10 Fad Diets To Never Try

Over the last few months there has been a lot of talk about the best diet. (Check out U.S. News' evaluation of 20 popular diets, for instance -- the DASH diet came out on top.) But what about those diets that didn't make the cut ... by a longshot?

While it's great to know what we should be doing to make healthy eating choices (especially since 66 percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese), it's clear that societal pressures to look a certain way (read: thin) push people to look for quick fixes to their weighty woes.

"[Sometimes] people are desperate. And that's a case in point," says Cheryl Forberg, R.D. and resident nutritionist for NBC's "The Biggest Loser." This desperation may contribute to the proliferation of "fad diets" -- those weight loss plans that spur news headlines, but do little for your health -- in the U.S.

Founding director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center and HuffPost Blogger, David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., FACPM, FACP, has a rule of thumb when it comes to assessing the validity of a diet: "If it's not something a parent can share with a child, it is apt to be a very questionable approach."

We spoke to some experts to put together a list of 10 diets that decidedly break Dr. Katz's golden rule. Are there any other diets that you think we should have included?

1 of 10

The Cabbage Soup Diet

1 of 11

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a quick fix -- you can only follow the diet plan for seven days at a time. During that week, you can only eat fruits, vegetables and, of course, cabbage soup (staying true to the diet's moniker). Although followers of this diet often do lose weight, according to Forberg, most of that loss consists of water weight. Not only will the pounds come back on easily, but ultimately, who wants to eat cabbage soup for a week?

Amazing Transplants

How To Have Healthy Summer Feet

Personality Traits Associated With Longevity

10 Scary Effects Of Stress

American Cancer Society Through The Years

10 Things We've Learned About HIV/AIDS In 2012

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a quick fix -- you can only follow the diet plan for seven days at a time. During that week, you can only eat fruits, vegetables and, of course, cabbage soup (staying true to the diet's moniker).

Although followers of this diet often do lose weight, according to Forberg, most of that loss consists of water weight. Not only will the pounds come back on easily, but ultimately, who wants to eat cabbage soup for a week?

comments(86)

Total comments: 86 | Post a Comment

1 of 11

This Diet

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Doesn't sound so bad. This is insanity!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Diets

loading...

Top 5 Diets

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Ultimately, healthy weight loss is all about finding an eating plan that is right for your needs -- and isn't just a "quick fix," but rather a lasting lifestyle change. To do this, Forberg advocates education first and foremost. When you know what you are putting into your body and why, you are more likely to follow through.

Diekman puts it succinctly: "[Fad diets] often ... set people up for failure, not achievement of a healthy body weight. The answer to achieving healthy weight loss is reduction of calories to a moderate point, proper food choices and inclusion of physical activity."

It may not be sensational -- but it works.

RELATED:

Comments

[wfjsm]

09:10 AM on 08/28/2011

Many people are very busy running a family and have no time to care for themselves,The media loves to bash these diets however I lost weight using the hcg diet,and you can star here
http://www.eloseweightinaweek.com You may want to consult a doctor before doing any diet

[StrayTalk]

10:47 AM on 07/22/2011

Yumm...cotton balls in orange juice. Who knows more about nutrition than fashion models?

[TYRANNASAURUS]

12:35 PM on 07/18/2011

10 Fad Diets To Never Try.................

SO lazy fat PEOPLE................THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DIET......any doctor will tell you free of charge.....EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE.

[nidealist]

10:07 AM on 07/23/2011

Fat does not mean lazy. Many people are very busy running a family and have no time to care for themselves. I know many people who are overweight and they are very accomplished. Gaining weight has to do with eating more calories than you burn off. Not all activities, jobs or whatever keeps us busy, burns a lot of calories. And not everyone has the same metabolism. And then it costs more to eat healthier foods. The juicing diet I was watching on TV says it is ONLY around $450.00 month. I spend $650.00 on food for my entire family, how am I going to spend an extra 450.00 for myself.

I know, I know it comes down to what you put in your mouth. But if over time you have neglected yourself, being too busy with work and kids and home, and husband, it is easy over time for the pounds to add up. And it does not take binging to gain wieght. Many times it is the more convenient foods, unfortunately, they are higher in calories.

Don't be so quick to judge people. It is by far much easier to gain a pound than to lose a pound.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

10:26 AM on 07/23/2011

Many people are very busy running a family and have no time to care for themselves

They sure have time for themselves when they want to go out and meet someone new.....the excuse of no time to care for themselves is crap.... it takes very little time...it's all about if you really care for yourself and the people around you.

[DrP]

12:40 PM on 07/16/2011

Worst fad diet (not mentioned in this article):
The USDA food pyramid introduced in 1980
That is the date when the obesity rate in the US started it's climb.

[Hope Richardson]

01:08 AM on 07/16/2011

Can't help but feel you'd have to be pretty stupid to try most of these. But you know, I did hear of this wondrous diet called "eating-gross-but-healthy-foods-and-exercise" plan. Sounds like a scam though.

[garystartswithg]

01:51 PM on 07/15/2011

The French eat (and drink) socially. You chat in between bites, you eat until you are sated instead of eating until you are a gorged pig. I get so tired of "the French" as a an elusive set of dieters, they aren't. What they don't do is sit in front of their tv and gorge themselves. Its not rocket science.

[onlyThis]

11:58 AM on 07/15/2011

Eat REAL food, mostly vegetables, in moderate amounts, drink plenty of water and get moderate exercise. That is a diet for life.

[williamg]

07:23 PM on 07/14/2011

Cotton balls are delicious!!

Just kidding.

[onlyThis]

11:59 AM on 07/15/2011

Mmmm...cotton balls.

[ScritchfieldRD]

06:27 PM on 07/14/2011

Usually I don't get shocked by diet scams, but the air diet and cotton balls? Come on. The bottom line is what changes can you live with? 30% of people seeking treatment for weight loss actually have binge eating disorder -- and the science is strong between dieting and deprivation leading to binges. Look up the books: Crave and Health at Every Size and Rethinking Thin.

Eating well is about meeting your nutrition needs and that happens when you eat a variety of foods. Minimal processed foods. Foods that make you feel good and you can tolerate digestively.

However saying Atkins or Paleo "works" is simply a false testimony. At best it is a plan that boosts a person's confidence and may have cleaned up a junk food diet, but sweet potatoes don't kill you. Greek yogurt doesn't kill you. Lentils don't kill you.

Your diet just might.

[Alexsmiffy]

07:29 PM on 07/14/2011

I was always hungry. I could eat 2000 calories of carb heavy foods, didn't matter if they were whole grains, sweet potatoes or candy, I would feel stuffed and yet still want to eat more. You may call it a binge eating disorder but I call it too many carbs. Once I cut way down, under 20 grams, all problems with hunger went away. I can once again trust my hunger and satiety cycles. I eat when hungry, stop when satisfied and never need snacks.. I usually go 4-10 hours between meals and don't even think about food in between. The problem is carbs and only carbs, I am not mentally or emotionally ill, I just can't eat grains and starches. Say what you will but this (LCHF) works and it is healthy. I know they teach all dietitians that carbs are essential and to push the eating of them but they are a huge problem for many, many people and can be blamed for the rising levels of diabetes, obesity and heart disease. I read recently that a dietitian named Hope Warshaw recommends that diabetics eat up to 65% of calories as carbohydrates and then rely on meds to cover the inevitable blood sugar spike after each meal..I found this advice shocking! It is well known that diabetics can reduce their need for meds and control their blood sugars eating low carb. A sweet potato may no kill me but it diminishes my quality of life!

[DrP]

12:41 PM on 07/16/2011

My daughter was a binge-eater/bulemic until she finally saw the light and went paleo/low-carb. The new diet also eliminated depression and insomnia.

[craftycrow]

12:00 PM on 07/14/2011

I'm seriously thinking about this baby food diet. I have a condition that prevents me from eating meat and some other foods. I have horrible digestion problems, and baby food would probably be easier for me to eat.

[Quest2011]

01:42 PM on 07/14/2011

Different approaches work for different people. We all have different health and metabolism issues. I cannot process carbohydrates without getting indigestion. Atkins works great for me. Which is why I hate articles that make sweeping assumptions

[Fudgefase]

03:22 PM on 07/14/2011

I liked how the blurb said it would take 'half the pleasure from eating'. That would only help a dieter, surely?

[craftycrow]

11:59 AM on 07/14/2011

Cotton balls?!

[Fudgefase]

03:23 PM on 07/14/2011

The mind boggles, doesn't it? But strangely enough, models are happy to comply....

[nidealist]

10:21 AM on 07/23/2011

Tapeworms?!

[TRene11]

11:06 AM on 07/14/2011

Some of these diets are down right scary.

Stick to a good balance of nutrition, watch your portion sizes, and regularly exercise.

[Quest2011]

01:43 PM on 07/14/2011

Doesn't work for people with metabolic disorders. Those are most obese people

[DrP]

12:45 PM on 07/16/2011

I would agree, except that I have just come around to the thinking that carbohydrate intolerance is not a metabolic disorder, but is actually the norm, since it affects around 75% of us to some degree. Those who have evolved to handle the high-carbohydrate load of the modern diet are in the minority. For those of us, the majority of humans, who can't handle carbohydrates, a balanced diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs.

[Quest2011]

08:18 AM on 07/14/2011

I am on the HCG diet and it does work even though I eat 1200 calories instead of 500. You can test your urine to see if you are burning fat with Ketone strips. Mine test positive every morning. I only tried this diet after having no success with eating healthy and working out 6 times a week and not losing a pound. Some of us have slow metabolism and need additional help.

[SW84]

09:12 AM on 07/14/2011

"am on the HCG diet and it does work even though I eat 1200 calories instead of 500."

it works because of calories restriction, just as any diet that does. no need to go to extremes and cut out any foods or consume such a low amount of calories. ideally you want o consume about 10-20% less then your TDEE

[Quest2011]

01:40 PM on 07/14/2011

Everything including lifestyle changes work due to calorie restriction. When you cut out pizza and burgesrs and eat more veggies and fruits that is exactly what you are doing

[katmeyster]

09:01 PM on 07/14/2011

I'm pretty sure Quest2011 said he/she eats more calories -- 1200 rather than 500. If you read the amazing book by Gary Taubes Good Calories, Bad Calories -- who has followed the research from the very beginning -- you will realize that calories in, calories out is just ridiculous junk science. We all have very unique bodies with different physiologies and metabolisms. Bodies aren't test tubes and you just can not apply the calorie restriction method -- the science doesn't back it up.

[Jon Burr]

01:46 AM on 07/14/2011

The reason the grapefruit diet and cabbage soup diets became popular is that they work, albeit not for long. More recent research is showing that cruciferous raw vegetables have weight-loss inducing components, and grapefruit is potent enough to cause conflicts with Lipitor and other drugs. One person formerly in a trial for one of the cholesterol drugs told me she was told not to eat grapefruit because it mimicked the action of the drug... so there is something to it. I've lost the last 20 stubborn pounds by incorporating grapefruit and raw cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, into my diet - thus replacing macronutrient and calorically dense foods I might have eaten otherwise. This is sustainable, and not a "diet." These foods work. The trick is to find ways to habituate using them in a tasty and varied diet of whole fresh foods.

[Hcg Plan]

08:43 PM on 07/13/2011

Some diets don't work while some do. The media loves to bash these diets however I lost weight using the hcg diet.I also know many others who have had success. Its not for everyone so do your research and see if its for you. You can start here www.hcgplan.net
You may want to consult a doctor before doing any diet.

[Quest2011]

08:19 AM on 07/14/2011

I lost weight on it too. It is prescribed by doctors