Crash Diets Don’t Work – Here’s Why

Crash diets are a phenomenon that I’ve run into repeatedly in my fifteen years as a professional fitness trainer. Clients often come to me asking about the latest crash diets their friends are on, seeking my approval so they don’t feel guilty about going on it.

Or, worse yet they go on these crash diets without letting me know, and I only find out later when they come to me complaining that their weight loss program has stalled.

What many people don’t realize when they decide to do crash diets is that these diets mostly revolve around significantly cutting back on calories. While this may seem like the way to lose some weight quickly, crash diets can often backfire and lead to rebound weight gain once you start eating normally again.

Crash Diets 101

What’s interesting about most crash diets is that they often subscribe to crazy eating habits. Crash diets typically involve eating a very limited diet, or they revolve around eating a single food exclusively. For example eating only fruit, or only meat, or drinking only juice or lemonade for days on end.

Although these types of crash diets all have different gimmicks, in every single instance they are based on a single, outdated theory for losing weight. That is, they are based on the theory that excessively limiting calories will lead to significant weight loss. And to a limited extent, that’s true.

But here’s the rub… after a short while of limiting your daily caloric intake to famine levels, your body will begin to adapt to the temporary calorie shortage by lowering the amount of energy it needs. In other words, your metabolism slows down in response to crash diets, meaning that you will start to burn less calories. In addition, your body will release hormones that signal your cells to store any excess calories you take in as fat.

Been Working Out But Still Can’t Lose The Weight?

Eating too little is as bad as eating too much when it comes to weight loss. That’s why, when my clients come to me complaining that their weight loss has stalled, the first thing out of my mouth is, “How’s your nutrition?” Usually, what follows is a description by the client of the latest fad diet they’ve been on.

Most of these crash diets manipulate the dieter’s eating habits in order to lower daily caloric intake levels to 1,200 calories or less. The problem with this is that your body roughly needs ten times your weight in calories per day just to maintain that weight. And, that doesn’t include calories you burn through exercise, either.

For example, if you’re a 150 pound female your daily caloric needs are at least 1,500 calories per day. If you’re working out doing intense exercise for at least an hour each day, you can add 500 calories to that number. So, if your body needs 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight, and you cut your daily caloric intake down to less than 1,200 a day, how do you think your body will react?

Your Genes Don’t Know A Crash Diet From A Famine

Your genes are dumb. They have no ability to rationalize why you’re starving yourself of calories. Much like a simple computer, they can only perform functions and produce outputs that match their programming. And, your genes are programmed to deal with famine by conserving energy and storing fat so you’ll have reserves of energy in case things get even worse. Crash diets trigger this response just the same as a famine would.

Since crash diets essentially involve putting your body under famine conditions, your body reacts exactly in the way it has been programmed to in case of famine. It slows your metabolism down and stores whatever it can as fat. And, even though you may lose a few pounds during the first few days on your crash diet, your body will put that weight back on and then some once you increase your caloric intake again.

And of course, I shouldn’t have to point out that cutting your caloric intake back drastically for extended periods of time points to a serious eating disorder. Hunger and weight loss by starving can easily become an addiction, which is another really good reason why I suggest avoiding crash diets altogether.

So, What’s The Alternative To Crash Diets?

If you’ve been on crash diets and want to reverse the effects, begin with the following:

• For starters, eat balanced meals that consist of healthy ratios of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
• Eat five to six small meals and healthy snacks a day, spaced about 2-3 hours apart.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, at every single snack and meal.
• Control your portion sizes.
• Avoid fried food, processed foods, sugary drinks, snacks, and desserts except as a reward for your hard work once or twice a week.
• And, drink plenty of clean, filtered water each and every day.

Simply by following these few healthy eating tips, most people who have been under-eating, over-eating, or eating the standard American diet of fried foods and sweets will start noticing a gradual and steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week.

So, if you really want to lose weight and keep it off, get off those crash diets and start eating a balanced healthy one instead!