In Defense of Fad Diets

Temporary imperfect solutions are better than no solutions – and are far better than failure.

I disagree with people who flat-out tell others not to go on fad diets because they don't work in the long run or because they might be harmful to your health.

Yes, fad diets are not a permanent answer, but they are better than being fat. Sometimes focusing on a comprehensive lifestyle that includes exercise and a balanced diet is not possible due to the stress of life. Fad diets relieve you from the complexities of counting calories and balancing your diet by focusing on one simple thing. This can be a short-term relief when you are going through a tough period in your life (due to work, family, study, money, emotional issues, etc.)

As for the negative impact of fad diets on our health, they are unlikely because very few people who go on a fad diet stay on it for an extended period of time, enough for the negative aspects to take effect. As long as the diet lasts a few weeks to a few months then it shouldn't be harmful to your health.

It's true that fad diets don't work in the long run, but healthy balanced diets combined with exercise also don't work long-term because very few people who are attempting to lose weight stick to them. Overeating is an addiction, you have to counter it with different strategies and not limit your options. The healthy way when possible, the not-so-healthy way when necessary. I think of it as a minor side effect. We take medicines and put up with their side effects sometimes because the benefits outweigh the negative consequences.

Because permanent weight control is very difficult for most people to manage, an all-or-nothing mentality only sets people up for failure. Diet consultants who give the advice "you either do it the right way or you don't do it at all" might have caused many people to remain overweight because they were led to believe they deserved to be.

All diets work - most people just have a difficult time sticking to them. That is why it is not important what diet you are on. What is important is what diet you are likely to see through. The same is true for exercising. It's what you will actually do.

It’s true that there out people out there who have suffered severe adverse affects as a result of fad diets, but I think they are few and do not justify the kind of warnings that we hear against fad diets.

Obesity has been linked to major causes of death (including heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes). Some consider obesity as harmful as or worse than smoking.

Obesity also affects our well-being. General unhappiness, stress, low self-esteem and a sense of insecurity has been linked to it.

The low risks of fad diets do not outweigh the high risks of being fat.

Dieting is Sometimes Easier than Maintaining…So Be It

For some people who have a tendency to gain weight, dieting is easier than maintaining weight. When you are dieting, you don't struggle as much, because you’ve committed yourself to a diet. While attempting to maintain your weight, you are continuously tempted, which is harder for those who have a tendency to overeat.

This is Not an Advertisement

This is not an endorsement of fad diets, and I hope fad diet advertisers don't take advantage of it.

I am an advocate of making weight control a permanent way of life, and I think fad diets should only be used in unusually difficult times when a balanced diet and exercise program cannot be followed.