Many times in our lives, we get the choice to achieve something through hard work and perseverance….or to take the easy scenic route instead. When it comes to sustainable weight loss, specifically, taking the scenic route is never the right option. To attain a healthy, strong body, only hard work and dedication will get you there.
But sometimes, we can’t help but go to extreme measures to achieve our weight loss goals-we’re only human, after all.
Below are 5 examples of diets that were once popular (in part to their too-good-to-be-true concepts) but have been proven to be anything but effective (and best to avoid trying out altogether!)
1. The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet
Apple cider vinegar is a natural tonic known for its many health benefits (healing a cold, stuffy nose, hiccups and indigestion for starters) but one of its most well known perks is its ability to aid in weight loss. Apple cider vinegar can help suppress your appetite and increase your metabolism, making it a popular kitchen staple. However, the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet requires a person to drink 3 glasses of apple cider vinegar with cayenne pepper and honey a day.
While a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar can prove to be highly beneficial for your overall health, 3 glasses of this drink is more likely to be determinantal to your body. The level of acidity a person ingests in 3 glasses could be potentially dangerous and lead to digestive pain, nausea, teeth erosion, bone loss and low potassium levels. Avoid making this your go-to drink and stick to a maximum of 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar a day for optimum benefits.
2. The Tapeworm Diet
This one is pretty insane. There is a diet in existence that consists of people ingesting a real live tapeworm in order to spare themselves calories.The tapeworm supposedly feeds on the food a person eats before it’s absorbed into the body. This fad diet was one of the first of its time, dating back all the way to the 1800s!
Having a parasite living in your body is very risky to begin with. You can’t know for sure the tapeworm won’t move to other parts of the body and relocation in a new area of the body can lead to several side effects that include nausea, diarrhea, headaches and in extreme cases, stomach pain and death. A tapeworm isn’t easy to remove either. Besides all of those factors, having a tapeworm live inside your body for too long can also lead to severe malnutrition.
3. The Military Diet
The Military Diet became very popular last year as bloggers found out about the diet that allows you to eat hot dogs for a meal. Yes, really. The Military Diet doesn’t actually have any ties to the military; it simply consists of a strict 3 day meal plan followed by 4 days of normal eating.
The Military Diet focuses on eating small quantities of high fat food, something that might prove to have more negative results than positive.
The Military Diet’s fat burning combinations don’t have any scientific merit and the 3 days a person spends eating small quantities of food are likely to make you feel more hungry than satisfied. Your better option is to stick to a well balanced diet plan that doesn’t require you to go hungry or avoid entire food groups.
4. The Baby Food Diet
This one is exactly what you imagine it to be. The baby food diet consists of eating mainly pureed baby food that you can find in grocery stores. Baby food is essentially mashed fruits, vegetables and meats, and provides infants with the nutrition they need when they don’t have the teeth yet to chew solid foods. While not harmful on its own, many supporters of the baby food diet replace 1-2 meals of regular meals with jarred baby food.
The amount of nutrients and calories in a jar of mashed mush may be enough to sustain a baby, but it’s definitely not enough for a fully-grown adult. The baby food diet is unhealthy because it deprives individuals of the recommended nutrient and calorie intake per day, causing the body to go into starvation mode and actually prevent a person from losing weight.
5. The Low Fat Diet
There are many versions of this type of diet available and they’re all comprised of the same low fat meal plans that lead to cravings and hunger pains. There’s nothing wrong about being mindful about fat- the thing to keep to remember is that fat isn’t the bad guy.
When you avoid fat, your mind starts to crave low fat carbohydrates like pretzels, crackers and white bread- foods that lead to a rapid blood sugar crash and even more cravings. Change it up and choose foods that actually have a healthy fat intake (e.g- plain yogurt with fruit or fresh salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing) to feel satisfied and notice results.
Conclusion
Most effective diets are ones that combine healthy eating and regular exercise to get the results you want. Fad diets or meal plans with a central focus on one food group aren’t an effective long term solution and they certainly don’t consider your overall health. No amount of food deprivation or binge eating will get you the results you want. Your best bet is a well-balanced meal plan, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Good luck!
