"Fad" Diets

lyndyb88

Hey everyone. I've been hearing a lot of stuff recently about these big name fad diets and was just wondering if anyone has tried any of these and would like to give some input about how difficult it is and how well it works.

These are the ones I've heard about recently:

(Not really a diet but yeah) Taking hydroxycut...does this actually help speed weight loss at all or is it a hoax?

Atkins - Is this diet hard to do and is it healthy? Does it work?

17 day diet - Should I pay the money and get the book? Is it worth it? Does it actually help?


Those are just a few things I've heard about. If anyone has tried any of them I'd love to hear what you think of them. If there are any others you've found that do or don't work I'd be interested to hear about them so that I know down the line. Thanks

BobbyDaniel

I can only speak on Atkins, yes you will lose weight...until you start eating normal again. I've been far more successful watching the calories going in, getting healthy amounts of carbs, protein and fiber while exercising on a regular basis.

bunnysone

I hate to be a downer on this, but I dont believe in them. In saying that I have never done any fad diets, all my results have come from eating well and hard work.

I have friends on here who have explored fad diets, but when you look at their food and exercise history you can see why they are trying something a bit more desperate. Those who seem to not worry about them are the ones who are eating whole food, eating regularly, understand they need to eat to train and they are training. They are also losing weight at a constant, healthy rate.

Maybe instead of looking at any kind of "diet" you can assess what you are doing NOW and work with it to try and fix the issues that you have? That is more of a lifestyle change, and more easily maintainable, better for you and much more longterm

kirstinkrueger

hydroxycyut (and all other pills i tried. waste of money)
my aunt lost a ton on atkins but had to continue it to keep the weight off
17 day diet, can help BOOST the start to a good eating/workout plan, you will loose weight but like any other crash diet you will gain it back if you dont change your habits

This site has worked the best for me of ANYTHING i have done or tried as far as stability.

ATLangela

I've been on the 17 Day Diet for the past week. I'm at 7 pounds down. That diet is basically lean protein - turkey, chicken, fish, non starchy veggies, two servings of fruit (but fruits must be eaten before 2pm) and sugar free yogurt. You can also have egg whites.

There are a few cycles to the diet at the end of each 17 days and it changes up a bit to what you have and eventually adds in a cheat day. Yes the weight loss seems to be fast but its driving me nuts because I don't really like fish and the veggies I like are high in starch. I think after it's done I'll go back to just keeping track of my calories here on MyFitnessPal, not sure if I'll do the other phases. I've cut down so much already from my normal way of eating and have lost 52 pounds just doing my own thing of calorie counting and working out, but wanted a boost because I'm going on a vacation soon and wanted to look my best. I'll get there some day.

The first few days I was very grumpy from cutting out the carbs and I had headaches from no caffeine. You can have coffee or tea but no diet sodas. I have the book so if anyone has any questions feel free to message me and I'll help you if I can.

SMJohnson27

Hydroxycut just helps eliminate water retention, as the name suggests. And for dieters that don't know that think it is awesome when they lose the first 10 pounds really quickly. I guess to jump start a new diet it might be worth trying, but it is only gonna work for the initial water weight. But I lost 9 pounds in the first week (water weight) just being on MFP, tracking my calories. So, to me they aren't really worth the money.

TDenny80

i actually got the 17 day diet book and read it.. bought all the food that was necessary for it and then got started... 3 days in i quit.. reason being i felt sick all the time every day.. the second i ate some bread i felt TONS better.. so now im just on here watching what i eat .. since jan ive actually lost 11 lbs and i just started on here again cuz i fell off the horse for a while! its definately a struggle teaching yourself how to eat all over again.. work in progress! good luck!!



'Don’t let yesterday’s failures bankrupt tomorrow’s efforts' :flowerforyou:

musicgirl88

Hi bestest friend. I have to agree with everyone here. Fad diets may be great at first, but the minute you start eating "normal" food again you will gain all the weight back! I've seen it happen to people many times, and the only reason it works for celebrities is because they have the money to have a personal trainer to keep them working out at a pace that helps them to stay thin! Remember, the slower it comes off, the longer it will last I know it's hard to think it's going to take so long, I hate it too, it drives me crazy to the point of giving up, but I know I'll look and feel better when I finally get there!! Keep going girly, you've met your first goal!!!!!! We met our goals at basically the same time We just gotta keep pushing each other. You should join me in my April Challenge! No fast food all month, and even though you don't have the DVD for the shred, you can find another workout to stick to and do every single day for the whole month!!! We can keep each other going! TTYL girl Love ya

Mayor_West

Hydroxycut, like a lot of fat burners, *was* an effective supplement when it was legal to include Ephedra as an active ingredient. However, once the FDA banned Ephedra, all of the fat burners on the market had to be re-formulated. As a result, most of them now are simply over-priced, over-hyped diuretics.

Of course, it goes without saying that unless you work out regularly and control what you eat, NO supplement is going to worth a damn. Supplements are supposed to do as their name suggests- SUPPLEMENT an already sound diet and exercise plan, NOT serve as a substitute or an excuse to half-*kitten* it.

Grokette

Hey everyone. I've been hearing a lot of stuff recently about these big name fad diets and was just wondering if anyone has tried any of these and would like to give some input about how difficult it is and how well it works.

These are the ones I've heard about recently:

(Not really a diet but yeah) Taking hydroxycut...does this actually help speed weight loss at all or is it a hoax?

Atkins - Is this diet hard to do and is it healthy? Does it work?

17 day diet - Should I pay the money and get the book? Is it worth it? Does it actually help?


Those are just a few things I've heard about. If anyone has tried any of them I'd love to hear what you think of them. If there are any others you've found that do or don't work I'd be interested to hear about them so that I know down the line. Thanks

I can't speak on any of the other items you posted about, but Atkins is NOT a fad diet. It is a structured plan and should be treated as a lifestyle change.

With Atkins there are 4 phases to the plan taking you from start to finish and it works if you work the plan.

Phase 1 - Induction , You eat meat, eggs and plenty of fats and green vegetables to rid yourself of carb and startch cravings. You should be eating between 15 - 20 grams of carbs in the form of the vegetables on the Phase 1 list, which is a long list. This phase is done for 2 weeks at a minimum, can be done longer until boredom starts setting in.

Phase 2 - You start upping your carb intake in 5 gram increments per week until you find your CCLL (Crictical carb level for losing). This will tell you where your body is capable of losing weight, maintaining weight and gaining weight.

You also start adding in more foods in a particular order, which is very similar to the Glycemic Index like this. It is called the Carb Ladder:

1.More salad and other vegetables
2.Fresh cheeses (as well as more aged cheese)
3.Nuts and Seeds
4.Berries, then melons
5.Dry wine (and other spirits low in carbs)
6.Legumes
7.Other Fruits
8.Starchy vegetables
9.Whole grains

Phase 3 - Pre-Maintenance, This phase starts prepping you and teaching you to maintain your weight loss. You will see how tolerant your body is to grains, dairy and how often you can have these foods to maintain your weight.

Phaes 4 - Lifetime maintenance, You should be eating whole, unprocessed foods by now and able to maintain your weightloss as you had been prepping yourself to do. You will also know how many grams of carbs you can eat to lose, maintain or gain.

Basically, Atkins is an elimination style plan that goes back to the basics. Then slowly adding back in foods one type at a time to see if you have any intolerances to foods you eat.

So many people are uneducated where Atkins, South Beach and other plans are concerned. Your best bet is to read the book and the science behind it to understand that these plans are NOT fads.

Grokette

I can only speak on Atkins, yes you will lose weight...until you start eating normal again. I've been far more successful watching the calories going in, getting healthy amounts of carbs, protein and fiber while exercising on a regular basis.

What is so unnormal about eating the Atkins way?

Eating unprocessed and whole foods plan is UNNORMAL????

Grokette

bump.

Bootzey

fad diets can screw up your metabolism too

Achoooo

Hydroxycut worked with ephedra. I tried it, but when I had to go up to 2 pills it messed me up so I quit.
When you quit the pill you'll probably gain again, and taking it long-term would be bad.
I spent some time wanting to do some pills, fads, etc but now I realize using MFP is the best way for me.

1976me

I tried the atkins a few years ago, yup lost weight and now i am here doing it the right way, because think about we all need a plam we can stick to. If you stayed on atkins you are just limited on to much and it sucks. just my opinion. Never tried Hydroxy cut but i have tried others, and i never liked that wired feeling that i got to much of that crap and you could have a heart attack or a stroke. again just my opinion