Lose 10 lbs in the next 5 days!

The internet is buzzing with all kinds of ads about losing a drastic amount of weight in a few short days and all you have to do is follow the diet they recommend.  Any diet that makes such dramatic claims is more than likely a fad diet. The problem with fad diets is not that you don’t lose weight. Most times if you follow their directions, the weight will fall off. However, once you have completed the diet, there is little to no instruction on how to maintain that weight loss. As a result, you end up gaining the weight back plus more.

Here are a few “red flags” that will tell you if the diet is a fad:

• Claims that you will lose more than 3-5 pounds in a week
• The diet eliminates an entire food group
• The diet is very strict
• The diet is named after a specific food item (grapefruit, boiled egg, etc.)
• Promotes instant changes and not lifelong habits
• Cannot be maintained long-term without harmful health outcomes

Everyone has tried to improve their health in some way, shape, or form. A lot of times, fad diets are just recycled under a different name to make us think it is something new. We look for that quick fix. A true transformation takes time and patience. You have to create new habits. When there is no instruction after the diet is done, you run the risk of going back to your old habits.

Not sure if a diet you’ve seen is a fad? Thinking of starting something and want to make sure it is nutritionally sound? Have you gained weight after coming off a diet and want to get back on track to a healthier you? Email me, I have tools to help with all of this!