Dangerously low-calorie diets and Carb-, protein- or fat-cutting diets
As we're in the season of “new year, new you” -- thousands of weight loss seekers throw down the nutritional gauntlet and commit to losing weight. Some will resort to ineffective, dangerous diets that are harmful to their bodies.
While so many people have the best intentions to finally take of those nagging excess pounds, only a few will permanently reach their weight loss goals. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, 98 per cent of people who lose weight will gain it back within five years. In other words, only 2 per cent of all weight loss seekers will keep it off.
My goal for this year is to help people take the weight off for good. In order to do so, it is important to identify what works and what does not work. Many fad diets endanger your body, cause temporary weight loss results and eventually result in future weight gain.
How can you tell if you're on a dangerous and ineffective diet? The following red flags indicate diets to steer clear of.
1. Diets that cut too many calories
There are currently diets on the market that endorse extremely low daily caloric intake (i.e., 600 to 800 calories per day). Not only are these diets unsafe and unsustainable for long-term weight loss, these diets can also backfire in their effectiveness.
When the body perceives it is in a prolonged period of famine (like when you're on an extremely low-calorie diet), it will do everything to preserve and protect overall health.
In other words, it tends to store any and all calories consumed in a pre-historic response called Starvation Adaptation Mode. To top it off, very low-calorie diets can instill feelings of deprivation which result in food binges and poor food choices.
2. Diets that eliminate one of the three macronutrients
There are three macronutrients that make up necessary components of your diet.
They are:
-carbohydrates
-proteins
-fats
Any diet that eliminates or drastically reduces one of these precious and necessary macronutrients (i.e. high protein, low carbohydrate) is NOT a sustainable diet and not one that is geared towards permanent weight loss results. This type of diet will not work for long periods of time.
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