It’s the end of January; how many of you have stuck to your New Year’s resolutions? Odds are if you’re like the majority of the population, your answer is no.  Sad but true, by the end of January less than 64 percent of those who made a New Year’s has stuck with it. And guess what topped the list of 2014 New Year’s resolutions? If you guessed weight loss you are absolutely right. Weight loss and weight loss products are a multi-billion dollar market. Come December and January, everyone becomes a “nutrition expert” (I use that term loosely).  I don’t know about you but I am up to my eyeballs with weight loss ads and those selling weight loss supplements, claiming they have the magic bullet and will guarantee weight loss, or better yet, make you “High School Skinny.” Not one of those ads mentions anything about health or becoming healthy, they are only concerned with lassoing you in and taking your money.

So before you fall prey to another “fad” diet let’s look at what make a fad diet a fad.

The definition of a fad diet is any weight loss program or aid that promises to produce dramatic weight loss in a very short amount of time. The basis of these diets is usually a very restricted diet that may even eliminate certain food groups altogether.

Research has shown that in order to obtain the amount of nutrients our body needs on a daily basis we must consume a balanced and varied diet. Fad diets do not allow consumers to eat a well-balanced diet in most cases, which causes the lack of nutrients to the body. In particular, the diets that eliminate certain foods from a person’s diet completely put the person at risk for nutrient deficiencies. Many of the diet authors will suggest that consumers take daily supplements to make up for the lost nutrients; however supplements do not provide all the plant chemicals and nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. Another risk of these diets is that they produce rapid weight loss but do not teach the person about long-term weight management. There is also a misconception portrayed by the diet authors that there is no need to increase your amount of physical activity for weight loss to occur. Many of these diets actually increase your risks for certain diseases in the long-term, which does not occur with normal weight loss. Finally, these fad diets are often short lived because the person becomes bored eating the same things all the time, this may cause a person to use multiple diets, which can actually alter their metabolism. The constant use of diets will actually slow the person’s metabolism down and make it easier for them to regain the weight once the extreme diet is stopped. Most of the weight lost using a fad diet is water and muscle mass, so the weight is easily regained once the diet is stopped.

The following list was published by the American Heart Association on ways to spot a FAD diet.

• Blames weight gain on things like blood type, personality, hormones or toxins in food.

• Carries no warnings for individuals with health problems to seek medical advice before                           beginning the plan

• The diet is used to sell a product, such as herbal weight-loss pills or a specific food.

• Doesn’t address the need for portion control

• Doesn’t allow freedom and flexibility

• Doesn’t recommend or include physical activity

• Encourages unlimited consumption of certain foods

• Forbids or limits certain foods

• Ignores individual differences in weight loss

• Lists good and bad foods

• Must combine certain foods in each meal

• Must pay a good amount of money to get results

• Promises a “quick fix” with little to no effort

• Rapid weight loss, more than 2 pounds a week

• Requires you to purchase a certain product

• Simple conclusions drawn from complex studies

• Sounds too good to be true

• Uses testimonials or case studies to show results

If any of this sounds familiar, my advice to you is RUN. Run as far away from it as you can and seek guidance from a credentialed professional such and a registered dietitian.

Lisa Eisele, RD, CSO, LD is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. She also holds a Board Certification as a Specialist in Oncology Nutrition. Lisa and her partner Stacy Paine, RD, LD own Oconee Nutrition Consultants, LLC. Both Lisa and Stacy are also Certificated Specialist in Adult Weight Management. 706-473-5801