What to watch out for with fad diets

Miracle fad diets

Fad diets often sound too good to be true. A one-of-a-kind product, a magic pill, an overnight diet, or a trendy weight loss claim...

All of these fad diet tactics are designed to get women to spend money; to believe in the miracle of instantaneously melting away your fat with their unique weight loss claims or products.

The reality is, there is no overnight miracle diet fad that will do this, so don't make the mistake of believing these unreliable claims.

Look out for these fad diet claims...

1. Claim: “No exercise needed”. Exercise and eating right go hand in hand when it comes to effective and long-term weight loss. Find something you enjoy doing, and speak to a dietitian if you need extra help with eating choices.

2. An inflexible menu plan. If you don't enjoy what you're eating, what's the point? Ask yourself if you could eat this way for the rest of your life. Also, many of these rigid menu plans use all sorts of fancy and expensive ingredients. Stick to healthy, nutritious food and cut down on your portions if you're worried about what you're eating.

3. Claim: “Rapid weight loss”. There's no doubt – you'll lose weight fast with these diets, but you'll also lose bone, water and muscle. You'll also more than likely add back the weight you lost quickly afterwards. When it comes to losing weight, slow and steady wins the race and gets you the best long-term results – every time.

For a healthy diet option, read: Health benefits of a Mediterranean diet

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