Fad diets: From cotton nalls to zero solid foods

Quick! Topic….Fad Diets …….How many can you name? How many have you tried and how many have failed in long term weight loss and maintenance?

Having just passed the ‘half-century’ mark as my darling daughter delights in calling it, I have been on and off more diets than I can remember! I am a lifelong member of the Battle of the Bulge Brigade and the Thunder Thighs Troop.

I have tried to ignore the weigh issues, laugh about them, cry about them and scream about them, all to no avail. So it is no wonder that the promise of a quick fix and instant results from the latest fad diets are an ever present temptation!

Thankfully as I mature I find it somewhat easier to ignore the ‘obvious’ fads like the Cotton Ball Diet of my college days. What? If you missed this one, let me explain. I purchased empty gelatin capsules at the local drug store, filled them with….yup, COTTON pulled from over the counter cotton balls, and swallowed many capsules along with a large glass of water prior to every meal (or snack)….The results? Interesting B-M’s until I got constipated,then misery until things ‘passed’…DON’T TRY THIS ONE!

As for any other fads,I’ve been there done it, probably got the T-shirt! Grapefruit, cabbage soup, Low Carb, High Fat,no solid foods( equals no solid ‘output’ have emergency stops planned for any trips away from home!)

Some ‘fad diets’ are now promoted as ‘food plans’ or ‘weight loss plans’ but are still FADS none the less! Any of the popular ‘club plans’ where you purchase THEIR food, as well as the food supplement shakes, drinks, snacks,candies (that you eat prior to a meal) all fads!

The ONLY way to lose weight and maintain the loss is to CHANGE YOUR HABITS!

Lifestyle and poor habits put the weight on and only a complete lifestyle makeover will take the weight off and keep it off!

Good news, because it doesn’t cut into our pocket books. Bad news, maybe very bad news because it requires us to be HONEST with ourselves and why our weight is what it is.

Fad diets will always be around, without a serious change in my habits and lifestyle, I won’t be. How about you?