Chances are you’ve already budged a few kilos for summer as you get your body in shape for the beach and Christmas holidays.
With sensational summer fruits and salads and long summer days, there are so many ways to eat healthy and stay active. So, stick to a healthy lifestyle plan for long term success and forget about some of the popular fads that are around this silly season. Here’s a look at why to pass on two newer fads, and an oldy that’s still hanging around…
The 3 hour diet by Jorge Cruise
Even though most of this book is based on sensible eating practices there is no proof that going three hours between meals is ideal or that you’ll lose more weight by following such a plan. The basic rules for following this diet include: eat within one hour of waking up in the morning; eat every three hours; and do not eat within three hours of going to bed. While some studies suggest that eating more frequently throughout the day can help you lose weight, the jury is still out on whether this is physiologically true.
The liver cleansing diet by Sandra Cabot
The Liver Cleansing Diet is an eight-week, low-fat diet which claims to improve liver function. Sandra Cabot also has an online weight management program. There’s a lot of emphasis in The Liver Cleansing Diet on increasing plant food, like vegetables and fruit and juicing. Dr Cabot advises that you have lots of water as well — eight to 12 glasses of filtered water a day. While overall these diet principles are good, there are unnecessary rules and regulations to follow. Even though followers will eat lots of healthy fruit and vegies as well as lowering their fat intake, the premise of cleaning your liver through dietary means is not scientifically based.
The lemon detox diet This diet has similar unsubstantiated claims about the need to cleanse the body as appear in the Liver Cleansing Diet. Even though there are “once a week versions” and the “relaxed version” which may work for some people, dieters are encouraged to consume the lemon drink for the optimum period of 10 days. Basically, this a fasting and starvation approach where all you’ re giving your body for 10 days is fluids and a little carbohydrate fuel in the drink made up of lemon juice, herbs and syrup. So no wonder you lose weight! This plan is far too extreme and will not result in long-term weight loss. It certainly does not fit a healthy lifestyle and will leave you with unwanted side effects like ravenous hunger, fatigue and headaches.
Have you had any experiences with these or any other popular diets? Tell us about it below …
