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Breaking the Myth on Fad Diets: What Really Works (Synthesis) (2)

Kylie Hoff
Nutrification
Published in
5 min readDec 5, 2018

Whole 30, Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, Weight Watchers, you name it and someone’s tried it. Each fad diet offers an easy, fast solution to help you lose those extra few pounds you’ve been hanging onto. Some are more effective than others, and others are complete BS. I’m here to break the myth on fad diets, and teach you what really works.

There’s many different types of diets. There’s liquid only diets, high carb and low fat diets, all natural diets, no meat diets, and more (methodology). There’s also what we call a lifestyle. Lifestyles aren’t something that happens in “just 30 days” or something you do for 3 months. You follow them for years, and adapt them to the way you live, hence the word lifestyle. Lifestyles tend to be the best diets to follow, because there is no time frame and is typically less restrictive on those who follow them. Being vegetarian or vegan is a lifestyle, but so are the paleo and mediterranean diets.

Diets such as Whole 30 and SlimFast (a liquid only diet) restrict a persons intake of certain food. With Whole 30 you can not eat anything with added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, or baked goods (The Whole 30 Diet). Although one would consume less calories, it can lead to binge eating, severe cravings, and a lack of nutrients. With SlimFast, you may have one non-liquid snack and one non-liquid meal a day, but the rest of your meals and snacks are liquid shakes, cookies, or bars made by SlimFast (Sarafian). This diet also leads to binge eating and severe cravings.

Diets such as Keto and Paleo restrict your amount of carbs, fats, or proteins. The Keto diet is high-fat, very low-carb, and is similar to the Atkins diet. The idea behind it is that when you drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake, your body goes into ketosis (The Ketogenic Diet). Ketosis is a state where your body burns fat for energy at a quicker rate than normal. However, the Keto diet can lead to low blood sugar levels, nutritional deficits, less electrolytes, muscle loss, kidney damage, or even cardiac issues. The Keto diet may be good to burn fat short term, but is not sustainable for a long amount of time (HollandMay).

The Paleo diet includes eating whole foods, lean protein, and non-GMO foods. You rid of added sugar, processed foods, and preservatives (The Paleo Diet). Essentially, you eat like the cavemen. The Paleo diet is more of a lifestyle, because there more of a balance between carbohydrates, fats, and protein. However, it can be an expensive lifestyle, and can result in a loss of energy. It is also difficult to follow and adhere to.

So what diet does work? Before I get the that, you have to know how weight loss works. Your body has its metabolism, which is how you convert what you eat into energy. Everything you eat has calories, and the amount of calories something has is how much energy can be gained from it. You burn calories to get energy. You burn a certain number of calories every day by through breathing, blood circulation, and other basic bodily functions (Mayo Clinic). The amount of calories that your body needs to burn each day in order for you to live is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You also burn calories when you exercise, or even just from walking around and moving during the day. If you eat the same amount of calories that you burn, your weight will stay the same. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, your body must burn stored fat and you lose weight.

One pound contains about 3,500 calories. Therefore, to lose one pound a week you must have a caloric deficit of about 500 calories a day. To lose two pounds a day, you’d have to have a deficit of about 1,000 calories a day. This can be attained by more exercise, consuming less food, or a combination of both.

If you want to lose weight, the best way is to live a healthy lifestyle. About 30% of your diet should be fats, 30% should be protein, and 40% should be carbohydrates. Furthermore, about 80% of the foods you eat should be healthy and clean. The other 20% can be treats, as to avoid strong cravings and binging. The best diet is just a simple, healthy lifestyle. Eat mostly lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Eat 3 meals a day, and avoid an abundance of snacking. Drink more water, and avoid liquids that are calorie rich (Staff).

If you really want to try a fad diet, the best way to get it to work is to make sure you’re burning more calories than you consume. There is no diet that works the best. You could just eat cake for every meal and lose weigh, as long as you were in a caloric deficit (however, your heart might not like that so much). The best “diet” to follow is just to eat clean, and avoid over indulging (Jones). There’s no need to put yourself through liquid diets or starvation.

Sources:

Weight Loss

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Kylie Hoff
Nutrification

Written by Kylie Hoff

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