Why: Many diets take a few well-founded physiological truths and exploit them. Participants will frequently attain quick, but temporary results. Dieters are then left with slowed metabolisms, poor health, or gaining back more weight than lost.
Here are the top 5 diet trends to avoid:
1. The HCG Diet
What is it:
The hCG diet combines extreme calorie restriction with daily shots of a hormone produced by pregnant women, human chorionic gonadotrophin. Practitioners claim that the injections of hormone reduce hunger and propagate the maintenance of lean muscle tissue.
Why it doesn't work:
Long term success on this program is nearly impossible as participants reduce their metabolic capabilities and then, later, return to "normal" levels of caloric intake. This means, you're likely to gain back more than you lose. In addition, such low calorie diets lead to gallstones, irregular heartbeat, and an imbalance in electrolytes that keep muscles and nerves from functioning properly. In addition, if hCG is found in the urine of pregnant females, where does the supply for injections come from?
2. Low Carb or Refeed Diets
What it is:
Low carb diets operate on the principle of glycogen depletion. Glycogen is an energy source found in muscles that carbohydrates produce. When you're body is depleted of carbohydrates, or glycogen, it will eventually begin to use stored fat as a fuel source.
Over time, glycogen depletion can lead to negative effects on thyroid function. Thus was born the "refeed" diet. Participants eat virtually carb-free for extended periods of time and then, periodically, refeed, or binge, on carbohydrates. The result is supposed stabilization of hormone function while accelerating fat loss.
Why it doesn't work:
Carbohydrates are imperative for healthy metabolic processes, muscle development, and brain function. Not only do we need carbohydrates for healthy fat loss, but we have to consider the quality of carbs as well. Refeeds encourage sugar-laden junk food binges in lieu of whole grains, legumes, and sweet potatoes. Not to mention, a diet that encourages severe restriction paired with periodic overindulgence is bound to lend itself to psychological issues and eating disorders.
3. Cleanses and Detoxes
What it is:
Cleanses and detoxes restrict food options in an attempt to rid the body of toxins. Participants will generally fast or purge the body of medications, pesticides, and other impurities through the use of liquid diets, flushes, cleanses, or colonics. In general, refined or processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco are prohibited on this type of diet.
Why it doesn't work:
This diet actually offers some wonderful principals, conventions that we should practice on a regular basis. Focus on whole foods in lieu of processed selections as well as the elimination of alcohol and tobacco are paramount to good health. Liquid diets or over the counter cleanses, however, offer little in the way of healthy fat loss. These practices seldom have much science supporting them, are too restrictive to follow long term, and any weight loss experienced as a result of a cleanse is generally just fluid loss or loss of muscle.
4. Diets that eliminate exercise
What it is:
Some nutrition programs emphasize calorie restriction without an increase in activity level. Dieters will focus only on a reduction of daily calorie consumption. The goal of this type of program is to eat less calories than your body can burn each day, thus creating a caloric deficit to lose weight.
Why it doesn't work:
Our metabolic processes are designed to reserve energy stores in times of insufficiency. While a reduction in calorie consumption may work in the short term, eventually your metabolism is designed to slow down to compensate. (Hence the infamous weight loss plateau.) The only true way to ensure long term fat loss is by pairing a clean eatting program with exercise.
5. Calorie counting
What it is:
Food holds value as a measure of energy, more commonly known as calories. Most diets operate under the convention that a body that consumes less calories than it expends will ultimately lose weight. Practitioners of calorie counting then will measure suitable portions to perpetuate a constant calorie deficit.
Why it doesn't work:
While the idea of calorie counting does often accomodate proper portion sizes, it frequently overlooks the relevance of food sources. A 300 calorie plate of lean protein, fresh vegetables, and whole grains will do far more in the way of fat loss than a 100 calorie pre-packaged processed snack food. Not to mention that ongoing calorie counting is completely impractical as well as lends itself to similar metabolic ramifications as listed with these other plans.
