8 Ways To Spot A Fad Diet And What To Do Instead
Written by: Racquel Wallen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It feels like a lot of us are constantly surrounded by these ads that say “The Ultimate Juice Cleanse for Weight Loss” or “Try This Trick to Lose 5lbs in 5 Days”.
Even when we are in the checkout line at the grocery store, these common headlines are in our face on the cover of magazines.
Are what these ads telling us true? Are they actually giving us the ultimate pathway to health?
Our society has, for a very long time, associated health with thinness, even though appearance tells us nothing about the health of a person. It is because of this that a lot of people feel pressure to pursue diet after diet hoping to achieve a physique they want.
This is where the diet industry thrives - marketing to us that in order to be happy and confident, we need to be a certain size so we buy their products in hopes they will give us the solution we are looking for.
Unfortunately, a lot (I would even argue to say all) of the products and programs they are selling to us are promoting an incredibly unsustainable way to do so.
Here are 8 ways you can spot if what it is you are consuming is a fad diet:
1. It promises quick fixes e.g. “The one thing to add to your diet to lose 10lbs in one week.”
2. It promotes “magic” foods or combinations of foods - eating one food one time or even several times will not amass to your body magically transforming.
3. It cuts out a food group (e.g keto cuts out carbs, paleo cuts out legumes, sugars, etc.)
4. It has you drastically cutting back calories - a 1200 calorie diet is way too low for an adult.
5. It has rigid rules that focus on weight loss - you should not be feeling guilty or over obsessed about what you’re eating. Also, a lot of rules in place can increase your chances of binging later on.
6. It has you replacing meals with shakes or juices - our bodies need a lot more sustenance than just liquids during the day. You may often find yourself experiencing hunger very shortly after you’ve had one and drinks often don’t provide us with all the calories we need in a day.
7. It has you ignoring your cravings and not listening to your body - our bodies always signal us when they are hungry. These feelings are not here by accident, it is our bodies way of telling us what it needs. Denying your body the fuel it needs can cause you to feel fatigued, low energy, and again, it increases your likelihood of a binge later on.
8. It has a specific eating window - our bodies don’t have an opening and closing time. Just because it’s past 7pm doesn’t mean you shouldn’t allow yourself to eat anymore.
There are still a ton of companies and people out there who promote this way of eating. Sure, a diet may give you some short-term success, but once it’s over, a lot of people fall back into old patterns and end up gaining the weight back anyway.
If you have tried diet after with no success, you might want to look into intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is all about tuning back into your body’s natural hunger cues and getting rid of the diet rules for good.
Intuitive eating is sustainable because you aren’t relying on a meal plan or exercise plan to tell you what to eat, your body is telling you what it needs. A huge reason why so many fall off the diet they are on is because they force themselves into eating foods they don’t want to or doing exercises they don’t want to. No matter what diet or exercise plan someone can assign, only you know what your body feels like at any given moment.
If you have been a dieter for a while, you may think that the intuitive eating concept is weird or scary. Those are totally normal feelings, but just know that a life without dieting is possible!
You just have to trust that your body will lead you the right way.
So if you’re ready to hop off of the yoyo dieting cycle, you can schedule a free call with me here to find out how you can go from dieting to food freedom and body acceptance in 90 days or less!
Racquel Wallen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Racquel is a body kind, Anti-Diet Coach who is passionate about solving people's body shame and food guilt and helps them destroy the belief that their self-worth comes from their body. She comes from a background of disordered eating herself and has overcome the toxic habits and thoughts she once had and now coaches others through doing the same. She educates her clients on intuitive eating principles, how to find movement they love, and dealing with negative self talk. She likes to think of it as helping people come home to their bodies again. She is proud to say that she is one of the few Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) women existing in the health/fitness industry who also takes an anti-diet approach.
