Healthy Weight Week is in full swing, running from 1/15/12 to 1/21/12. It’s a week dedicated to promoting healthy methods of obtaining a proper body weight. Healthy Weight Week also supports avoiding fad diets – they even named today “Rid the world of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day!” Fad diets are those crazy diet plans that promise you unattainable results in short periods of time. If any of the statements below sound familiar, keep reading for tips on avoiding these fad diet crazes!
Drink only cayenne pepper and lemon juice!
Our bodies need a proper balance of all nutrients and food groups – that’s what makes it run properly. If a diet is asking you to cut out entire groups of foods or nutrients, it’s not a healthy choice. Not to mention many diets which cut out excessive numbers of foods are likely to be too low in calories, which can slow down your metabolism and sabotage your long term weight loss efforts.
You’ll lose 15 pounds in 5 days!
Or a program that makes other promises other excessive amounts of weight loss in a short period of time. A healthy rate of weight loss is only about ½ pound to 2 pounds per week for most people. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound. Cutting out 250 calories per day from food and burning 250 extra from exercise (creating a 500 calorie deficit each day) will result in a weight loss of about a pound a week.
Try our magical supplement blend!
I’m upfront about my view on supplements – I think we should try to get most of our nutrients through food (though there are certain supplements that can be beneficial depending on your medical issues). That being said, any diet regimen that promotes some mysterious combination of supplements to help you lose weight is not a healthy option. Supplements don’t create weight loss – eating properly and exercising do.
It’s a weight loss breakthrough!
When you’re reading about the diet, does it say it’s a breakthrough? An ancient discovery? A secret to the celebrities? Miraculous cure-all? Any of these are big indicators that it’s a diet based on junk science.
Developed by our own nutritionist!
This one could be a legitimate program, but you’ll need to do some detective work. Pretty much anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist” without any actual training or credentials. Double check to make sure that the program is developed by a Registered Dietitian. RDs go through a nutrition degree program, many hours of training in an accredited internship, and passed a national exam to demonstrate competency in nutrition knowledge.
The take home message: Don’t fall for these silly ploys. Eating healthy and exercising are the lifelong tools for maintaining a healthy weight!
Our bodies need a proper balance of all nutrients and food groups – that’s what makes it run properly. If a diet is asking you to cut out entire groups of foods or nutrients, it’s not a healthy choice. Not to mention many diets which cut out excessive numbers of foods are likely to be too low in calories, which can slow down your metabolism and sabotage your long term weight loss efforts.
You’ll lose 15 pounds in 5 days!
Or a program that makes other promises other excessive amounts of weight loss in a short period of time. A healthy rate of weight loss is only about ½ pound to 2 pounds per week for most people. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound. Cutting out 250 calories per day from food and burning 250 extra from exercise (creating a 500 calorie deficit each day) will result in a weight loss of about a pound a week.
Try our magical supplement blend!
I’m upfront about my view on supplements – I think we should try to get most of our nutrients through food (though there are certain supplements that can be beneficial depending on your medical issues). That being said, any diet regimen that promotes some mysterious combination of supplements to help you lose weight is not a healthy option. Supplements don’t create weight loss – eating properly and exercising do.
It’s a weight loss breakthrough!
When you’re reading about the diet, does it say it’s a breakthrough? An ancient discovery? A secret to the celebrities? Miraculous cure-all? Any of these are big indicators that it’s a diet based on junk science.
Developed by our own nutritionist!
This one could be a legitimate program, but you’ll need to do some detective work. Pretty much anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist” without any actual training or credentials. Double check to make sure that the program is developed by a Registered Dietitian. RDs go through a nutrition degree program, many hours of training in an accredited internship, and passed a national exam to demonstrate competency in nutrition knowledge.
The take home message: Don’t fall for these silly ploys. Eating healthy and exercising are the lifelong tools for maintaining a healthy weight!
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