Even the best workout regimen can be sidelined by a less-than-healthy diet. Eating right can be difficult work, especially when you're trying to lose weight. Stress, lack of time for meal prep, or just the lapses in willpower that we all see from time to time can derail a healthy diet. Unfortunately, some people will always want easy answers to a problem that might not be so simple. This is the reason we see so many fad diets come and go every few years. There's always a new diet that promises weight loss and a healthy lifestyle if you just do one or two things. People may initially see some weight loss, but fad dieters usually end up putting that weight back on. That's because fad diets aren't built for the long run. Maintaining a healthy diet isn't a fad; it's a lifestyle. That's why so many fad diets fail, and why some of them can even be dangerous. Here's a look at the worst types of fad diets that get advertised online.
Any Type of “Detox” Diet
These diets usually revolve around the idea that your body is full of toxins that need to be flushed out. In doing so you will lose weight and somehow become healthy again. A big part of these diets is relying strictly on liquids for a set amount of time. Water mixed with lemon juice or cayenne pepper are usually part of it, along with juices so that you actually get some sort of calories. This is basically the equivalent of taking diuretics for a week or so, and yes, you probably will lose weight. Unfortunately, as soon as you start eating again, you're going to gain it all back. Not to mention this is incredibly unhealthy and can even be dangerous.
Diets That Eliminate An Entire Food Group
Is your diet telling you that carbs are your mortal enemy? Or that you should only eat raw food? Maybe it says that dairy is completely unnecessary, and once you rid yourself of it, you'll see the pounds falling away. Any diet that promotes one food or food group over everything else should be viewed with suspicion. Sure, you should probably eat more fruits and veggies, but that doesn't mean you should eliminate every other food group. Most likely, you'll be missing key nutrients, which will end up hurting you more than it helps.
Diets That Advocate Too-Low Caloric Intake
If you're diet includes some kind of fast, or lowers the recommended calories below a safe daily level, you're going to be disappointed with the results. That's because fasting may help you lose weight in the short-term, but it's dangerous, and the weight you gain back will be mostly fat. Instead of cutting your calories to dangerous levels, you should look to healthier foods to supply those calories.
Simply put, it may be easier to lose weight if you don't even think of it as a diet. Start replacing junk food with healthier alternatives, like a Promax protein bar, and make sure you're getting the proper nutrition. It may not be a quick fix, but you'll feel better and end up losing weight and keeping it off. If you want to know more about living a healthy lifestyle, visit our blog.