OF FATS, FADS AND FACTS

At one point or another, we have all been tempted to follow a particular diet regime. Most likely, that diet was a hugely popular one, and it was always 'The One': a magic formula that would make us shed off the pounds we so badly want to get rid of. It was to be followed like the Bible, because it contained the solution to the 'mystery' of how to lose weight.

We started the diet with a lot of gusto -- printing out a written plan, doing the necessary groceries, and going to the unnecessary trouble of announcing it on Facebook. But alas! If only we had the willpower to continue the regime.

But first, do such diets even work? All of them have their pros and cons. It is often complained that many of these regimes are quite extreme, and that many promise a quick weight loss, which is not sustainable and may even cause long term side effects. Food faddism or fad diets, as defined by Wikipedia, refer to "idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short term weight loss, usually with no concern for long term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity."

Have you ever wondered how massive and broad this "diets industry" is? Many famous diets have books that have sold over millions of copies. There are mobile phone apps for some popular diets. Many such diets have their own website (rich with information that advocate their formula and advise people on how to practice it) with money-making opportunities. Culinary experts have experimented and published numerous recipes that abide by these diets.The Atkins Diet and Dukan Diet are immensely popular diets. And they have actually survived the test of time, being in fame for several decades now.

The Dukan Diet divides the regime into 4 phases, beginning from 'attack' (phase 1), which makes you lose weight rapidly, to the last phase, 'stabilisation'.  Atkins too is divided into stages.

There are diets that may seem unusual to some. The Paleo Diet (a.k.a. caveman diet) is based on the premise that our consumption should be restricted to only those foods that our hunter-gatherer forefathers from the Palaeolithic era ate. So, the menu comprises of items that could be hunted (and fished) and gathered: eggs, meat, seafood, nuts, fruits and vegetables, etc. But since mankind did not yet invent agriculture back then, things like wheat, salt, processed food, etc are not allowed. In 2013, this diet was the most searched-for weight loss method on Google.

Another diet that has faced criticism is the 5:2 diet, which allows unconstrained eating for 5 days while restricting calorie intake for 2 non-consecutive days a week!

The internet is flooded with different weight loss diets: the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all are unreasonable. But it is best not to follow a diet blindly without first seeing an expert. The promise of weight loss may not be empty, but it also may not be sustainable. And different people have different problems, health issues and needs.
Don't choose a diet because your favourite celebrity is on it, as many people do! Jennifer Aniston might follow the Zone Diet and Victoria Beckham might follow the Alkaline Diet, but you are neither Jennifer nor Posh Spice. The best diet regime is the one your dietician has customised for you.  

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Shoot prepared by: LS Desk