Crash diets of various varieties are popular among those looking for instant weight loss. Even though some of these might appear effective, dieticians warn that they are not sustainable and some might even have serious side-effects.
Hema Arvind, chief dietician at a private hospital, said most of these “fad” diets are not nutritionally adequate. “These diets normally lead to a sense of deprivation and the person might only end up binge-eating later,” she said. A balanced diet — intake between 1,500-1,600 calories and regular exercise — is the only route to sustainable weight loss, she added.
Some of the popular diets include General Motor diet, Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, liquid diet and Colon Cleansing diet, which advocate different ways of controlling food intake.
A study published in Lancet titled “Atkins and other low-carbohydrate diets: hoax or an effective tool for weight loss?” said the diets showed short-term benefits, but failed to sustain beyond 12 months.
Explaining the adverse impact of the diets, Sherly Ganesh, chief dietician at a private hospital in the city, said most of these diets often lead to headache, sleeplessness and gastric-related problems. “Even though a high-protein diet might aid the weight loss process, it could also lead to kidney-related complications,” she said.
She also warned that those who are on these diets for a prolonged period could be victims of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. They could also suffer from depression, she added.
Another study “Fad diets and obesity — Part IV: Low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat diets” published in Urologic Nursing, the official journal of the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates, observed that although most popular diets have positive messages contained in them and produce short-term results, the overall compliance rates are very poor on a long-term basis.
