Six diets to avoid

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Sep 29th 2007 8:33PM

There are about a billion different weight-loss programs out there, so how do you narrow it down and pick the one that works for you? The experts over at Yahoo health have made it easier for you -- they've compiled this list of diets you should avoid at all costs. What made the list? well ....

Diets that promise rapid weight-loss in a short amount of time -- if it works out to more than two pounds a week, you might be putting your health at risk
Diets that use pills, supplements, creams, etc. and promise results without exercise or diet changes -- Repeat after me. There. is. no. magic. pill. It takes hard work and anyone who tells you differently is lying.
Diets that are really different from how you eat now -- You'll have trouble sticking to it if it's too far from your comfort zone
Diets that have you eating less than 1,000 calories a day -- You'll be weak, tired and cranky. It's not worth it.
Diets that claim to be easy and effortless -- see #2
Diets that cut out whole food groups -- you won't stick to it, especially long-term.

What do you think -- did they miss anything?

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Comments (6)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Melinda 10-01-2007 @ 5:13PM

Well, actually you did miss a few things. As co founder of the LoneStart Wellness Initiative (http://www.lonestartnow.com) we work with individual participants, organizations and employee groups to achieve their weight loss goals. This includes finding ways to increase physical activity (not necessarily by going to a gym or fitness facility), and ways change the behavior necessary for sustainable weight loss and long term health. This is why the LoneStart strategy is behavior-based. Unless behavior is changed, weight loss programs won't become lifestyle changes. If it's not a lifestyle change, you can count on only being a temporary "fix" at best.

Theresa Procho 10-03-2007 @ 5:31PM

I always suspected that if a diet promised two pounds or moreof weight loss weekly are dangerous. Experts keep telling the public: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is and your health will be adversely affected.

Mary 10-01-2007 @ 7:19PM

You need to eat small meals more often. I still eat the things I like but just not as much of it and I spread it out into 5 or 6 meals a day. And Melinda is right it has to be a liftstyle change or the weight will come back. Always burn more calories than you eat in a day, even if its only a little.

Tom 10-01-2007 @ 7:58PM

The more you move your ass, the smaller it gets.

garmich35 10-01-2007 @ 8:22PM

i tried a new diet , u eat nothing but chocolate till noon and then u can have anything u want ........ i went from 165 to 230 lbs in one year....but i have never been hungry and my cholesterol has never been higher !!!!!!!!

Mike 10-02-2007 @ 1:34PM

Losing weight is a highly personal matter, each of us gained their wieght all by themselves and they will lose the weight by themselves or not.
I know this reality personally, in November 2006 I weighed 309 on a 6 foot 1 inch frame.
Today I weighed 216 while on a visit to my doctor's office.
I am working towards a goal of 180-188 pounds and hope to be within that range by early 2008.
The greatest tools I have are simple, a spiral ringed 4" by 6" index card booklet that I use as a food diary to record the name, and it's caloric value of the amount that I eat.

I keep a chart of my weight that I enter every day with the total amount of calories I have eaten.
I calculate my daily food intake of calories and subtract that number (or add) from my BMR (basal metabolic rate or the amount of calories one burns for their age,sex,weight and activity level)to determine the calorie loss(or gain) for the day.
Using the knowledge that 3500 calories is basically a pound I then divide the number by 3500 to get the percentage of a pound I lost (or gained) that day.
I take that number and subtract it or add it to my previous day's weight to track my progress.
I have found this works for me.
This is only scratching the surface about what all you will learn about nutrition on one's journey to lose a great amount of weight but these tools can and will help anyone who wants to succeed in losing weight as you have created a record of the attempt and can review it at anytime to gain personal insight.
Two pounds per week of weight loss is eating 1000 calories less per day than your body requires.
People that weigh more than 100 pounds over the normal weight for their height probably will be able to lose more than 2 pounds per week without dire consequences but, they should be under some doctor's supervision as they qualify as morbidly obese.
Overall I would venture to say that a person that overweight as I was (120 lbs.) will not average losing 2 pounds per week during the entire weight loss period but the beginning most likely will average above the 2 pound mark.
I have been there, and am still on the road to my goal and then I will enter another phase of life I haven't dealt with well remaining in a healthy weight range, I think my tools for weight loss will come in handy as well as a scale that needs to be consulted daily.