Why do so many fad diets seem to fail long term?
The majority of fad diets are basically low calorie diets which normally work for most people when they first start using them. The problems arise later. There’s a lot of factors that are going on here that cause problems, but I’m not going to go into any depth, I’m just going to point out one of the main reason why in a very simplistic way.
When you first cut calories you start losing weight because your metabolism is at a speed that matches your previous calorie intake, but as time goes on, your body realises that you now have a lower calorie intake and in a bid to survive long term, the body slows the metabolism to match the new, now lower intake. Usually your weight loss will then stall and to lose further weight, you have to reduce calories again, and the cycle repeats itself. Not only is this bad news for the body in general, but when you increase your calories at all at this point, your metabolism is too slow to burn the extra for energy and is also desperate to replace the fat (stored energy) that it had to use in what it saw as a famine. The result is that you usually put the weight back on and a bit more just for good measure.
So why are these diets so popular?
Generally clever marketing, whether it be off the back of celebrities, excitement created by the media desperate for stories or companies creating weight loss communities that people can feel a part of. People feel happier walking with a crowd, even if the crowd is walking in the wrong direction. Another reason why a lot of people use these diets is because they initially only see the short term effects, which is usually people losing weight. They ignore the aftermath when the weight is regained and assume it was something they’ve done wrong, not that the diet is flawed.
The message here is, DO NOT use fad/low calorie diets. Sell your strengths and buy your weaknesses, if you want to lose weight, hire a professional who will put you on a healthy, sustainable plan.
