Fad diets are eating plans that promise fast, amazing weight loss results that may ask the dieter to completely focus on one food item or action. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to know if a diet is a ‘fad’ diet, but according to a review published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2022, fad diets tend to:

• Promise rapid weight loss (1-2 or more pounds per week)
• Recommend short-term changes instead of sustainable routines
• Suggest cutting out an entire food group or labeling certain foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’
• Severely restrict calories
• Seem to be difficult to maintain over the lifespan
• Fails to offer health warnings or modifications for special populations, such as individuals with chronic diseases
• Have evidence that is inconsistent, and does not seem to be scientifically sound (just because a Hollywood star says it is good, does not mean it is right for everyone!)
• Provide little or no maintenance plan once a weight goal is met

Current fad diets seem to focus on High Protein, Low Carbohydrate intake, such as Keto or Paleo diets.  Intermittent fasting, focusing on abstinence from food for a certain period of time, is another current diet trend. Of course, there are always Very Low Calorie diet plans that are meant for just quick weight loss.   Each of these diet plans can work to lower weight, but there are risks to each one.

Some common claims of these diets include blaming particular hormones for weight gain, suggesting that food can change body chemistry, or touting or banning a particular food. However, they all have one thing in common: they offer only a temporary solution to what for many people is a lifelong and chronic condition. Once the diet is stopped, the lost weight is usually regained quickly, and when weight is lost rapidly, chances are it is not fat that is lost but water weight and precious muscle — but when it is regained, it is usually all gained as fat. This is because most of these quick-loss diets do not teach you how to eat right.

Some of these diets are so monotonous and boring that it’s almost impossible to stay on them for long periods of time.

High Protein/Fat, Low Carbohydrate

Low-carb diets, such as Keto or Paleo (or Atkins or South Beach from the early 2000’s), emphasize foods high in protein and fat and limit the total intake of carbohydrates, especially sugar, breads, pastas, potatoes, and even most fruits and some vegetables. The goal of a diet like this is to force the body to use fat for energy instead of carbohydrates (the body’s preferred source), or protein.

There is initial weight loss due to a breakdown of glycogen, which is the storage area of glucose that releases a TON of water.  Also, fats and protein digest slower, making you feel full longer. Thus, you may be consuming less overall calories.  But these diets are hard to maintain, and we need the carbs for energy and to fuel the processes of the body, so don’t be fooled here. Carbs should be about 40-60% of your daily diet- but look to complex carbs in fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

These diets lack major nutrients such as dietary fiber, calcium or carbohydrates, as well as selected vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals, such as antioxidants (substances found in vegetables, which are protective against disease). Short-term health issues may be headaches, bad breath and constipation.  Over the long term, by not receiving the proper amounts of these nutrients, you may develop serious health problems later in life. For example, high protein diets may increase your LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the “bad” cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease.  And a high protein diet may worsen how well a kidney works because the body may not be able to get rid of all the waste products of protein that are broken down.  

High Fiber/Very Low Calorie

High-fiber Very Low-Calorie diets, like the Cabbage Soup Diet, are based on the need to quickly reduce weight.  Eating unlimited amounts of high-fiber cabbage soup, along with other high-fiber foods will allow you to lose weight quickly based on the fact that increased fiber and fluids will keep the dieter full. Plain and simple these are very low calorie/low fat items, mainly. These diets state that they will provide the short-term results often desired, but are not made for continual, safe, and long-term weight loss. As soon as you begin to eat ‘normally’, the weight will most likely come back on.

The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet has been shown to help with weight loss, but even this is not without risks. The thought is that 1-2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar, split and mixed with water, 2-3 times each day, may promote fullness, helping decrease overall intake.  It also has been shown to slow down the rate at which food leaves the stomach, helping the dieter remain full longer. Taking vinegar is to be paired with a calorie-controlled diet so calories are already lower in this diet plan.   This can be a risk for people with Type 1 Diabetes as it may interfere with insulin. Apple Cider Vinegar may also cause upset stomachs or throat burns if not mixed with enough water or taken with foods.  

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. Research studies have shown it to help with weight management.  This eating lifestyle, if done correctly, is really not a Fad Diet.  It focuses not on what you can or cannot eat, but on when you eat. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years. Mattson says that after hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar store and starts burning fat.  He refers to this as metabolic switching. Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat. Some people choose to only eat during an 8 hour period each day, ensuring less intake (typically of higher fat/sugar items); others choose the 5:2 approach.  They eat regularly 5 days each week and on the other 2 days, they limit their calorie intake to only (1) 500-600 calorie meal.  These 2 off days should not be consecutive.

The key to this success is that during the 5 days of eating you cannot go crazy – your intake needs to be monitored and nutritious, focusing on lean proteins, colorful veggies, fruits, and complex carbohydrates, which alone will help with steady weight loss and good nutrition. Research shows that you’re not likely to lose weight or get healthier if you pack your feeding times with high-calorie junk food, super-sized fried items, and treats. It is the thought that “I can eat anything on 4-5 days and then ‘fast’ the others and I will lose weight” that puts this eating plan as a potential Fad Diet. Health issues noted with this eating plan are headaches and nausea. 

Conclusion:

There is no quick and easy way to lose weight. Giving up a food group (that is not medically called for) can lead to nutrient deficiencies and possibly other health issues.  Plain and simple, to lose weight calories (food energy) taken in must be less than energy expended. When you eat a little less energy than the body needs, you will lose weight.   So, evaluate what you are eating and what small changes you can make.

A salad instead of french fries or one less soda? Eating grilled or baked or roasted food items vs. battered and fried?  Being mindful of all those chips or cookies you are eating while binge-watching your favorite show? Parking farther away to increase your daily steps? 

Becoming more aware and making small manageable and maintainable changes can help to create a long-lasting difference.