Don’t fall into the fad trap.

Eleanore Gould, Community Dietician

Crash diets may promise fast weight-loss but do they really work?

Too good to be true!

Barely a week goes by without a new diet hitting the headlines. Many promise fast weight-loss but as Guernsey’s Community Dieticians, Eleanore Gould explains, faddy eating plans are not the answer for long-term weight management: “If the diet seems too good to be true, it probably is. The body can only process a certain amount of fat at a time and dramatic diets can put your bones and muscle structure in danger.” Extreme will cause your metabolism to slow down which will actually hinder your weight-loss; plus faddy eating plans are likely to leave you with no energy to get on with your day-to-day life. “Don’t be fooled by celebrities claiming to lose weight and feel great on weird eating plans. They’ll have personal trainers, time to work out and aren’t rushing to work or running around after the kids!” states Eleanore.

Five ways to spot a fad diet

1. Faddy diets often cut out whole food groups like carbohydrates or fat, or focus on a single food like grapefruit, cabbage or a ‘’. 2. If the diet promises you’ll lose more than one to two pounds a week it’s probably too calorie restrictive and won’t be sustainable. Faddy diets focus on calories and don’t mention good or a balanced approach to eating. 3. Crash diets often don’t have a properly qualified or dietician behind them. 4. Beware of celebrity endorsement or too much exposure in newspapers and magazines. Headline making diets often make unrealistic promises. 5. Faddy diets often don’t mention or help you develop good habits for a long-term lifestyle change.

The right way to lose weight

“Look for a diet that advocates slow and steady weight-loss. The right eating plans will encourage good nutrition and will also encourage you to get active and exercise more,” explains Eleanore. A good diet plan will teach you about nutrition, eating more fibre and getting your five-a-day. “Losing weight is hard, keeping if off is harder. Good diet plans help you make the right food choices for a long-term improvement in your health.”

Don’t be swayed by the headlines, when it comes to successful and sustainable weight- loss, forget the fads and choose a more common sense approach.

If you experience symptons, don’t sit on it, sort it.

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