Trainer Tuesdays: In Light of the Halloween Season, What is the Scariest Fad Diet That You Have Come Across?

Trainer Tuesdays

Welcome back to the weekly edition on Trainer Tuesdays. Make sure to check in at our blog every Tuesday evening to learn the expertise of our great staff. Aside from being fantastic exercise coaches, they are also extremely knowledgeable in many aspects of health and fitness; so, it's time that you get to know them a little better! Each week, we will post a frequently asked, or sometimes just a fun fitness related question followed by the answers of each of the trainers at Fitness Together Brecksville.

In Light of the Halloween Season, What is the Scariest Fad Diet That You Have Come Across?

Kerry Fairchild: The scariest fad diet I have ever come across was a "shedding for the wedding" diet.  This diet promised you would lose two dress sizes in two months.  It was a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) that prescribed 500-600 total calories for the bride.   Why is this so scary?  At this calorie deficit, many of the body's organ systems begin to deteriorate.  The muscles begin to cramp and atrophy, fatigue sets in, skin can break down, hair becomes thin, nails become brittle, the heart can become irregular, gallstones may develop, moodiness and irritability are common.  Sounding more like the Bride of Frankenstein?  And while this VLCD gets results, is it sustainable?  No.  Typically within weeks of "finishing" the prescribed diet, dieters will regain everything they lost and more.  Only now they have a slower metabolism and a lot of lost muscle to rebuild.   Talk about the honeymoon being over!

There is a place in nutritional care for Very Low Calorie Diets, but dropping a dress size isn't one of them.  A VLCD is meant to be a medically supervised weight loss program designed for those whose health risks of being severely obese outweigh the risks of near starvation.  

Adam Teplitz: There's definitely no shortage of outrageous and scary fad diets out there. The one that stands out the most would have to be the feeding tube diet.  It's called the KE diet and promises that you'll lose 20 pounds in 10 days. It was originally sold to brides to be as a quick way to lose weight. It involves inserting a feeding tube into the nose that runs to the stomach. Downright scary.
The dieter is fed a slow, steady drip of protein and fat, adding up to 800 calories per day. No carbs. The fact that there's zero carbs is an automatic red flag.
 

Fad diets are extremely overrated and dangerous. Losing weight the healthy way comes down to eating in moderation and making clean choices.

Monika Cotter: The scariest diet I have ever come across is called the Five Bite Diet. It was created by Dr. Alwin Lewis who claims a person can lose up to 15 lbs. in one week. This diet is supposed to be as if the person just had a gastric bypass surgery. The diet is exactly as the name suggests…the person can eat whatever they want but they can only have 5 bites of it twice a day for lunch and dinner. Dr. Lewis suggests for breakfast a cup of coffee and a multi-vitamin is consumed. A person on this diet will usually consume under 800 calories per day which can be very dangerous. I would never suggest anyone to try this diet but to stay as far away from it as possible. The best diet is no diet at all; but to eat well-balanced meals with lots of fruits, veggies and lean protein.

Steven Madden: Here we go, right off the bat, I don't like detox diets.  Detox diets cover a wide array of ideas, but I don't like them.  They call for extreme diets that have you consume too much of a food that may do something like flushing the liver, kidneys, and colon.  It's just bad for you and represents a case of not understanding what your body does.

Yes, the liver is full of toxins, but that's it job.  It takes the toxins out of your body.  You don't need to somehow flush it because that is what it always does.  Eating a lot of something that will supposedly flush it, won't actually aid in the process.  Same with the kidneys.  I've had kidney stones before, and everyone wants to tell you what to do to prevent them and flush out your kidneys.  Only a doctor has ever told me to drink water and avoid excess calcium (70% of kidney stones are made of calcium).  The point is that for healthy kidneys, it's not about consuming more of something, but actually less of something.

Then there's the colon.  So many myths about how long certain waists stay in there, and why you should detox in some way.  All food passes at more or less the same rate, but if you do want to aid this process, add a little more vegetable fiber to your diet.  That's all.  Don't drink some disgusting liquid three times a day for a week while only eating peaches.  That's not a cleanse, that's diarrhea, and that isn't healthy either.

When focusing on detox foods, you are missing a lot of the other nutrients your body needs.  Dr. Pamela Peeke points out that, "[y]our body is well equipped with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and the immune system, to rid itself of potential toxins and does an excellent job of cleansing itself without needing flushes or cleanses."

Lisa Clark: While I am not a fan of fad diets, I feel there are no "get skinny quick" fixes out there that are healthy, safe and effective. I have to say the tapeworm diet is in my opinion the scariest diet of all times. The premise behind the diet being that if you swallow a tablet with a tape worm inside it attaches to your stomach using "suckers" and it feeds on the food you have eaten. Therefore being able to eat what you want and without reducing calories you will still lose weight. The tapeworm works its way through your digestive system and eventually is "eliminated" it was reported to be a very unpleasant experience both mentally and physically. Another issue with this diet aside from the unpleasantness, is it tapeworms her know to not always stay in the stomach. It was possible for them to deviate from the stomach into other parts of your body through your bloodstream, even into your brain where the results could be deadly. Tapeworms also do not eat just calories, but your nutrients as well leaving you with possible vitamin deficiencies. The list goes on as far as other side effects to this diet, however I think you can see why I feel the tapeworm diet is the scariest diet I have ever heard of.

Taynee Pearson: Most FAD diets out there aren't that  effective especially in long run. Most weight lost due to following a FAD diet, is mostly water weight. Once a person gets off a FAD diet and eats normally, they put all the weight they lost back on. One of the scariest FAD diets, is the Atkins diet. You know this diet can't be good for you if you are allowed to eat straight fat and protein and barely any carbs. First off your body needs carbs as carbs and protein work hand in hand. Protein is excellent for the body but too much protein won't be utilized by the body. A diet high in fat is never good, it can cause cholesterol problems which could lead to heart disease. A well balanced diet based on high protein, low fat and carbs is the best for your body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will benefit you in the future instead of following a FAD diet for a short period of time.

Bronson Rotaru: I found that the Atkins diet was scary. Encouraging all the high fat and high cholesterol foods is awful. The Atkins is a example of something that may help one today while risking your future health. All around it is a horrible diet. Your body 100% needs carbohydrates to function properly. Boooo to the Atkins diet. It is good to stay away from fad diets they are quick fixes. The best way to loose weight and keep it off is to do it the right way, and that takes time.

Kelly Bailey: Everyone is looking for the magic bullet that will help them lose weight. "New" diets are unveiled every day that promise quick weight loss, increased energy, more youthful appearance, and increased longevity. I think one of the most troubling diet fads that have become popular in the last few years are juice diets and cleanses. It is true that if you can stick with one of these long enough (which is extremely tough to do), you will lose weight simply due to the fact that these diets are typically very low in calories. But much of the weight lost will be fluid. In addition, it is likely you will lose muscle along with any fat that is lost, which will decrease your metabolic rate in the long term. If you are disciplined enough to actually stick with one of these diets, you will be disappointed when you return to your normal diet. It is likely you will regain the weight, and possibly then some!

Remember that the best way to lose weight and reach your fitness goals is to stick with an eating plan that works for you, and one that can be maintained long term. Diets that eliminate whole food groups, are too low in calories, or make claims that seem far-fetched are probably best avoided.

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