Buzz
Fad diets often don’t deliver, and those that promise rapid weight loss through a single, strange trick are particularly prone to failure. If you’ve tried one, don’t just jump into another fad diet. Instead, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned and create a healthier eating plan for the future.
Before diving into our tips, consider using this screening tool from the National Eating Disorders Association to assess your relationship with food and body image. NEDA also offers a helpline you can contact by phone or text.
Rewire your mindset
Every fad diet comes with a justification for why it’s the best choice for you and why it will succeed where other diets have failed. But no diet (or “eating strategy”) has a hidden formula that the others overlooked.
If you’ve been following a particular diet expert, book, or online forum for a few weeks, you’ve probably become immersed in the myths surrounding that diet. Write down some of the assumptions you’ve formed—like sugar being harmful, beans being full of anti-nutrients, or full-fat yogurt being too calorie-heavy for a balanced diet—and take a moment to check if they’re supported by scientific evidence.
The actual facts about healthy eating are simple and straightforward, such as eating vegetables and knowing there are countless ways to lower your calorie intake. You can disregard the rest.
Set achievable goals
Fad diets promise, and often achieve, faster weight loss than traditional healthy eating. While this is what makes them so tempting, it’s also a clear indication that they aren’t truly teaching you how to improve your eating habits for the long run.
The number on the scale changes from day to day, and it’s not just related to fat gain or loss. The food in your stomach weighs something; so does the water in your tissues, making you heavier when you’re more hydrated. If you consume a lot of carbs, you’ll store more glycogen and water in your muscles; if you cut carbs, you’ll lose weight from that glycogen (carb) storage. Also, if you experience a menstrual cycle, you might notice periods when you weigh more and times when you weigh less.
For all these reasons, short-term weight changes aren’t necessarily about fat. If you dropped five pounds in the first couple of weeks on a crash diet, it’s likely that little of it was actual fat—and you’re not undoing your progress if the weight comes back later.
If you lost weight rapidly over the weeks, you might have been shedding muscle mass along with fat. Muscle is crucial to overall health and to maintaining the ability to exercise, so after your diet ends or doesn’t work, it’s actually beneficial to regain that muscle if you’ve lost too much.
Start fresh
First, ask yourself if you truly need to lose weight, and why. If your reason is health-related, think about whether it might be helpful to seek professional guidance in setting realistic goals and creating a structured plan.
All weight-loss diets operate on the same principle: creating a framework that encourages you to consume fewer calories than you burn. There are countless methods to achieve this: you can meticulously count calories, cut down on specific food groups, or simply reduce portion sizes at your usual meals. Choose a strategy that resonates with you. If you notice consistent progress on the scale week after week, you’ll know it’s effective.
If you're planning to track calories or macros, we suggest using Cronometer rather than the more widely used MyFitnessPal; Cronometer's database is more accurate and its interface is far more user-friendly.
Actually include some protein in your diet.
Many diets fail to emphasize protein, yet it’s essential for your health, especially when you're trying to lose fat. Ensure you're consuming enough protein, and consider incorporating resistance training to preserve muscle mass.
Make sure to eat from all food groups.
If you're not including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein-rich foods (like meat or tofu) in your daily meals, your diet could be lacking key nutrients. For a comprehensive guide on balanced eating, visit myplate.gov instead of relying solely on yogurt and salads, or alternatively, just beef and bacon.
Form good habits.
Reflect on your previous experiences with fad diets. Were there any aspects you actually enjoyed? Not the challenging parts, but the moments when something felt easy or pleasant. Maybe you found you loved eating a lot of fruit or reduced your alcohol intake, leading to better sleep and fewer hangovers. If something works for you and brings happiness, make it a lasting habit.
However, you likely developed some bad habits on that crash diet as well. Skipping meals, for instance, or labeling certain foods as completely off-limits. Or maybe you exercised too much because you felt the need to burn calories, or not enough due to constant fatigue. Let go of the negative habits and keep the beneficial ones.
While healthy eating may not offer the same thrill as indulging in a fad diet, it will lead to greater happiness and better health over time.
