Weight is a topic that consistently affects the lives of people young and old. Societal views of what healthy looks like often fuels people to take drastic steps in changing their lifestyles to fit within those standards. Humans are constantly looking for ways of self-improvement, which often leads to the thought of dieting. Since diets are typically the first step people take, being introduced to a new style of eating can often times be very tricky. Clever businessmen take the opportunity to create new diets that promise to melt away fat and magically make a person healthy because everyone wants to fit within society’s standard of good looking. To a newbie dieter, these kinds of diets catch the eye, and are easy to buy into. To prevent dieters from buying into fads, and ending up disappointed when the results promised are not actually seen, a person must be educated on macronutrients, and how eating patterns can change the body for better or worse. While not all diets are considered fads that end up fading or failing, people should be educated on how to spot a fad, and recognize the health benefits and complications that all diets may impose on the body. 

William Banting brought dieting, for the specific purpose of weight loss and a change in lifestyle, to life in 1863. He was not satisfied with his weight, and in order to eliminate inches from his waistline, he created a meal plan that prohibited the consumption of starch and sugars, and was centered around consuming the necessary amount of protein, veggies, fruits, and dry wine in every meal (Luke). This diet consisted of four meals per day, which may have inspired the popular Atkins diet (low-carbohydrate diet) many decades later. 

Fad diets have existed since ancient history when Olympic athletes believed shots of vinegar would help them fit the societal views of an athlete by boosting their metabolism, and prevent extra fat from being stored within the body (Nacamulli). A fad diet is marketed as a weight loss program that guarantees significant weight loss results within a short period of time, but does not help the dieter keep weight off for a long period of time. These fads typically use testimonials as support because many of them have no scientific research or background proving that they work. 

The Gluten-Free diet is arguably one of the most popular trends in society. A large amount of people are beginning to look at buying only gluten free products. The media and the food industry has blamed many issues such as Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes on the consumption of gluten. America has more processed foods than almost all the other countries in the world which means many of those products that contain gluten, also contain other chemicals and preservatives that effect absorption rate, the intestines, and the colon. Most often, the preservatives and chemicals cause bloating and irritability, but gluten is blamed as the culprit.  According to The New York Times contributor, Elissa Altman, “Many gluten-free eaters who don't have celiac disease feel they can also avoid discomfort by avoiding wheat” (Cadenhead, pg161-163). All in all, people begin to feel better when cutting gluten laden products from their diet because when they become more conscious about products containing gluten, they also cut many processed foods out of their diets as well. Gluten is not the enemy, it contains beneficial components that promote heart health and balance, and provide energy and Vitamin B to the body (Cadenhead, pg161-163). Cutting out gluten without medical recommendation can actually be harming and ridding the body of necessary nutrients. Hopping on the gluten free bandwagon has become an easy out for people looking to blame their poor nutritional decisions on something other than themselves. Buying and preparing processed foods is much easier and cost effective than cooking with whole grains, and natural foods. Eliminating gluten for the fun of it, can be detrimental to one’s health, and medical advisement is necessary prior to eliminating a major component to a healthy life just because of how it has been portrayed.

Another up and coming fad diet known as the military diet, is extremely intense and restrictive which is why a few people have been fearful to try it out. Due to its restrictive nature, it is not appealing to people looking for an easy way to help them lose weight. However, this diet sparks enormous interest in true health buffs within the fitness world because it cuts caffeine out completely1, and limits portion sizes to very minimal amounts of food. Since this diet is so intense, it can only be followed for three consecutive days, throughout the course of one week (Yanyi).  Malia Frey stated in her review of the diet, “This is NOT a three day diet. There are no days off,” this means that during the three days “on”, a meal plan is laid out for the dieter meal by meal. On the days “off” the dieter can eat foods they are used to such as rice, beans, pork, etc. but still have to remain within the targeted caloric goal. The calorie count is very minimal with “on” days beginning at 1400 calories consumed and ending at 1100 on the third day, days “off” are allotted 1500 calories (Frey).  The military diet has been proven to work due to the fact your body is not used to eating the highly limited foods the diet plans out for those three days.

1Cutting caffeine out of a diet is becoming popular within the health industry due to the fact it forces the body to run on energy gained from natural foods being consumed. This concept could transform into a diet because lasting results have been seen after eating whole foods without added caffeine for a short period of time. The dieter will eliminate caffeine from their diets for a short period of time, and repeat it every month or two. 

 Foods such as black coffee, cottage cheese, canned tuna, and plain wheat toast are not the standard go-to foods when you’re starving. Although sticking to this meal plan requires strong willpower to stay true to it, if successful, then tremendous results will be seen. Even though this particular diet works if the dieter sticks to it, it is important to understand what each individual body needs before joining in on a random diet. This diet works to increase your metabolism to break down foods your body typically isn’t used to processing (Frey). In this specific diet, weight loss is more common due to the consumption of food that activates the metabolism, and the extremely low caloric intake target.

Fat Burners are considered supplements which are used to enhance the natural process of weight loss through diet and exercise Fat burners are among the most unnecessary products circulating throughout the health industry because without sufficient exercise and clean eating, they do not effectively increase the rate at which the metabolism works. They are not meant to do all the work and magically melt fat away, but give the body an extra boost in furthering results. Fat Burners target the extra fat your body doesn’t need, so when a person’s diet is filled with junk foods that don’t fuel the body, the fat burners burn away the excess calories most  recently consumed before targeting the unnecessary fat stored within the body (Clark). Fat Burners can help give your body a boost if used with healthy diet and exercise, but cannot be expected magically transform the body simply on their own. 

Many times, a calorie is often promoted to be just a calorie in the sense that all calories are created equally. In all actuality, calories have different compositional structures which are broken down and absorbed by the body in different ways. Macronutrients are the “daddies” of calories which means that fats, proteins and carbohydrates all account for different amounts of calories per gram, and are absorbed by the body at different rates (Braff). When beginning a diet and trying to stick to it, it is necessary to be careful of consuming empty calories, or calories from foods that won’t keep you full for very long, or don’t have much nutritional value. Jellybeans or potato chips could be an example of foods that contain empty calories. They taste great, and keep getting eaten, but after a while, people are still hungry even though they have just consumed a high number of calories. Sometimes dieters get lost in the saying “a calorie is a calorie,” no matter where that calorie is coming from. It is necessary to examine the origin of a calorie because you don’t want your body to be taking in too many calories from fat. Many diets that promote eating whatever you want by still losing weight typically put a limit on how much quantity of food you are allotted due to the higher caloric value of the specific type of food. Eating foods with high caloric values ultimately reverses weight loss due to the fact the caloric deficit needed to lose weight over a long period of time, is eliminated. 

People tend to think they will either lose every inch of fat on their body, or magically reach their perfect goal weight if they participate in total fasting. Fasting in its purest nature is simply going a long period of time without eating any food at all. The main reason of weight loss in fasting is diuresis: the process in which the glycogen stores found in the liver and various muscles excrete a solute of intracellular fluid because the body is only consuming the necessary amount of starch (Bray). Typically, people who fast for long periods of time, are shooting to lose about three pounds per week. When people begin losing upwards of three pounds a week, lean muscle mass is included in the dropping numbers displayed on the scale (Clark). Losing lean muscle mass can confuse the dieter because muscle weighs more than fat, and when extreme weight loss occurs, not every pound shed is solely fat. Once people’s dropping weight begins to slow, they begin to put weight back on because their metabolism has caught up with their bodies. 

 Intermittent fasting is known as a pattern of eating that restricts the intake of foods/beverages containing calories for typically sixteen hours (Dubost). This type of diet allows you to keep the desired caloric intake goal, but those calories must be consumed within an eight-hour period. Most times when people begin this diet they will try to eat healthy, by eating whole grains, and nutritional foods such as vitamin packed veggies, rice, beans, and a large amount of protein (Dubost). Intermittent fasting allows for food to be eaten on a schedule. Food begins its digestive stage three-five hours after being consumed, which makes it very hard for the body to burn fat, when the body enters the fasted state, it can burn fat very easily because the insulin levels are low (Clear). Intermittent fasting can enhance weight loss if the dieter eats clean, nutritious food. If a dieter exercises during the fasted state, weight loss will be at its prime which can help weight loss. The main problem with intermittent fasting is when people try to eat constantly throughout the eight-hour period. Also, people think they can eat any type of food which can hinder their ability to reach their desired results. 

Fats and carbohydrates are critical components necessary for healthy working bodies. Many diets advertise that either fats, or carbs are the sole reason people are obese. Fats get the reputation of causing socially unattractive features such as muffin tops or love handles, while carbs are blamed for people being bloated, or not being able to fit into their skinny jeans. People are quick to believe marketing strategies that paint fats and carbs as the devil, simply because they’re easy to blame. Fats have many purposes within the body, and trying to rid yourself of every inch of fat can have devastating effects on your body. Carbohydrates are the body’s first source of energy, carbs are not the enemy, however, not all carbohydrates are created the same, nor do they have the same effects. 

Low-Carbohydrate diets draw attention because they tend to help people lose weight right off the bat, which in many cases is all the dieter is concerned with. Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that provide the body with its first source of energy. By lowering the intake of carbohydrates, it forces the body to convert the excess fat being stored for energy. This can be stressful for the body, and can damage a person’s health if not enough energy is being produced from the fat. For this reason, it is common that people on low-carb diets tend to be moodier, and more tired. People who are uneducated about carbohydrates tend to believe there is no difference within the carb family. Carbs come in two forms, simple and complex, which are absorbed at different rates by the body. 

Being misinformed when it comes to health is a major problem that could potentially lead to a domino effect of other problems. Food should have one main purpose: to fuel the body. With that being said, it is rare that people eat to simply give their body what it needs, rather than splurging on yummy delicacies more often than not. Eating comfort foods can be very helpful in maintaining one’s mindset, and not being so overwhelmed and defeated by not eating any of the foods they truly enjoy. Flexible dieting refers to an eating style in which most of the time you eat clean foods that promote the body, while occasionally enjoying a slice of pie to keep your sweet tooth happy. People who follow this pattern of eating typically stay committed longer, see better long- term results, and often have an overall more positive outlook on their bodies. Progress slows when people restrict themselves from eating anything unhealthy at all which leads to mental depletion and an ultimate relapse of a diet.  

While not all diets are considered fad diets, many of them exist to catch the eye of weight loss hopefuls, and others truly want people to be healthy. Even if certain diets are not trying to take your money, you must be educated in how they will affect your body in the long run. If there is no true science behind the diet, then odds are, it isn’t truly the best for your body. Eliminating entire food groups or macronutrients is never the answer. It is important to remember that not one specific diet fits the needs of every individual body. Diets should not be looked at as a “one size fits all” ordeal. Just as each person likes different things, each body needs different components to keep it healthy and functioning properly. Each person needs to learn what types of foods fuel their bodies and how many calories are suitable for desired weight loss goals. Reasonable goals should be set and maintained over a long period of time rather than one big goal that focuses on short term success. Diets can be successful if used to promote overall healthy living/eating and not just immediate weight loss. Clean eating is the most important component to truly see the best results over time. Staying on track while trying to diet can make or break a person’s weight loss journey. 
