Over the last years, many fad diets gained huge popularity.
All of them limit food choices and claim to offer rapid weight loss with minimum effort.
But if these diets actually work, why are there so many new ones?
Let’s discuss 5 diets that are popular right now and see why it’s best to steer clear of any temporary restrictive eating pattern.
1. Intermittent fasting
The basics – Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that focuses on when – not what – you should eat. It involves alternating periods of eating and fasting to cut way back on calories.
Typically, the fasting period lasts between 12 and 40 hours and it’s done once or twice a week.
During the fasting period, you are allowed to drink water, coffee, and other low or zero-calorie drinks. However, you are not allowed to eat solid foods or drink beverages that are high in calories.
Potential risks – The negative effects of intermittent fasting include (but not limited to):
- Fatigue and low energy
- Hunger and cravings
- Digestive issues
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbances
- Overeating or undereating
Not to mention that this eating pattern can be dangerous for people with certain conditions, such as diabetes.
People who take medications for heart disease or blood pressure or women who are breastfeeding should also refrain from fasting for long periods.
Why intermittent fasting doesn’t work for weight loss – A 12-40 hours period without eating can lead you to overeat once the fasting period is over.
This means that intermittent fasting can become similar to a restrict-binge cycle that’s associated with many eating disorders.
In addition, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that people who fasted for a 16-hour period didn’t lose too much weight, and most of the weight they did lose was actually muscle mass.
2. Keto diet
The basics – The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet created to push the body into a state of ketosis – When your body burns fat because it doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy.
The keto diet recommends replacing carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes with unsaturated fats such as eggs, cheese, meat, avocado, and nuts.
Potential risks – There are many risks associated with the keto diet, such as:
- Increased “bad” LDL cholesterol and risk of liver problems due to a high saturated fat intake (e.g., butter, oils, lard, etc.)
- Kidney problems due to a high protein intake (study shows that high-protein diets may harm kidneys and worsen renal function)
- Fuzzy thinking, confusion and irritability caused by a lack of carbohydrates (because your brain needs glucose for energy)
- Vitamin deficiencies as your body is deprived of foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables that have a good amount of vitamins
Why the keto diet doesn’t work for weight loss – The keto diet may provide you with short-term benefits such as boosting metabolism and burning fat.
However, your initial weight loss is mostly water and glycogen.
As with any diet, you will regain weight as your metabolism slows down and stress hormones go up.
In addition, you will feel sluggish while exercising, so you might not have the energy to work out (which is key to healthy, long-term weight loss).
3. Paleo diet
The basics – The paleo diet includes foods that in the past could be obtained by hunting, fishing, and gathering, such as fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat, nuts, and seeds.
The diet eliminates entire food groups that weren’t available before industrial farming, such as dairy, sugar, grains, and processed foods.
Potential risks – Here are the risks associated with the paleo diet:
- Increased “bad” LDL cholesterol and risk of liver problems as the diet is high in saturated fats from animal food sources. This could also increase the risk of heart disease
- Deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D (which are essential to bone health) due to restriction of dairy products
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to restriction of cereal grains which are great sources of fibre, iron, magnesium, B vitamins, and more
Why the paleo diet doesn’t work for weight loss – As with any diet, the paleo diet may help you lose weight initially.
Unfortunately, you will gradually regain it after ending your diet. You may also end up larger than you were before going on a diet.
As the paleo diet is extremely restrictive and is not conducive to eating out, it becomes impossible to stick to it long-term.
In addition, whole grains – which deliver many important nutrients – are completely forbidden on the paleo diet.
While many people give up grains in order to lose weight, they are actually recommended for weight loss as they provide energy to your body to fuel your workout. Not to mention that they fill you up and prevent overeating.
That’s why a grain-free diet (such as the paleo diet) won’t help you lose weight and keep it off permanently.
4. Juice diet
The basics – Juice diets claim that consuming a variety of juiced fruits and vegetables leads to rapid weight loss.
They also claim other health benefits, such as clearer skin and “liver detox”.
Many juice diets are based on a very low-calorie intake and involve refraining from eating solid foods.
Potential risks – There are many risks linked to juice diets, such as:
- Weakness, fainting, dehydration, and starvation because the body does not have enough energy
- Following a juice diet means you are not eating enough proteins and fats, which can lead to malnourishment in the long-term
- Blood sugar dysregulation caused by a low-calorie intake combined with a high sugar intake. This may lead to irritability, confusion, lack of mental clarity, fatigue, and sleep disorders
- You risk losing muscle mass as little-to-no protein and fat is consumed during a juice diet
- As fruit and vegetable juices contain minimal fibre, the diet could result in constipation
Why the juice diet doesn’t work for weight loss – Once you stop eating enough calories, your metabolism will slow down.
Then, your body goes into “starvation mode”, meaning that calorie restriction slows or even halts your weight loss.
This proves that the juice diet (like any crash diet) isn’t just dangerous, but it’s also counterproductive because it makes it even harder to lose weight.
Not to mention that your initial weight loss is actually water weight. When you restrict calories, your body uses glycogen locked up in your muscles as an energy source instead of getting energy from food.
As each gram of glycogen is stored in your muscles with at least 3 g of water, when you use up glycogen you actually lose water weight that you’ll gain back when you return to your normal diet.
5. Raw diet
The basics – the raw diet involves eating mostly or completely raw, unprocessed, organic foods.
Most raw diets are plant-based diets, but some people eat raw meat and fish, too.
People who follow this diet believe that cooking destroys enzymes in food, which is harmful to human health.
Potential risks – Eating primarily raw foods poses risks such as:
- Blood sugar dysregulation caused by a low-calorie intake combined with a high sugar intake. This may lead to irritability, confusion, lack of mental clarity, fatigue, and sleep disorders
- You risk losing muscle mass as little-to-no protein and fat is consumed during a juice diet
- As fruit and vegetable juices contain minimal fibre, the diet could result in constipation
Why the raw diet doesn’t work for weight loss – As with any diet, the raw diet helps you lose weight initially, only to find it gets harder and harder to make progress as your metabolism slows down.
Not to mention that a raw-food diet is extremely difficult to follow, so it is very unlikely that you are able to stick to it in the long term.
The research indicated above also shows that 14-25% of the study participants who followed a raw diet became underweight, meaning that the diet does not contribute to healthy weight loss.
In addition, cooked food is easier to chew and digest. Food digestibility is important in your weight loss process because digestion uses calories.
On the other hand, raw food is simply hard to digest and can even lead to irritable bowel syndrome.
That’s why it is essential that you maintain a balanced diet that includes both raw and cooked food.
The Bottom Line
Fad diets that severely restrict food groups are simply not sustainable and often cause food cravings and hunger.
If you’re looking to lose weight, the answer is a balanced eating plan combined with physical activity.
Once a wide array of nutritious foods become part of your daily diet, you will lose weight steadily and keep it off permanently.
Need someone to teach you, hold you accountable, and help you get the results you want? Here at Bring on Life, we’ve created a unique method to help you lose weight naturally without fad diets or calorie restrictions. For more information, please check out our one-on-one coaching program.
Sources:
Men’s Journal – The 7 Most Popular Dieting and Weight-loss Fads: What Works, What Doesn’t
John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – 5 Fad Diets and the Foods You Aren’t Getting Enough Of
Better Health Channel – Weight loss and fad diets
Harvard Health Publishing – 4 intermittent fasting side effects to watch out for
Harvard Health Publishing – Should you try the keto diet?
UC Davis Health – Paleo diet: What it is and why it’s not for everyone
Medical News Today – What are the pros and cons of a juice cleanse?
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – What is a raw foods diet and are there any risks or benefits associated with it?