydrates and fat are usually the foods that are banned. But complex carbohydrates, like whole grains actually support healthy weight loss because they contain high amounts of fibre that keeps you fuller for longer. And not all fats are bad. Omega-3 fats are necessary for good health and monosaturated fats are needed for brain and heart health.

3. Muscle And Hair Loss

Rapid weight loss symptoms can lead to you losing your muscle and hair because they are nutrient deficient. When your body needs energy and cannot get it due to a lack of calories it will take it from your muscles. But having more muscle mass can help you burn more calories by boosting metabolism even when the body is at rest. If your fad diet has low protein, if can cause your hair to become brittle and fall out.

4. They Require Little Or No Exercise

There are both physical and physiological benefits of exercise. If you need to lose weight you do need to get your body moving with some sort of exercise. But most rapid weight loss diets are so focused on food intake, that they neglect the importance of exercise. Exercise is often not recommended, if not restricted, due to the low amount of calories being consumed. Exercising on a regular basis raises your metabolism which helps you lose unnecessary weight on your body in the form of fat, and also allows you eat more without gaining weight.

5. They Are Not Sustainable

Fad diets promote rapid weight loss in an unreasonable amount of time, rather than a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the long term. They never address lifestyle changes, such as choosing an apple for dessert over apple pie and changing your taste accordingly. Remember too that it took you years to put on all this weight, it will take time and effort to lose it safely and for good.

IF YOU NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT DO IT SAFELY

In your desire to lose weight, your exercise routine may actually be hindering your weight loss efforts. There are certain mistakes that are easy to make which can keep you from losing weight and even cause you to gain weight! Download this free checklist that reveals 5 exercise mistakes which slow down your weight loss, and you’ll soon be able to hit your target weight much quicker.