Struggling to lose weight can make you desperate and hopeless. It is always when you are desperate that you get scammed. Desperation and hopelessness draws you either to get rich now scams or fast weight loss scams. You may wait for 2 weeks before an event to buy a dress. When you eventually see what you like, it may be too small. You buy it anyway and then go on a fad diet for a quick weight loss. For some people it might not be a dress size problem but the honest desire to lose weight.
The weight loss industry is a money spinning industry and people are tapping into it by inventing unhealthy and dangerous ways for people to lose weight.We took a look at these weight loss diets and decided to share with you the 5 most dangerous diets
- The Master Cleanse
This is one of the most popular unhealthy diets. It is also known as the Maple syrup diet or the Lemon Cleanse diet. During the fast which could last from 10 – 40 days, you only take liquid made up of water, fresh squeezed lemon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. That is all you take for the number of days you commit to the diet. In another version of the diet, you are only allowed a salt water drink, lemon and an herbal laxative tea. The herbal laxative tea causes frequent stooling. What really surprises me is what you are eliminating. You have not really given your body food to digest and you are taking laxative.
People who have tried this diet tell me that after a few days, they could no longer move their bowels. My question to them is always – What is there to move? They also complained of weakness, headaches and dizziness. Most of them gave up after a few days. The others that continued for more than 14 days, rapidly gained weight the moment they ate food.
According to webmd.com,” you lose muscle, bone and water on this diet”. You may even get sick because of the nutritional deficiency which has the capacity to weaken your immune system.
Fact
- You will lose weight on this unhealthy diet but the moment you eat food , all the weight will come rushing back
- It does not provide the necessary nutrients to the body and has the potential to damage and disrupt the functioning of the vital organs
- It disrupts the digestive system. Some people experience constipation, diarrhea and may develop irregular elimination problem.
I will never think about going on this diet or recommending it for a friend or client. I do not care how many celebrities have been paid to endorse it and claim they have tried it. It is particularly unhealthy and dangerous.
- The Water Fast
When you go on the water fast you do not consume anything else except water. Going on water fast for 2 days will not give you the weight loss result you may be craving. The longer you go on the fast, the more weight you will lose. The reason is that there is nothing for your body to use as fuel except the stored fat in your body and your muscles. Your digestive system will also pack up.
Fact
- It takes 3 -4 days for your body to switch to burning fat for fuel.
- You will lose water weight the first 5 days and this may appear to be fast weight loss. After some time the weight loss will be both from muscle which you do not want to lose and fat.
- You are slowly starving yourself when you go on a water fast.
Before and After - It disrupts your metabolism
- There is no macronutrient so your vital organs are in danger
- Taking food after water fast must be done with caution or it may lead to hospitalization.
- The moment you start eating food you will quickly gain the weight back
Certain conditions can be aggravated by any kind of fast. Some of the adverse symptoms of this fast include a rapid drop in energy level, disorientation and nutritional deficiency.
- The TapeWorm diet
In the tapeworm diet, you are expected to ingest a pill which helps the tapeworm to grow or you can ingest the worm itself. Some even eat raw meat to get the worm. Once the worm is inside your body it starts growing. Its primary responsibility is to decrease your appetite, and to feed on the food you have digested. It does this by attaching suckers to your stomach and feeding on the food you eat. It can grow up to 15-30 feet and live to 20 years in the host says medicinenet.com. This could lead to weight loss.
Fact
- This is one of the most dangerous weight loss diet
- The tape worm could grow up to 30 cm inside your stomach
- It can go wherever it wants; it might end up in your liver, lung, heart or brain. This may lead to seizure, confusion and headache
- Worms are considered parasites and there are medicine to treat worm infestation, to actually introduce them into your body for weight loss could be deadly.
- Some people now go on medical tourism to have worms introduced into their stomach
- When you reach your desired weight (thanks to the worm), you will take a medicine to kill the worm and you will expel it
- Of course once the worm is out and you continue with your eating , you will gain all the weight back
This is not only dangerous and unhealthy, it is disgusting. I will not try this diet or recommend it to anyone under any circumstance. The Iowa Department of Health warns that “ingesting tapeworms is extremely risky and can cause a wide range of undesirable side effects, including rare death”
4. The soup diet
The soup diet requires that you take whatever you want for breakfast and then take soup for the rest of the day, every day. Although the popular soup in this diet is cabbage soup and chicken soup, you can also experiment with other soups.
Fact
- There is caloric and nutrient restriction in the soup diet
- It is not sustainable and the moment you eat normal food, there is the possibility that you will gain weight again
- The fruit diet
This diet expects you to eat fruits, and fruits alone. You may not eat vegetables, nuts or seeds. No fruit is off limit. As long as it is fruit, eat it.
Fact
- It starves the body of vital nutrients
- Some fruits have a very high GI (glycemic index). GI is how fast glucose enters your bloodstream after you have eaten a specific food. Watermelon, pineapple and banana are some of the fruits with high GI. According to the 1984 Harvard Nurses Study, foods with high GI is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, elevated blood sugar and other risk factors.
- It is not sustainable and you will gain weight when you go back to eating food.
- Blood type diet
The blood diet is based on eating a diet and doing exercise based on your blood type. According to Naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo, who created the diet, the foods you eat react chemically with your blood type. There is a right diet for each blood group and if you follow it, you will lose weight.
He recommends a high protein diet for Type O blood. If you are in this blood group, you are to eat beans, dairy and grains sparingly and eat more poultry, fruits and vegetables.
Type B blood: You are to eat a diet based on vegetables, eggs, low fat dairy and meats. D’ Adamo asks you to stay away from chicken, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. Your exercise should be yoga
Type A blood: D’ Adamo recommends that people with this blood type stay away from meat completely. You are to eat more of fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.
According to D’Adamo, all the foods must be organic and you must take supplements from his own line.
Fact
- Your choice of food is limited to only food recommended for your blood type
- It is not sustainable
- It is expensive. You will eat only organic food and take supplements from his line.
- You may lose weight because of restriction on processed food
- There is no proof that eating according to your blood type will help with weight loss
The questions and the answer you may consider in all 5 unhealthy diets are;
Does it work? – Yes, but only for some time
Are they safe? – No, they are not safe
Are they healthy? – No, they are definitely not healthy
Can the diet be sustained? – No, it cannot be sustained
Can the weight loss be sustained? – No, it cannot be sustained
The main reason most people go on a weight loss diet is to lose weight and become healthier. You also want to be happy and not resentful when you are dieting. Any diet that has the potential of making you sick, resentful and unhappy defeats that purpose.
Some of the consequences of going on unhealthy weight loss diets are;
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Flabby skin
- Loss of lean muscle mass
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Irritability
- Headache
- Seizure
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Constipation
- It wreaks your metabolism
Any weight loss diet that has some of the consequences mentioned above is not safe, healthy or right for you.
Do not get desperate or feel that you case is hopeless. The right way to lose weight and be healthy is through exercise and eating right. It should be what you can stick to and enjoy. Fad diets are dangerous and do not encourage or teach you how to make positive lifestyle changes. It will not educate you on portion control, size and moderation. They will not give you a lasting weight loss. What you will get is a short term fast weight loss + a chance of health problems.
All the food groups contain vital nutrients for good health. You need to eat, lean protein like skinless chicken, all types of beans including black beans and pinto beans, good fat like flax seed, olive oil and avocado pear. Oats, beans, potato, and yam which contains fiber. Carbohydrate found in yam and brown or local rice.
Vitamins in fruits and vegetables and of course water for a healthy weight loss diet
If you are on any of this dangerous weight loss diets, it’s time to discard them. Read my article on safe and effective weight loss and 3 proven ways to lose belly fat fast. They will help you to start your weight loss journey on a sustainable route. Remember to be patient with your body and record your success. Experts now agree that a weight loss of 1-2kg a week is safe and healthy. Download our diet and activity book to help you in your weight loss journey.
Do you know other dangerous weight loss diets? Share it with us on the comment section below. Please remember to ask questions,we will be most pleased to be of help.
References
www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/blood-type-diet
www.medicinenet.com/eating-tapeworm-for-weight-loss
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