By Dee Power
You've probably heard of the cabbage soup diet, or the ice cream diet, or even the raw foods diet, and wondered do they work? Can you lose weight by sticking to a fad diet even if at first you think it's silly? The answer is yes.
The most famous fad food diet is probably Dr. Atkins' low carb high protein diet. Carbohydrates, such as sugar, flour, most fruits, and quite a few vegetables are eliminated from the diet and replaced with protein, such as meat, cheese and eggs. The diet is also high in fat since it's high in red meat. The diet does work and sparked an industry revolution. Even fast food restaurants were offering low carb "bunless" hamburgers. Dieters don't become hungry because blood sugar is kept at an even keel, protein takes a while to digest, and the fat means a feeling of fullness. The challenge with any low carb diet is the restriction of many foods. Menu options are limited.
Currently popular is the raw foods diet, which as you might imagine is vegan. As much raw vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, can be consumed as you like. Nothing processed or cooked is allowed. Proponents of the raw foods diet say it's eating back to nature as humans were intended. The diet works because fats, other than through vegetables such as avocadoes, or seeds and nuts are virtually eliminated.
Pick up any woman's lifestyle magazine these days and you'll probably see another fad diet. There are several reasons fad diets work, even if only in the short term. When you become aware of what you're eating the tendency is to restrict the amount as well as the kinds of foods. The tomato and cheese diet might allow all the tomatoes and cheese you can eat, but eventually, one or two tomatoes are quite enough thank you.
There is some scientific support that certain fad diets do work. For the longest time the grapefruit diet was credited for weight loss only because calories were severely limited to less than 1000 per day. It turns out however, that there is a fat burning enzyme in grapefruit that helps you lose weight faster. Scripps Clinic of San Diego put 100 obese patients on three diets: One third of the patients had a grapefruit before every meal. One third drank a glass of grapefruit juice before every meal, and one group was instructed not to eat or drink grapefruit or grapefruit juice. The two groups that consumed either the grapefruit or the juice lost more weight than the third group.
Some diets rely heavily on fruits and vegetables which are up to 90% water. Eating 1000 calories worth of apples means you have to eat at least 10 medium apples. Eating 1000 calories worth of a McDonald's Big Mac means eating lunch. The fiber in the fruits in vegetables are filling, bulky and take quite a bit of time to digest.
One interesting website that gives a personal review of the top fad diets is http://www.free-fad-diets.com. The owner has tried just about every free fad diet and given them her personal ranking. She explains what the diet consists of, why it works, how long she stayed on the diet and how much weight she lost.
With any diet program, whether a free fad diet, or a traditional regime, check with your doctor before starting. A fad diet might be an interesting and relatively painless way to shed 5 pounds or so before a big event or swimsuit season.
Lots of fun information about fad diets, including the grape diet, ice cream diet and the red wine diet. Dee Power is the co-author of several nonfiction books including "The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success," "58 Ways to Find Money for Your Business, " Inside Secrets to Venture Capital" and "Attracting Capital From Angels," Read Dee's blog
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