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10 Diet Fads of the Past That Doctors Now Warn Against

May 20, 2024 | Leave a Comment

10 Diet Fads of the Past That Doctors Now Warn Against

Diet fads come and go, promising quick weight loss and improved health, but many fail to deliver sustainable results. Worse, some can be downright harmful. Over the years, numerous diet fads have gained popularity, but medical professionals later debunk them. Here are ten diet fads of the past that doctors now warn against.

1. The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet, popular in the 1930s and then again in the 1970s, claimed that eating grapefruit with every meal would burn fat quickly. This diet restricted calories to around 800-1,000 per day and emphasized grapefruit as a fat-burning food. However, doctors now warn against this fad due to its severe calorie restriction, lack of essential nutrients, and unsustainable nature. Such low-calorie intake can lead to muscle loss, metabolic slowdown, and nutritional deficiencies.

2. The Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage Soup Diet promised rapid weight loss by having individuals eat unlimited amounts of cabbage soup for seven days, along with a few other specific foods. Though it became popular in the 1950s and resurged in the 1990s, doctors now caution against it. This diet lacks balanced nutrition, is extremely low in calories, and can cause gastrointestinal distress. Additionally, any weight loss is usually water weight, which is quickly regained.

3. The Tapeworm Diet

The Tapeworm Diet

The Tapeworm Diet is one of the most extreme and dangerous diet fads. Originating in the early 1900s, this diet involved swallowing tapeworm cysts to consume some of the food you eat. While it may result in weight loss, doctors now strongly warn against it due to the severe health risks. Tapeworms can cause serious infections, malnutrition, and even death. This diet is illegal in many countries and universally condemned by medical professionals.

4. The HCG Diet

The HCG Diet

The HCG Diet involves taking human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone supplements and consuming a very low-calorie diet of around 500 calories per day. Popular in the 1950s and again in the 2000s, this diet promised rapid weight loss. Doctors now warn that the HCG Diet is not only ineffective but also dangerous. Severe calorie restriction can lead to serious health problems, and there is no scientific evidence supporting HCG’s role in weight loss.

5. The Master Cleanse

The Master Cleanse

The Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemonade Diet, was a bit of a craze. It involves consuming a specific drink for ten days. Essentially, it is a mixture of lemon juice, water, and maple syrup with a dash of cayenne pepper. Popularized in the 1940s and again in the 2000s by celebrities, this diet claims to detoxify the body and promote weight loss. Doctors now caution against it due to the lack of essential nutrients and the potential for severe electrolyte imbalances. The body naturally detoxifies itself through the liver and kidneys, making such extreme cleanses unnecessary and harmful.

6. The Low-Fat Diet

The Low-Fat Diet

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Low-Fat Diet became widely popular, with the belief that fat consumption directly led to weight gain and heart disease. This diet promoted low-fat or fat-free foods, often high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Doctors now understand that not all fats are bad and that a diet high in sugar and refined carbs can harm health. Healthy fats are essential for brain function, hormone production, and overall health.

7. The Sleeping Beauty Diet

The Sleeping Beauty Diet

The Sleeping Beauty Diet involved taking sedatives to sleep for long periods, with the idea that you can’t eat while you’re asleep. This dangerous fad, popularized in the 1960s, posed significant health risks, including addiction to sedatives and severe malnutrition. Doctors now warn that such drastic measures can have devastating consequences on both physical and mental health. Adequate sleep is crucial, but using it as a weight loss method is reckless and harmful.

8. The Baby Food Diet

The Baby Food Diet

The Baby Food Diet, which gained popularity in the 2010s, involves replacing regular meals with jars of baby food. Proponents claimed it controlled portions and reduced calorie intake. However, doctors now advise against this diet fad because baby food lacks the necessary nutrients for adults and does not provide the satisfaction of a balanced meal. This diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies and unhealthy eating habits.

9. The Cotton Ball Diet

The Cotton Ball Diet

The Cotton Ball Diet involves swallowing cotton balls soaked in juice to feel full without consuming calories. This extreme and dangerous fad, which emerged in the 2000s, can cause severe health issues such as intestinal blockages, malnutrition, and even death. Doctors strongly warn against this diet due to the significant risk of life-threatening complications. Such practices highlight the desperate and harmful measures some individuals may take to lose weight.

10. The Blood Type Diet

The Blood Type Diet

The Blood Type Diet, popularized in the 1990s, claims that eating certain foods based on your blood type can improve health and promote weight loss. This diet categorizes foods as beneficial or harmful for different blood types. However, doctors now warn that no scientific evidence supports these claims. Nutritional needs are individual and not determined by blood type. Following this diet can lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions and nutrient imbalances.

Watch Out for These Diet Fads of the Past That Doctors Now Warn Against

Watch Out for These Diet Fads of the Past That Doctors Now Warn Against

These diet fads illustrate the lengths people will go for quick weight loss solutions, often at the expense of their health. Doctors now emphasize the importance of balanced, sustainable eating habits and regular physical activity for long-term health and weight management. Avoiding extreme diets and seeking guidance from healthcare professionals can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight safely.

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Catherine Reed
Catherine Reed

Catherine is a tech-savvy writer who has focused on the personal finance space for more than eight years. She has a Bachelor’s in Information Technology and enjoys showcasing how tech can simplify everyday personal finance tasks like budgeting, spending tracking, and planning for the future. Additionally, she’s explored the ins and outs of the world of side hustles and loves to share what she’s learned along the way. When she’s not working, you can find her relaxing at home in the Pacific Northwest with her two cats or enjoying a cup of coffee at her neighborhood cafe.

Filed Under: Healthy Living & Eating Tagged With: diet fads, Dieting, Eating, fad diets, health, healthy eating, Weight loss, wellness

Getting Back to Fit

May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Running on the beach for fitness

Curtesy of Pixabay

If you have had kids, and you are not part of that blessed percentage that just watches as fat melts away naturally after giving birth, then chances are you will still be saddled by some form of baby weight. At least I am, after two kids delivered by caesarian section, still struggling with extra weight. And so are a number of my mommy friends.

This is a really frustrating thing for me because I was quite fit all throughout my twenties, after shedding the baby fat of those teen years.  I also come from a family that has a tendency to expand after having children so I always told myself that I would be careful and be diligent about my weight and the way that I look after having kids.

But because of a number of reasons- separation, two kids in close succession, full time work and now with added part-time jobs on the side- the weight and waistline just expanded beyond my control. Add to that that I quit smoking (yahoo!) at the beginning of this year.  During the last quarter of last year I made a commitment to get back to being fit. I signed up at a gym and researched on many different diets.  It is a struggle I am still wrestling with today.

Here are some things I have come to realize on the weight loss quest:

Commitment is required for weight loss

It is all about commitment first.  You have to really want to lose weight because it is this desire that will keep you focused on the goal and will keep your resistance to those ‘bad things’ strong.

Diet and exercise are necessary

Since I do not have the money or stomach to undergo any kind of cosmetic surgery, I am resorting to the tried and tested diet and exercise formula.  Doing research also has shown that there is no magic product to help with weight loss. You really just have to sweat it out. I figured, hey, it took some effort to pack on the pounds. I need to now exert the required effort to take these off.

You cannot crash diet or force exercise

It really has to be about finding that diet that works for your body, is still healthy and will not have you depriving yourself of the vitamins and minerals you need on a daily basis, and it has to be something you are willing to stick to for life.  If you look at some people who went on certain diets then lose weight, then went off the diets and ballooned, you will realize that it is about changing eating habits as a whole.  Look at Jennifer Aniston for example. She is looking great and she has been on her diet for a looong time.  I really believe it is about changing for good. With exercise, it is about finding the kind of physical activity that appeals to you. My close friend swears by the meditative and weight loss effect of yoga, another says Pilates is the way to go, another boxes it out three to four time a week. I have found that, as long as you are not doing steroids or taking drugs, physical activity of any kind that gets you moving daily will do.

So, I am now in the process of revamping my diet and exercise plan.  I will post again about my new approach as I have had more than 6 months now to try different things out.

What are some of your suggestions for a good, healthy, sustainable diet and exercise program?

Catherine
Catherine

Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.

plungedindebt.com

Filed Under: Healthy Living & Eating Tagged With: Dieting, Exercise, Fitness, Weight loss

My New Years Resolution; Lose Weight and Get in Shape

January 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Bathroom scale for tracking weight loss

Image on Pixabay

I know, nothing more cliche than a New Years Resolution to lose weight or get in better shape but that is what I am doing and I have a plan on how I am going to do it.

I am 6’6″ so I am a pretty tall guy but I am in bad shape.  I am overweight with 30 lbs to lose (I am 220 but would like to be closer to 190), I have two herniated discs in my back and for 4 or 5 years, didn’t do a lick of exercise.   With my old business, I worked 80 hours a week and sat in front of a computer all day.  That business failed and I no longer work those kind of hours but I still have a very sedimentary job.   Last year it was my goal to get into better shape and strengthen my body so I could alleviate some of the pain I have because of my back.  I purchased a Wii and the Wii fit and have been using that along with stretches, back exercises given to me by my doctor, dumbbells, push-ups and sit-ups to get back into shape.

The results?  I lost 10 pounds last year and although my back is still pretty bad, it’s better than it has been in 2 years.    I am slowly getting stronger but I wasn’t consistent enough with it to make the kind of difference I was looking for.  This year, I am going to double my efforts.  I am going to focus very hard on getting into better shape but I also want to change my eating habits and get closer to my target weight.

Losing the Weight Through Better Eating Habits

I hate the word “diet” and never liked the concept of it.  Dieting is an invitation to change your habits for a short period of time to achieve a result, only to go back to old habits that take you right back to where you were before.  Dieting is all I ever knew how to do.  It’s all you ever read about or come across when you try to lose weight.  I have always felt that eating in moderation was the best path but I have also jumped onto gimmicks or took extremes like depriving myself of all snack food which eventually leads me to jumping right off the wagon into a big pile of Frito’s while I gorge on the forbidden fruit and undo the progress I made.   Guilt follows, the cycle continues.

Counting Calories

Shortly before the new year, I had an epiphany.  I was reading ProBlogger, one of the blogs I subscribe to, and read an article from the founder of 344pounds.com.   It’s a blog that chronicles the weight loss efforts by a man named Shawn Tyler.  He was 344 pounds when he started on his journey and while he exercises regularly now, the primary method he used to lose the weight and keep it off is something so simple, it seems too easy to be true.  He counts his calories.  That’s it, that is the big secret and the thing that has clicked with me the most in all the years I have tried to drop and lose the weight.

The idea is simple and sound, if you take in less calories than you burn, you will lose weight.  It’s not a theory, it’s not an idea, it’s a fact.  Of course, nothing is that simple.  You can lose weight by eating nothing but Snickers as long as you take in less calories than you burn in a day but eating candy isn’t a balanced or healthy diet.  You still have to be smart about what you put into your body and give yourself the nutrients you need to stay healthy.  What appeals to me most is that you can track what you eat and not have to completely deprive yourself of the things you love.  I don’t have to give up Pizza but I might need to eat a light salad for lunch if I am going to have enough calories left at the end of the day to eat Pizza for dinner.  I can have a low calorie dinner and then take the kids out for ice cream as a desert without feeling guilty as long as I track my calories and either meet or stay under my daily goal.  I can enjoy a healthy snack in the evening while I try to unwind, as long as I haven’t eaten too much throughout the day.  With this technique, all of your options are open to you as long as you track and manage what you eat.

With today’s technology, tracking your calories has never been easier.  There are a lot of web sites and a few iphone apps that will let you do it.  The one I use is called MyFitnessPal.  I can update my “food diary” and whatever exercises I have done for the day through their web site or through my iphone.  They both sync together and allow me to plan out my meals as I go through the day.

The biggest challenge for me is my love of good craft beer.  I am not a Bud or Coors guy, I drink craft beer, brewed with quality ingredients from small breweries all over the US as well as overseas.  Unfortunately, craft beer has a lot of calories.  If I want to enjoy a beer or three at the end of the day, I need to eat smart and anticipate those calories before I consume them.  It’s a funny thing but the reality is, my love of craft beer is forcing me to be smart about what I eat throughout the day.  See, beer is good for you.

Getting into Better Shape

As I mentioned earlier, I went through a long period of sitting at a computer and I am just not as strong or toned as I want to be.  What makes it a bit more challenging is that I have two herniated disc’s in my back and if I overdo it, I end up in a lot of pain that lingers for awhile.  I used to jog and that kept me in shape but now that kind of impact is just too much for me.  I actually think that what I did during most of 2010 was a smart plan, I just need to be more consistent with it.  I also want to add more outdoor activities, fun things I can share and enjoy with my wife and kids while still getting exercise.  So, here is my plan for 2011:

  • Workout with dumbbells, push-ups and sit-ups 3 days a week.  I will create a specific plan for Monday, Wednesday and Friday so I know what muscles I should focus on each day.
  • Workout with the Wii Fit for 30 – 45 minutes 2 days a week.  On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I will focus mostly on aerobics and cardiovascular exercises on the Wii.
  • Do my back stretches and back exercises every day.  It only takes 15 – 20 minutes and it’s an area I really need to focus on
  • On the weekends, I will either go for a good walk with my wife and kids or go on a bike ride.  My bike needs some work and my wife doesn’t have a bike but I am going to get my bike back to working order and get a bike for my wife so we can do this together.

Most Important Part of My Plan!

I told my wife about my plan and she jumped all over it.  It’s easy and doesn’t require us to give up a lot as long as we plan and are smart about what we are putting into our bodies.   We are going to tackle this New Years resolution together and there is nothing I can’t do when I have the support of my wife behind me!

Are you trying to loose weight or have lost weight in the past? What strategies do you use?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Healthy Living & Eating Tagged With: Accountability Partner, Counting Calories, Dieting, Exercise, Losing Weight, Weight loss

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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