let's get honest...

Have you ever tried a fad diet?

I keep reading all this hype about how Kate Middleton & her mom, may or may not be on this Dukan Diet. 


And it just got me thinking about how insane some of these fad diets are that people try.

Speaking from experience, I've tried Atkins & I attempted the Lemonade Diet. This was all prior to my education on health & fitness.

Looking back, it's kind of sad because I was only 15 when I tried Atkins for the first time. I didn't last long by any means. But, to be so young & wanting to diet?

I attempted Atkins again my freshman year of college ~ it was HORRIBLE. I hated it. I hated the feeling that overcame my body by avoiding carbs, I never had energy, and I always had a headache.


I even tried diet pills. One in particular left me insanely shaky - it was actually pretty scary.

The Lemonade Diet was the devil. I couldn't stomach the mixture.

this picture just made me laugh - it's all the ingredients for the cleanse, plus a pack of diapers

What in the world was I thinking???

*This is a total soapbox moment*, but honestly, say someone does drop 10 pounds from one of these "fad diets"...there's a few things to consider & use to judge whether it was a "healthy" weight loss:

1. How quickly did the weight come off? Was it a week, 2 weeks, a month?
Set aside Biggest Loser & how quickly they lose weight...and how MUCH they lose in a week's time. (They are working out 8+hours / day, plus they eat no junk food, & their menus are tailored to their specific needs).
It's normally considered the healthy average to lose no more than 2 pounds a week - for the average person. So if someone on the Atkins diet has lost 10 pounds in 1 week...um, no good.

2. Was the person exercising?
Ever heard of "skinny fat"? If you drop weight, and don't incorporate any exercise, it's called "skinny fat".  

3. What was the person eating?
Nothing against Weight Watchers, but if a person on Weight Watchers was just getting their points per day from the WW snack items that come with point value on the label (like brownies or cookies) or even the "100 calorie" packs of oreos, crackers, etc.; where is the nutritional value in that?

There are other markers to look for, but chances are good, this person is going to gain their weight back once the diet ends, plus some. I've seen it first hand.

It really is all about a lifestyle change.

Eating the proper nutrients, weeding out the junk, and incorporating cardio as well as strength training.

And it's definitely not about depravity.

Our society is so much into instant gratification, that people are willing to put their bodies through these insane diets, rather than just getting off their butts & exercising, or changing up their eating habits & giving up McDonalds for dinner.  

I am just as guilty as the next when it comes to wanting results now - I get utterly annoyed when I send an email to a coworker & don't get a response in the next 2 minutes.  

Regardless, let's put a little effort in, & really do things the healthy way; so that these changes last a lifetime, & not just a week or a month.

Thoughts???

9 comments:

Angie said...

So...I gave a brief review on my experience with Kim Kardashian's Quik Trim on my blog the other day. Those skinnygirl pills that hottrannymess hawked me left me with the crazies and buttpee. You know my struggle with unhealthy weight loss and I totally agree with you, fad diets suck. Dieting too young sucks. But finding a happy medium of eating what you like and being active does not suck. It's about life choices and doing what makes you happy and healthy. I love this topic.

Miss your guts.

xo.

Angie

thehotnessyourmommawarnedyouabout.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Weight Watchers emphasizes eating healthy balanced meals. That's also part of the reason those types of snacks (the 100 calories packs) have gone up in Points on their new PointsPlus plan that they just overhauled. The "zero point" foods are veggies and fruits - so they encourge healthy eating on the plan by all means.

They also encourage daily excercise and to make it a lifestyle change which is why they have lifetime memberships and rewards for maintaining your healthy weight.

Erin said...

Weight Watchers totally changed the program and is now WAY MORE WELL ROUNDED! Fruits and veges are 0 points and all the bad stuff has gone up in points. I have done WW before and after the changes and honestly it is a good program but people who want to do bad will do bad regardless.

Just like how people who profess to exercise/run so much in no way are doing much better. I read more running/fitness blogs where people eat complete garbage way more than I do on any given day or week. You have to be willing to change yourself, your habits, and incorporate exercise.

Rachel said...

I wonder if you took hydroxycut and that's the one that made you all shaky, because it did that to me. I don't even know what I was thinking, I'm blaming temporary insanity. It was years ago and now I am trying to lose 40 pounds. I could never do Atkins because I like my carbs too much, just everything in moderation and EXERCISE and I know it will come off sooner or later.

FashionablyFit said...

just to reitterate, i meant nothing against WW -it was a hypothetical situation.
i was more pointing out that people tend to be misguided when it comes to points, calories, etc.

Meagan said...

I wouldn't put WW in the same diet category as some of the others you mentioned here. It's a nutritional plan, and it does have tools in place to teach members about using their points on the best possible food. There are a ton of checks and balances in place to prevent that sort of misguided abuse of the system.

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said...

Great post. Moderation and balance is so important. I admit I tried the lemonade cleanse once. Ugh. So disgusting. Of course I lost weight, but I wasn't exercising, was irritable, and of course gained it all back anyway. I'm so glad I'm not 18 anymore...
:)

Anonymous said...

Yes to all of this!

I did Atkins when I was loosing weight for my wedding and would do it on and off for YEARS. I was skinny - but definitely not healthy! I contribute almost two years of unexplained infertility (along with lots of tears and money) to my fad diet phase. I finally put two and two together and ended up having a surprise (but much wanted!) pregnancy. I'm just glad I didn't do any permanent damage. I can't believe I was so young and so STUPID!

d.a.r. said...

Haha! I tried a Blood Type diet a few years ago (there is a book, and you eat foods based upon your blood type..it is super restrictive and WEIRD). It REALLY worked. I was so thin and I really felt great, but um...it was completely unsustainable!