adminWe’ve all seen and heard of superstars who went into special diets to get the bodies that we would all kill for. Besides rigorous gym workouts, crash diets are hugely becoming prominent in the weight loss department. But are they as good as they sound, or are we simply failing to read the fine print on them? Atkins, Cabbage Soup, South Beach, Zone…you name it. There’s every diet in the book – different approaches but all promising to be effective in getting you back in shape by letting you lose a substantial amount of weight. They can promise all they want, but can they deliver?
According to Jenna Anding, a nutrition specialist at Texas A&M University, fad diets are not really centered on the importance of essential nutrients and do not promote healthy dietary and lifestyle choices that are necessary for sustaining an ideal weight.
This means that while you may lose inches off your waist and pounds off the scale, you may suffer the more harmful effects of crash dieting. Experts have reported that fad diets prevent a dieter from getting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that he or she needs for his or her body to function well. Furthermore, studies have shown that crash dieting has left dieters cranky, unable to concentrate, weak, and easily fatigued.
The following are specific cons of fad diets:
1. Short-Term Weight Loss with the Possibility of Rebound
The bottom line is, weight loss through crash diets is not consistent. A dieter may see changes on the weighing scale but the restriction and boredom of the weight-loss program can soon send him or her back to an unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. When this happens, the yo-yo effect takes place. A fad diet that is suddenly ceased causes a sudden weight gain, and a sudden accumulation of fat. This makes the dieter look around for a new fad diet, and the same cycle repeats itself. Every time, however, the dieter gets bent more and more out of shape.
2. Increased Tendency Towards Critical Health Problems
Carbohydrates, dairy, veggies, fruits and meats are all necessary part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, fad diets eliminate a lot of these, so the lack of nutrients makes a dieter more susceptible to heart ailments, blood pressure problems, and even cancer.
Gout and kidney conditions such as kidney stones are also a common effect of fad dieting. Diets like these focus on high protein and low carbohydrates. This creates an overload of uric acid and calcium oxalate, the substances that form kidney stones and cause gout.
Ketosis is another medical condition brought about by the deficiency in carbohydrates. Low-carb diets send metabolism in a frenzy that causes nausea, vomiting and very bad breath.
3. Reduced Agility, Endurance and Resistance
A balanced diet and eating in sufficient amounts allows the body’s cells to repair and regenerate themselves. Furthermore, it also helps the body’s immune system do its job better. A restriction on carbs causes low blood pressure, and therefore more fatigue.