As a dietitian, I approach nutrition in a non-restriction and non-elimination way. I firmly do not believe that to achieve positive health outcomes you need to eliminate entire food groups, foods or eat within certain time-restricted windows.
What I work on with clients is helping them eliminate sources of external influence, because most of our hang-ups are guided by things we think we “should” be doing based on what someone else said based on the way they look, the attention they get, or the experiences they have had.
What is a fad diet?
A fad diet is a plan that is sold to us as a quick approach to weight loss. Almost always, the diet promotes restriction or entire elimination of specific foods, specific food groups, or even eating hours. Fad diets are also highly popular, hence the word ‘fad’. Part of this is because they target very specific things like cabbage, celery, apple cider vinegar, butter, dairy, etc. If something is that specific, not only does it seem believable but it also seems doable. The most important thing about fad diets is that they offer a temporary and easy solution to a complex issue.
If you are having trouble spotting a fad diet, here is a great list of red flags from the Cleveland Clinic:
- Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
- Claims that sound too good to be true.
- Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
- Recommendations based on a single study.
- Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
- Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.*
- Recommendations made to help sell a book or product.
- Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
- Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.
- Elimination of one or more of the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy) or subgroups (grains, dairy, fruit).
- Diets that have “testimonials.”
- *I am adding: point systems, traffic light systems, etc.
Are fad diets a source of external influence?
Yes! When we follow fad diets, we are putting our faith in others and not ourselves. We are following a plan that doesn’t know us or our food preferences, lifestyle, schedule, routine, budget, food access, occupation, etc. ALL of those things matter when you are talking about nutrition! As long as you are following a plan set forth by someone else, that’s external influence.
I also always work on self-trust and confidence with my clients. When I work with someone that has a history of following fad diets, their confidence is often shot by the time they get to me. They’ve been through so many that haven’t worked for them that they feel like a failure because they couldn’t stick to something or maybe they weren’t trying hard enough. The truth is, the diet let you down! You did nothing wrong.
Can I lose weight on a fad diet?
The thing about fad diets is that they DO work. They work immediately and they often work dramatically. Because of the nature of restriction and elimination, of course you are going to lose weight because you are cutting out a lot of calories. Unfortunately, this is very temporary.
Also, the diet is likely not the only factor that is in play when you experience that weight loss. You are likely making other changes like sleeping more, exercising more, drinking less alcohol, or cooking more at home. All of these factors can lead to weight changes.
How does weight loss work on fad diets?
So – now that we know what a fad diet is, how to spot one, and what it means for the way you operate around nutrition, how does weight loss work and why do almost all people that follow them seem to lose weight right away?
The short answer to this is: you are in a calorie deficit! The one way that weight loss works (however the avenue) is you expend more calories than you take in. Your body uses stores for energy and you end up losing weight. Lots of other things happen – but that’s for another post!
I am going to go through some of the biggest fad diets and explain how calorie restriction works:
Keto – mostly consuming fat, very carb restricted, protein restriction. Leads to a calorie deficit because it’s impossible to eat enough calories within only 1-2 food groups.
Intermittent fasting – this restricts the time of day in which you eat, so if you’d normally eat over 12-14 hours you may cut it to 6-8. It’s difficult to eat an entire day’s worth of food in 6 hours, so you end up cutting meals. This leads to a calorie deficit.
Whole 30 – many food groups and sources are off limits, leaving your options limited. When you don’t have many choices, and many of your choices are low-calorie, you end up in a calorie deficit by eating less overall.
Juicing – you aren’t eating any solid foods so it would be difficult to get enough calories in, even if you do include one solid meal. This leads to a calorie deficit.
Weight Watchers – using points as a guide to what you can eat forces you to forgo some foods you would normally enjoy. It also promotes “zero point” foods like fruits and vegetables that you’d prioritize so you can keep your points low. This leads to a calorie deficit.
Noom – Noom uses a traffic light system with red, yellow and green foods. In order to stay favorable, you will likely avoid higher-calorie ‘red’ foods. By eating lower and moderate calorie foods in the yellow and green categories, it will likely put you in a calorie deficit.
Celery juice – this one doesn’t need to be explained. If you are drinking celery juice in place of meals, you will be in a calorie deficit.
These are just a few, too! There are, unfortunately, so many more out there.
So, how can you lose weight without fad diets?
You don’t need to follow any of these plans to lose weight! As we know, weight loss comes from a calorie deficit and there are many ways to get into one without selling your soul to the diet devil.
In my 1:1 program, I work with my clients to figure out what their current habits are so we can adjust them to fit their goals.
P.S. a lot of the time, it’s not weight loss that you really want! Start by asking yourself what you really want and what will make you happy and why 🙂