Catherine Saxelby

Nutritionist, Blogger, Award Winning Author
  • 18 September 2023

    Product snapshot: Tomato pasta sauces

    What’s in your favourite tomato pasta sauce, and how much of it? Here are the most popular sauces reviewed for your reading ple...
  • 21 June 2023

    The Foodwatch site is closing

    From the end of June 2023, nutritionist Catherine Saxelby will be retiring. It's been an action packed whirlwind of activity ov...
  • 14 June 2023

    Protein-rich foods – serve sizes

    Protein, protein, protein. Are you getting enough? Here is a handy list of MEAT and NON-MEAT SOURCES of protein for you to prin...
  • 07 June 2023

    The truth behind coconut oil

    Many “health gurus” tout the benefits of coconut oil. Just type the term into any search engine and you’ll be flooded with arti...
  • 31 May 2023

    Gardening – is it really exercise?

    Did you know that gardening can reduce your risk of heart diseaset?  This month I’ll share this and the latest posts from ...
  • 17 May 2023

    Plant-based meat substitutes

    What do YOU think about plant-based meat substitutes? Veggie-loaded burgers? All-vegetable rissoles? Meatless Mondays?Yet anoth...
  • 10 May 2023

    The truth about lecithin

    What IS lecithin, I hear you ask. A popular “health food” supplement, lecithin is a type of fat called a phospholipid, which ha...
  • 03 May 2023

    Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction

    As you probably know already, intermittent fasting (IF) has gained favour as an alternative regimen to daily caloric restrictio...
  • 26 April 2023

    Reduce your risk of a knee replacement - if you lose weight

    Did you know that you can reduce your risk of needing a knee replacement by losing weight?  I’ll share this and the latest...
  • 19 April 2023

    Brighten your diet – eat by the rainbow

    What’s the first thing that strikes you when you walk into a fresh produce store? If you’re imagining the rainbow of colour…so ...

Fad diets - false promises and magic bullets

Written by Catherine Saxelby on Tuesday, 13 January 2009.
Tagged: dieting, diets, fads, guides, healthy cooking, healthy eating, overweight, weight loss

Fad diets - false promises and magic bullets
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Many people turn to fad diets either in desperation or looking for a quick-fix to their weight loss problems. In this article I'll show you why the only "diet" you need is a healthy eating plan and why fad diets in general are counter-productive. Take a look!

Why fad diets appeal to those looking for weight loss

"Lose 14kg in 30 days!" "Drop a dress size in a weekend!" "Block the absorption of fat or carbs!" "Lose weight with our miracle supplement or juice!" "New diet melts away flab!" I'm sure you've heard them all.

Quick and easy weight loss is so appealing

Quick and easy weight loss is so appealing that it's hard not to be sucked in with sensational claims like those above.

Fad diet fashions

Fad diets come and go - every year sees the appearance of yet a "new and revolutionary" way of getting rid of unwanted flab quickly without effort. Cast your memory back to the Kickstart Soup diet, Dr Atkins Diet and the Blood Type Diet. Before them, can you recall the Israeli Army diet, the Beverly Hills Diet, the Hip and Thigh Diet?

Recycled fads

Often they are old ideas re-cycled with a new name and a new image to catch the unsuspecting. Their promises of quick weight loss has enormous appeal for anyone with a weight problem. Here's why:

  • they have only to be endured for a few days and so need little will-power
  • there is no choice of food, so no decisions have to be made about what you should eat
  • you can return to your former (fattening) way of eating once the diet is over.

Why you should avoid them if you want to keep healthy and trim

There are four key reasons why you should steer clear of fad diets:

  1. They don't work! That's because they give short term results but fail to establish sensible eating habits that allow you to eat "real food" as part of a normal life
  2. They often cause you to lose lean muscle. This creates a drop in your metabolic rate and in turn a decrease in the number of kilojoules (calories) you can burn each day. Therefore you, the dieter, must eat less and less to maintain your weight loss. And once you finish the diet, your weight often creeps back up to your pre-diet starting weight - or even higher
  3. The "yo-yo" style of weight control - repeatedly losing and regaining weight - is considered even more unhealthy than being overweight. It can place a strain on your heart not mention being "disheartening".
  4. They can cost you! Many weight loss organisations reap a small fortune each year through the sales of diet drinks, meal replacements, appetite suppressants and "fat blockers", diet books and home-delivered meals. As a nation, Australians presently spend $500 million each year with commercial weight loss organisations in an attempt to lose flab, with another $18 million going on appetite suppressants alone.

Types of fad diets and their weight loss strategies

Here's a summary of the five different types of weight loss strategies used by fad diets. Understand these and you'll understand how these diets work and how you can spot them next time you read about one:

Single food diets - weight loss through boredom!

Based on one food (like hard-boiled eggs) or one food group (like vegetables), these diets imply that they have a mysterious ability to burn-off fat, reduce your appetite or speed up your metabolism. Others offer you "unlimited" quantities of a food, knowing that you will quickly get tired of the same thing and curtail your total kilojoule intake.

They work on the principle of boredom and monotony. You end up eating very few kilojoules, so your body basically goes into starvation mode.

Examples
Kick Start Soup diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Heart Foundation 3-Day Diet (disowned by the Heart Foundation), The Grapefruit Diet, The Mayo Clinic Diet (also known as the Egg Diet), The Beverley Hills Diet, the Bananas and Milk Diet.

Semi-fasts - weight loss through starvation!

Semi-fasts allow small amounts of light foods like juices, fruit, salads, herbal teas or brown rice. They promise you a feeling of euphoria and you will feel cleansed after it's finished. They're attractive as they produce rapid weight loss in only a few days, say if you go to a spa or health resort.

They are not without hazards e.g. dizziness, muscle cramps, nausea, bad breath, dehydration, constipation. Follow with caution.

Examples
Detox Diets

Hip and Thigh Diets - weight loss through kilojoule control and exercise

With the promise of spot reducing "problem areas", these diets are always popular and regularly re-surface every few years. The trouble is that weight is usually lost from all over your body, not just one spot. (And usually not the spot you want to lose it from.) Most are simply low-kilojoule diets combined with an exercise plan.

Examples
Rosemary Conley's Hip and Thigh Diet and the Cellulite Diet.

Liquid diets/ meal replacement - weight loss through convenience

You replace one, two or three meals a day with a special shake on this type of diet. The good thing is this keeps you out of the kitchen and away from food so you're not tempted to nibble or over indulge. The downside is that the shakes can be expensive and may leave you short on vitamins or minerals that are plentiful in food (although many shakes are fortified these days). And because you're not chewing and taking time to eat, you may not feel as satisfied as you would be from whole foods.

Examples
Slim Fast, Tony Fergusons, Herbalife and Optifast

Low carbohydrate diets - weight loss through water loss

Diets that tell you to avoid all bread, potatoes, pasta and cereals come into fashion every few years. Such diets claim that these carbohydrate foods are the cause of obesity and that by simply eliminating them, you will eliminate your flab.

Living without carbohydrate means a diet of meat, cheese, fish, mayonnaise, butter and cream, which creates a high-fat, high-cholesterol regime - hardly good for the heart. You definitely shed a lot of weight on such diets. But the weight is largely water and will return once carbohydrates are (eventually) eaten.

Examples
Dr Atkins' Diet Revolution, The Scarsdale Medical Diet, Boston Police Diet and Dr Stillman's Quick Weight Loss Diet.

What to look for when a new diet appears. How to check its weight loss credentials.

If you hear about a new diet (and there will be one coming to a magazine or website near you!), look over it and ask yourself the following six questions. Does the diet:

  1. Make enticing claims about losing weight quickly and effortlessly?
  2. Allow you to eat as much as you like of any one food - and not put on weight?
  3. Make one food appear important, giving it "miracle" properties?
  4. Require you to buy special diet supplements or pills or formula?
  5. Claim to be new or revolutionary?
  6. Only mention food and say nothing about exercise?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then this is not a balanced program and is unlikely to be based on a healthy eating plan that will lead to healthy weight loss and the acquisition of healthy eating habits that will help you maintain your weight loss. Forget it!

How to contact a dietitian

daa-logo-greenIf you feel confused about what's best for you, make an appointment with an accredited practicing dietitian. To find one near you, contact Dietitians Australia on 1800 812 942 or go to www.dietitiansaustralia.org.au.

Downloads / Fact Sheets

Want to learn more?

Check out my FREE downloadable fact sheets:

Reviews

  • Product snapshot: Tomato pasta sauces

    Product snapshot: Tomato pasta sauces

    18 September 2023 by, Catherine Saxelby

    What’s in your favourite tomato pasta sauce, and how much of it? Here are the most popular sauces reviewed for your reading pleasure.

    I’ve rated nine of the most popular tomato pasta sauces in terms of their nutrition, ingredient lists and jar size. You’ll find many of these in your local supermarket. The sauces are ranked:

    • from Italian (Italy grows the reddest full-flavoured tomatoes) to Australian
    • per 100 grams, which is equivalent to 3½ ounces (the standard for comparing food products)
    • by serving size (varies between brands but is generally 100–175 g in size)
    • by ingredient list, jar size and where made (with each product’s website as the source)

    The bottom line

    When you’re next out shopping, run your eyes down the per 100 g column and look for products containing less than 400 mg sodium AND less than 5 g fat (which equals 5% fat). Most of the brands are below these levels. I like Barilla, Sacla, Leggo’s, La Gina and Mutti – but that’s just me!

    Read more
  • Product Review: Low-sugar alcoholic ginger beer

    Product review: Low-sugar alcoholic ginger beer

    1 March 2023 by, Catherine Saxelby

    Want something to drink before dinner? Something that’s LOWER in alcohol than wine? To match his beer? Then look no further than Bundaberg’s low-sugar alcoholic ginger beer.

    You can drink Bundaberg low-sugar ginger beer straight from the can, or pour it into a long glass over ice with a slice of lime.

     

  • Product snapshot: Khorasan Macaroni

    Product snapshot: Berkelo’s Khorasan Macaroni

    14 September 2022 by, Catherine Saxelby

    I’m loving this macaroni from Berkelo. I was sent a sample for Whole Grain Week 2022 by the Grains Legume Nutrition Council. I cooked it up and found that it was just divine! Read on for more …

  • Product Review: super-high-oleic-safflower-oil

    Product review: Super high-oleic safflower oil

    11 May 2022 by, Catherine Saxelby

    “What does super high-oleic mean?” I hear you ask.  Also, “I haven’t heard of safflower for ages. What’s the deal?” Read on and all will be explained.

  • Product Review: Healthy Life Food Tracker

    Product review: Healthy Life Food Tracker

    6 April 2022 by, Catherine Saxelby

    When I was first asked to write this review, I thought, Not another tracker.

    After all, there have been several in recent years, such as My Fitness Pal and Everyday Diet Diary. But this one is different. It works by using your Everyday Rewards card AND your shop at Woolworths.

  • Product review: Lite n' Easy

    Product review: Lite n' Easy

    20 October 2021 by, Catherine Saxelby

    With home delivery on the rise, this post is reviewing none other than that stalwart Lite n’ Easy. We all know their meals are good for weight loss (which we all need after COVID-19!), but did you know they’re also good for general health and wellbeing ? Eating well to nourish yourself – putting your mental health and wellbeing at the forefront – is gaining momentum. Lite n’ Easy meals also ensures you satisfy your need for vitamins, minerals, fibre and phyto-compounds, such as sterols and carotenoids.

    clipboardThis post has been sponsored by Lite n' Easy.  

     

  • Product review:  Birds Eye Plant Based range

    Product review: Birds Eye Plant Based range

    15 September 2021 by, Catherine Saxelby

    When you think of Birds Eye, their frozen peas and fish fingers probably come to mind. But I bet you’d never think of plant-based products!

    clipboardThis post has been sponsored by Birds Eye. 

Healthy Weight Loss

  • Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction

    Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction

    3 May 2023 by, Catherine Saxelby

    As you probably know already, intermittent fasting (IF) has gained favour as an alternative regimen to daily caloric restriction (DCR). Fasting is shown to extend the lifespan of rats, and has been associated with metabolic benefits in humans, yet the results so far have been inconsistent. So, which regimen is best for healthy weight loss?

    Read more
  • The lifestyle diet craze

    The lifestyle diet craze

    15 March 2023 by, Catherine Saxelby

    What sort of a diet should you follow to lose that excess weight? These days, it’s pretty confusing with high-protein Keto advocates clashing with plant-protein followers … as well as intermittent fasters, juice-only dieters, no-carb dieters and no-animal (aka plant-based) dieters. Plus all the ads for anti-hunger supplements, meal-replacement shakes and home-delivered meals, more of which somehow appear every day. So, what sort of diet should YOU follow to lose that excess?

  • Protein shakes for weight loss

    Protein shakes for weight loss

    9 November 2022 by, Catherine Saxelby

    These days, protein shakes aren’t bought by just body builders – they’re so popular that you can readily buy a 400 g tub at your local supermarket or service station. And with tempting claims such as ‘Facilitates muscle toning’, ‘Contains transformation-making protein’ and ‘Tastes incredible, mixes easily’, why wouldn’t you grab one? But protein shakes aren’t the magic answer to all your weight-loss woes. Let’s take a look at what you get for your money.

    Guest post by dietitian Zoe Wilson APD

  • What is your relationship with food and eating?

    How to beat those cravings

    20 January 2021 by, Catherine Saxelby

    Many of us have cravings from time to time and for different reasons. One thing is certain, they can sabotage all your best efforts at a healthy diet and/or weight loss. The good news? You CAN beat them. I’ll tell you how.

  • What is your relationship with food and eating?

    How to lose weight WITHOUT going on a diet

    14 October 2020 by, Catherine Saxelby

    The word 'diet' is a turn-off for most people. It sounds hard, unpleasant and unpalatable. Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard AND it doesn’t have mean sticking to a 'diet'. You can forget Paleo, Keto, Vegan and Raw, Gluten-free and Intermittent Fasting. To lose weight, you don’t have to follow any specific diet. What you need is simple, healthy, nutritious food and a few tips and tricks.

  • What IS a healthy balanced diet for weight loss?

    What IS a healthy balanced diet for weight loss?

    16 September 2020 by, Catherine Saxelby

    Healthy weight loss happens when you lose weight slowly and steadily (around 1 kg or 2 pounds weight loss a week). Your goal is to lose weight while still getting your essential nutrients but from smaller portions. You certainly don’t want to be tired with no energy! That’s why you need regular healthy meals and snacks on hand to ensure your vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and fibre needs can be easily met. There is a new range of healthy weight loss meals available and it’s one that I’d like to recommend. With these ready meals, you’ll say goodbye to meal planning, shopping, meal preparation and cooking.

    This post is sponsored by Chefgood 

  • Kitchen make-over for the New Year

    Kitchen make-over for the New Year

    8 January 2020 by, Catherine Saxelby

     “This year, I'm going to lose weight!”, or “This year I’m opting for a healthier lifestyle!” Is your 2020 New Year's resolution something like one of these? If so, how is it going to happen?