Fad Diets Don't Provide Weight Loss Success
A BYU professor exposed several myths surrounding fad diets and weight loss in an Education Week class on Wednesday called Finding Fat: Facts, Fads, and Fallacies.
The fad diet epidemic started back in 1820 when consumers caught on to the oil and vinegar diet, said Diana McGuire, a nutritionist and the professor who led the class. Weight conscious consumers have pushed the market for the fad-dieting craze, but often overlook its unrealistic nature.
McGuire said the media has had a large influence on the spread of fad diets and the idea that "skinny is healthy." When Barbie came out at the beginning of the baby boomer generation, it was the first doll to represent an adult woman's figure.
"But not a true adult female figure," McGuire pointed out. Comparing Barbie to an average woman in proportion, McGuire showed her audience an average woman's waist circumference measures about 31 inches while Barbie's is around 16.
Even men face the unrealistic image of good looks, she said, like giving young boys action figures like Batman whose biceps are about the size of his waist.
"Thin does not necessarily mean healthy," McGuire said. "The number-one concern is optimal nutrition."
In a society experiencing problems of obesity, why do so many smart, logical people fall for distorted information of fad diets, she asked those in attendance.
"Because we really don't want to do what we need to do," she said in response to her question.
First, weight conscious people look for a quick fix, which fad diets are notorious for promising. Any diet that says it is possible to lose two pounds every week for more than a month is most likely a scam, she said.
Exaggerations raise hopes, she said, but told people to remember if any of the diets actually worked, there wouldn't be so many new ones coming out. She said the number of diets adds to the nutritional confusion Americans often experience.
Another contributor is lack of motivation to prepare healthy meals or exercise. These days food is so readily available, McGuire said, it's easier to just go out for a hamburger.
Dealing with nutrition most of her life, McGuire said even a 10 percent weight loss will increase health benefits, but that's not what people want and that is when fad dieting comes in.
It is "scientifically impossible" not to cut calories or increase exercise and still trim unwanted inches, she said. Cycling through a few of the most popular heath specialist-reviewed fads of this generation, McGuire discredited a number of false claims.
Cleansing diets are believed to remove toxins, she said, but "to someone who is a health professional, the words toxins is meaningless." The body is designed to remove harmful things immediately so there is no such thing as a build up of toxins, she said.
Next she spoke of the low carbohydrate diet, which involves decreasing the amount of carbohydrates consumed to nearly nothing, then gradually increasing it to a still minute amount. The body needs about 130 grams of carbohydrates each day to run at peak performance level, including the brain, which runs on carbs and glucose, she said.
Another popular belief is that the stress hormone cortisol causes the body to have increased cravings and store extra fat around the stomach, McGuire said.
"Stress has always existed, so it cannot be the entire cause of our weight problem," she said.
Other diets similar to the raw food diet or blood type diet, have no scientific research to support their claims and those requiring supplements are most likely money scams, she said.
"Good healthy eating and a good healthy diet does not require supplements," McGuire said.
Fad dieters always gain weight back because pounds shed were just muscle or water loss, McGuire said.
"We have a problem with weight in this country," she said, and it takes long-term lifestyle changes not quick fad diets to fix it. "It takes small steps to make a difference in your health and in your weight."
She suggested maintaining a consistent eating pattern throughout the entire week, high levels of activity - about one hour each day - a low calorie/low fat diet, self monitoring weight and eating breakfast regularly to help maintain weight loss. The easiest and most solid solution for weight loss, McGuire said, is to adjust the amount of calories taken in versus the amount of calories expended.
By Ashley Anderson
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