The Top Signs It's a BAD Weight-Loss Plan

Azdak

From the American College of Sports Medicine Resource Manual...

Be leery of weight loss plans that suggest any of the following:

1. A diet that is drastically different from the recommendations given in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.gov, or other reputable sources such as the American Dietetic Association, The American College of Sports Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and/or the National Institutes of Health.

2. The diet plan promotes or stresses dietary supplements, herbal products, or other products sold by the company or person promoting the diet.

3. The diet plan requires purchasing of special foods, especially if they are only available at a certain place and /or from the company or person promoting the diet.

4. The diet plan is heavily endorsed through testimonials by famous people or even "everyday" people.

5. The diet plan claims to be a cure-all for several medical conditions.

6. The plan includes any catch phrases such as: "Lose weight while you sleep" or "Melt pounds away."

7. The plan includes exercise gadgets that require the individual to do nothing (e.g., "If you wear this product, it will exercise your abs for you".

Components of GOOD Weight-Loss Programs:

1. The program should offer clear, scientific information about the success of their patients.

2. the program has qualified individuals (e.g., registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, physicians) running it.

3. A program should discuss with its patients the risk of disease. For example, a very-low-fat diet can lead to gallbladder disease in some individuals.

4. A program should provide a realistic approach to the weight goal.

5. A program should provide adequate energy for the person's needs. It is best to avoid diets of <800 Cal/day except under medical supervision.

6. A dietary program needs to be coupled with an exercise program. This exercise program needs to be tailored to the individual.

7. The program should satisfy all nutritional needs.

8. The program should protect an individual from hunger between meals, provide a sense of well-being, and not result in fatigue.

9. The program should have suitable alterations in energy intake and expenditure, and can be conducted throughout a lifetime.

10. The program should be simple to maintain, whether at home or away.

11. The program parallels normal eating habits tastes as much as possible.

12. The program uses foods readily available from the grocery store, not specially packaged foods.

13. The program includes exercise or physical activities that are enjoyable and do not require a certain instrument to promote increased physical activity.

courtney_love2001

AMEN!

skywalker

AMEN!

Ditto!!! :drinker:

pkgirrl

I think MFP needs a "like" button lol.

=D

kwardklinck

Those are the kind of things I've said for years. If you can't keep eating the same kind of food for the rest of your life, it's not worth the effort of that particular diet. Anything that really restricts calories or leaves out certain food groups can't be all that good for you.

scarecrow41

I agree with just about everything except the very first thing posted. The food pyramid is so archaic and too many of the recognised organizations listed get paychecks from Pharma.

Other than that, yes.