5 Unhealthy, Even Dangerous, Weight-Loss Diets
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We’re forever in search of a quick and easy way to lose weight. Fad diets seduce us with their promised “drastic” results and implied ease and simplicity, but they’re rarely reasonable — or even healthy. These five fad diets of yesterday and today range from the doable to the extreme. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and it could even be harmful. Read on to find out which fad diets we don’t miss.
1. Grapefruit Diet
Dating as far back as the 1930s, this fad diet still retains some level of popularity. The premise is simple: If you eat a grapefruit before eating anything else, drink lots of water, cut out carbs and eat lean protein, you’ll burn more fat. Fans of this diet say if you do it for around 10 days, you can lose up to 10 pounds. There may be a kernel of truth to this one, says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD. “It’s been suggested that eating grapefruit can help to slim the waistline and lower body weight, most likely due to the diuretic properties of grapefruit helping to shed water weight. In addition, the fruit makes a great high-volume, low-calorie option, helping to keep you full and encouraging less total calorie intake during the day.”
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2. Tapeworm Diet
Not for the squeamish, this fad has reportedly been around since the dawn of the 20th century. Brave souls would swallow tapeworm cyst pills, so tapeworms would grow and mature inside their intestines, eating all food products until the dieter’s goal weight is reached. Said tapeworm is then excreted with the aid of an anti-parasite pill. Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, says this is in no way a viable weight-loss option. “This is an incredibly dangerous and unhealthy weight-loss option that could potentially be deadly,” says Palinkski-Wade. “Not only would this lead to serious nutrient deficiencies that can have lifelong complications, but you would regain the weight back as soon as the parasite is killed.”
3. Master Cleanse, aka Lemonade Diet
Based on the book “The Master Cleanser” by Stanley Burroughs, the Master Cleanse has been around for a while and name-dropped by plenty of the Beyoncés of the world because it’s a fast and easy … fast. As this miraculous elixir consists only of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, you’ll lose some water weight — but not for long, says Los Angeles-based nutritionist Alyse Levine M.S., RD. “The likelihood is that you’ll gain all the weight back and more once you go back to eating solid food,” says Levine. “You may also have a harder time losing weight in the future, since such low-calorie diets cause you to lose muscle mass and decrease your metabolism.”
4. Baby Food Diet
The idea is to replace breakfast and lunch with tiny jarred rations of puréed food and then to eat a low-calorie dinner. If you choose to eat nothing but tiny jars of puréed food, you’ll likely lose the same amount of weight you would if you ate tiny portions of any food. This leaves ease of portion control and the convenience of jarred, prepared food as this regimen’s sole selling point. “This diet deprives you of the pleasures of eating real food and is not a good long-term approach to weight loss,” says Los Angeles-based nutritionist Alyse Levine M.S., RD., adding that it’s much easier — and more civilized — to just up consumption of fruits and vegetables and decrease sodium content.
Related: 8 Nutrition and Diet Myths Debunked
5. Sleeping-Beauty Diet
Made popular after an honorable mention in the popular ’60s novel “Valley of the Dolls” and Elvis Presley’s rumored participation, this is by far the laziest fad diet of them all. All you have to do is drug yourself unconscious until you wake up thinner days later. Basically, it’s starvation with a side of muscle atrophy, says registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade. “Not only can not eating or drinking for days lead to a slower metabolism and dehydration, but the harm you will cause to all of your body’s organs from taking unregulated drugs (or improper use of prescription drugs) can be fatal,” she adds.
The original article “9 Unhealthy and Even Dangerous Weight-Loss Diets" appeared on LIVESTRONG.COM.
By Vivian Manning-Schaffel
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