Are Fad Diets, Like the Cabbage Soup Diet Effective?

There have been a lot of "extreme" diets in the last few years. For "extreme," read "fad" diets. Some diets require the dieter to eat almost no carbs; many make you cut out all fats; and some suggest you have little or no protein. One of these diets is the Cabbage Soup Diet. There have been several copycats of this diet, such as the Sacred Heart Diet and the and the TJ Miracle Soup Diet.

What, exactly, is the Cabbage Soup Diet? Well, basically, it's a seven-day radical weight loss diet. It's designed for short-term weight loss. The idea of the diet is to lose approximately ten pounds per week, although nutritionists have pointed out that it's very hard to lose that much fat in the space of only a week. This is what has given rise to the belief that a lot of that weight loss is just water weight. On some original documents talking about this diet, it was claimed the diet is designed for obese heart-surgery patients, so they could lose weight very quickly, and possibly they would be at lower risk of complications during surgery. These claims haven't been substantiated.

It's the same with most fad diets. The dieter is directed to cut out whole categories of foods, like proteins on the original cabbage soup diet, for days at a time. For example, on Day 4 of the cabbage soup diet, the dieter eats as much of the soup as he wants - and the rest of the day's food intake is "up to 8 bananas and as much skimmed milk as you like." Wikipedia also outlines the recipe for the soup used on this diet, which is mainly cabbage, canned tomatoes, and herbs.

How can that kind of diet be healthy? That's just not enough protein, and there's a lot of sodium there. We need proteins, and we need carbs, as well as sufficient intake from every food group, every day, and as a group, Americans need to reduce our sodium intake as well.

Cutting out essential nutrients makes the body drop water and go into a "hoarding" mode. This is when the body's metabolism slows down drastically in order to use less calories, protecting itself from starvation. Also, cutting out most of the protein from the diet can cause the body to reduce its lean muscle mass.

Is this what the dieter wants? Not at all. Someone looking to lose weight wants to reduce fat, keep the metabolism running at a high rate, and increase lean muscle mass. And for long-term health, human bodies need to maintain a healthy, varied diet as well. Someone who is very overweight or obese, or a new mother looking to reduce her postpartum belly fat, might be tempted to use one of the fad diets in order to get quick results. The best idea, however, is to focus on long-term vitality.

For the best results in both fat loss and long-term health, dieters should avoid all the fad diets that keep popping up, as well as diet pills Dieters should increase water intake, replace processed foods and snacks with raw fruits and vegetables, and build up lean muscle mass with moderate exercise and focused weight training.

Rosemary Kurtz offers a revolutionary weight loss and fitness program that's geared toward lifelong fitness, health and fat burning. The eating plan is simple and easy to remember and follow, with no strange fad diets. You won't have to spend your life in the gym; the exercises take only 15 to 30 minutes a day, three days a week. It all turns your body into a fat burning furnace! Unlike other programs, there is a full money-back guarantee. Not sure? Instantly download a free report that explains more about this super weight burning program. http://www.superweightburner.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.