Fad Diets: How to Gain Weight by Losing It the Wrong Way

The old saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn't true", can be applied to almost any situation, but this idea really resonates in relation to weight loss. 

Fad diets, or fashionably popular diets, have been around for years. They make losing weight seem like a quick project to be checked off of a to-do list. The truth is, if losing weight was that quick and easy, overweight and obesity wouldn't be at the epidemic proportions that they are throughout the world today.

So what is the appeal of fad diets?  Why do millions of folks fall for them each year?  Most importantly, what do fad diets do for us in the long run?   

Most fad diets can be summed up in one word: restrictive. The commonality between the majority of diet crazes is that they restrict participants to a certain group or groups of foods, which causes a shock to the body and possibly promotes some quick weight loss. 

Some of the most well-known fad diets are the many forms of low-carbohydrate diets, the cabbage soup diet, and the grapefruit diet. There are also numerous restrictive fad diets named after places (such as the South Beach diet, the Beverly Hills or Hollywood diet, and the Martha's Vineyard diet) and  personal preferences or time limits (for example, the Personality Type diet and the Three-Day Diet). Although the names of these programs are somewhat intriguing, the results are often disastrous, and can contribute to a detrimental cycle of behavior.

Fad diets use enticing schemes and false promises to lure dieters into unrealistic and restrictive behavior. Often, these diets don't include exercise in the regimen, which contradicts the simple scientific basis of weight loss - that more calories need to be burned than consumed. If those who are looking to lose weight keep that principle in mind, and create a lifestyle conducive to burning more calories than they consume, steady and safe weight loss is almost sure to follow. Unfortunately, many people don't discover this truth until after they've endured several failed attempts to lose weight by eating nothing but grapefruit or cabbage soup.

Many families that come to Wellspring looking for help with weight loss and long-term weight control say that they have tried "everything." In most cases, the "everything" they are referring to is a string of fad diets. By limiting their eating to certain food groups, such as vegetables or proteins, dieters feel confined and begin to crave the foods they aren't supposed to be eating. This is human nature, and behavior typical of a restrictive situation. Inevitably, the fad diets come to an end with a binge on the exact foods that the participant was avoiding. This often causes rapid re-gain and a disappointing sense of failure.

If there is a "simple secret" to successful long-term weight control, it is the combination of healthy eating with regular exercise. Once embraced, the benefits of this healthy lifestyle are well worth it, and lead to the realization that maintaining a healthy weight and a satisfying existence are two fads that will never go out of style. 

Kimberly Atwater is the Director of Admissions for Wellspring Camps, the nation's leading weight loss camps located throughout the United States as well as in the UK and Australia.