Top 5 Fad Diets to Avoid

1) The Breatharian Diet was reportedly followed by actress Michelle Pfeiffer and is similar to Madonna’s Air Diet.People who follow this diet claim they do not need to eat or drink because they are sustained by air and sunlight alone.The British Dietetic Association says people should not attempt this diet under any circumstances as there is no evidence to suggest people can survive off oxygen and sunlight (uh...obviously) 2) The Biotyping Diet relates to six different hormone types and fat accumulation in different parts of the body and involves trying to reduce body fat through controlling hormone balance. People who follow this diet only eat certain foods in an attempt to manage their hormones to reduce fat in certain areas. The British Dietetic Association says the diet relies heavily on supplements and ‘pseudo-science’. It says people will lose weight on this diet as it restricts the intake of some foods but says it is not a healthy way to lose weight.   3) The Gluten Free Diet is said to be followed by Gwyneth Paltrow. It involves cutting out gluten - the protein found in wheat, barley and oats. The British Dietetic Association says it is important for people with celiacs disease to follow this diet and that it will lead to weight loss in other people - but that this is because they consume fewer calories. It says there is no credible evidence to suggest that eating less gluten leads to weight loss – the diet causes people to lose weight because they cut out the cakes and biscuits that contain gluten.   4) The Alcorexia, or Drunkorexia, Diet is thought to be a favourite of many top models. It involves eating very few calories and ‘banking’ them in order to binge drink at the weekends. For example, a person might eat very few calories during the week so as to ‘bank’ about 1,500 calories a day. This would mean they had 10,500 ‘saved’ calories which can be made up of drink at the weekends. The British Dietetic Association says following a very low calorie diet alone is ‘madness’ as it will mean your body does not get the vitamins and minerals it needs to function.   This unfortunate reality above is what we want to avoid! There is no magic pill, no matter how many people try and sell it to you. The key to weight loss and KEEPING the weight off is a change in lifestyle. As a celiac, I can 100% say that eating gluten-free will not cause you to lose weight alone. The "gluten-free" replacements for bread and muffins and cookies aren't healthier for you, they just taste more like cardboard so you're likely to eat fewer. What the diet WILL help you do is focus on one-ingredient foods (carrots, potatoes, broccoli, chicken, etc) and force you to cook rather than eat out. BUT...this is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change  (and to be saved for a future blog). Above all, you need to listen to your body. If you are sticking to a diet because you want to shed those last 5 pounds, but feel horrible the whole way through - as soon as your done the weight will come right back. Find something that works for you on a long term basis. We've designed our guides with this exact thought in mind. Our nutrition guide gives you modifiers and swap out foods because we KNOW not everyone likes the same foods. Click here to check out the nutrition guide. If you've got a good handle on the nutrition change, but are struggling to make the transition from journey to lifestyle, our Fat Loss For Life Guide goes beyond meal planning and delves into how to stay healthy and fit in ALL aspects of your life; your job, relationships, you name it. Click here to check out the Fat Loss For Life Guide