Health and Fitness Vault: Body Obsession: Why Diets Don't Work

Modern culture is flooded with body image obsession, quick fixes and hardcore media and marketing campaigns that have us believing different things all at once. In magazines we are told we should do the Atkins diet and buy this lipstick to look just like Kate Moss. Then one of the big supermarkets tells us to be careful with our money because the economy is bad so here is a two for one deal on this super sized pizza with half price full fat garlic bread. Quick weight loss is so often promoted as a healthy thing to do, but it really is not. The best way to view the word ‘diet’ is as a noun rather than a verb. A healthy eating plan is your diet, not a crash diet designed to make you lose weight quickly but not keep it off.

The medical facts
Fad diets that promote rapid weight loss only get short term results. They will lower your metabolism and cause your body to store any extra calories as fat. So when you start eating normally again after the end of the diet, the weight will come back (often more weight than you lost in the first place). Cutting out food groups (like protein, carbs, dairy etc) is not a healthy thing to do to your body as it will inevitably deprive your body of the necessary nutrients and vitamins it needs for energy and healthy function. The healthiest way to lose weight and maintain that weight loss is to change your eating habits bit by bit.

Make changes
Start by making food swaps that make a big difference: have skimmed or semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat, whole meal instead of white bread, fruit instead of sweets and water instead of fizzy sugary drinks. These changes will make you feel less bloated and sluggish and more motivated to try implementing more healthy eating habits. If you are considered very overweight by your doctors, do not go straight for the option of surgery. The rising trends of stomach stapling and gastric bypasses are another scarily invasive quick fix that will put a tremendous amount of stress and strain on your body.

Consider fast ways to lose weight in more natural ways like all-natural weight management aids as well as adopting a healthier lifestyle immediately; go for walks, take the stairs instead of the lift and cook your meals with fresh produce. Stay away from processed ready meals and high fat snacks that will give you nothing but empty calories and more inches round your waste. Fad diets may work in the short term but the results are short lived and the damage you can cause to your body can be catastrophic. Do you have any tips or fad diet stories to share?

Gavin Harvey is a fitness fanatic, travel enthusiast and nutrition expert. He blogs for Futureshape, promotes healthy living and is also a personal trainer.