What do you think a Fad Diet is?

A fad diet is a weight loss plan or aid that promises dramatic results. These "diets" typically don't result in long-term weight loss and they are usually not very healthy. In fact, some of these "diets" can actually be dangerous to your health.

Two Famous Fad Diets

(and their cons)

Atkins

The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet, usually recommended for weight loss.

Proponents of this diet claim that you can lose weight eating as much protein and fat as you want, as long as you avoid foods high in carbs. 

This diet is only useful for short-term weight loss, and when the diet was "finished", the weight returned, and as it did, problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure came back, too. 

http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/why-low-carb-diets-arent-the-answer/

Lipozene

We've all seen this commercial

Lipozene

In an interesting twist, Lipozene says exactly what is in the bottle on the bottle. There's only one ingredient, glucomannan – a vegetable fibre extracted from the roots of konjac plants.

However, this vegetable fibre does only two things to your body, neither of them weight-loss related. You will either have terrible diarrhea, which can give an illusion of weight-loss, or feel no effect at all. 

The main place you will lose weight is in your wallet, from the staggering price tag of approx. $120/month.

https://www.rebelmouse.com/lipozene/

Who Uses them?

Fad diets are used by people of all ages, races and genders. It is targeted towards those who want to lose weight or feel better about themselves.

These fad diets are found in many countries, but are focused mainly in the USA, which is our focus.

Why?

A very good question.

The short answer is the media.

Women's magazines are filled with weight loss "diets"

Men aren't safe either

And...neither are teens...

This is a problem

What can we do?

Sadly, there is not much that can be done. Any regulation the FDA has tried to instate has been shot down by lobbyists in the US Government.

Lobbying: to solicit or try to influence the votes of  members of a legislative body.

Lobbyist: a group of persons who work or conduct a campaign to influence members of a legislature to vote according to the group's special interest.

The FDA can only step in when the dietary supplement has caused medical problems or DEATH, and recall the pill.

"Remember, the FDA cannot test all products on the market that contain potentially harmful hidden ingredients. Enforcement actions and consumer advisories for tainted products only cover a small fraction of the tainted over-the-counter products on the market." (FDA.gov; Medication Health Fraud)

FDA's list of "Tainted Weight-Loss Products"