Do crash diets work?
Each of us years to lose weight fast. Either there’s a party around the corner and you want to put on that great dress you bought or you’re getting married soon. Often, it is due to a long-term diet that is difficult for you to maintain. Fad crash diets seem to be the popular and easiest option. We have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives.
The bad news is that fad crash diets don’t work. Health and fitness experts have said it all along and it hasn’t changed! If a diet program uses words like guaranteed, secret and promises fantastic results, it’s probably just a fad diet. Fad diets often involve eating cabbage or grapefruit soup, taking diet pills and laxatives, replacing meals with supplements, or fasting; also known as starvation diets.
Losing weight in the style of the fad crash diets is through the reduction of calories. Plunging your daily calories below 1,000 would surely tip the scales, but it will backfire later. Without enough calories, you can’t exercise effectively. This is due to muscle burning that weakens you. As you burn muscle, you are slowing your metabolic rate. Once you stop dieting, your metabolism picks up and you burn calories more slowly than ever. You will regain the lost weight and more, faster!
Do Fad Crash Diets Help You Lose Weight Without Exercise?
The good news is that you can lose weight quickly even without crash dieting. However, you must do it safely and be committed to sticking with it for the long haul. It’s very simple: you just burn more calories than you consume! However, you cannot achieve effective weight loss simply by dieting. Eating fewer calories with a good mix of increasing physical activity will surely shed body fat:
- You will need almost an hour of moderate exercise a day. The most effective exercise for burning calories is cardiovascular exercise, such as running, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, brisk walking, and anything that increases your heart rate.
- Increase the intensity of your exercise so that you sweat for the entire hour. If you can’t get through a full hour of exercise, break it up into morning and evening workouts.
- Interval training capable of burning more calories in less time. Spend a short period of pacing through a high-intensity routine (such as running or biking uphill) and drop to a low intensity before repeating the cycle again.
- Include a few hours a week of strength training to build and strengthen your muscles, which increases your metabolism.
Aren’t fad diets smart diets?
- When you’re on a diet, what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. Don’t blindly reduce your total food intake like the fad crash diets would. It’s smarter to cut out certain types of foods that contribute the most calories to your daily diet:
- Reduce your intake of carbohydrates (rice, noodles, breads, potatoes, and cereals) and should not be eliminated entirely as carbohydrates provide us with energy for our daily responsibilities. Better yet, opt for whole grain-based foods.
- Cut down on sugary foods and avoid adding sugar to drinks.
- Choose low-fat dairy and lean meat.
- Eat a good daily serving of fresh fruits and vegetables, egg whites, soy products, and fish. Protein gives you energy with fewer calories from fat.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated from physical exercises. It also helps simulate a feeling of satiety.
Moderate exercise routines with healthier eating habits should comfortably reduce your total daily intake by at least 500 calories. By being disciplined and following a moderately intense but safe diet plan, you could lose at least 3lbs (1.5kg) per week. Stay away from fad crash diets. Fad diets are just fad. If you need to lose some unwanted weight, choose a scientifically proven weight loss method with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
