Why ‘Fad Diets’ won’t help you long term

What is a fad diet?

You’re likely familiar with the term ‘fad diet’, referring to popular, short-lived eating plans. They often involve unusual rules and lack scientific backing, leading to unsustainable results and potential health issues like malnutrition.

Examples include juice cleanses, carnivore diets, and even the ‘cabbage soup’ diet in a bid to lose weight quickly. Fad diets like these can create feelings of guilt and feed an unhealthy relationship with certain foods.

At The Fast 800, we steer away from the ‘fad diet’, and instead offer holistic plans that lead to sustainable weight loss and long term results. Learn more about our Programme here.

How to spot a fad diet

When discovering a new way of eating that claims to result in weight loss, you should ask a few key questions to determine if it’s a fad diet:

1. Does it encourage cutting out entire food groups?
2. Does it ignore the necessity of physical activity for healthy weight loss?
3. Does it lack a transition plan to help you move towards a long-term approach?
4. Does it rely on expensive health foods?
5. Does it lack scientific evidence?
6. Does it lack real success stories from people who have maintained weight loss?

If the answer is yes to these questions, you can assume it’s a fad diet that will not help you achieve sustainable weight loss.

Why fad diets don’t work

They’re unsustainable: Fad diets are often so restrictive that they’re unsustainable. While they may result in quick weight loss, they’re unlikely to result in sustainable weight loss, and are difficult to maintain long term. If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, opt for a lifestyle shift like The Fast 800, rather than a short term diet.

They can have nutritional gaps: If you’re following lower calorie diets, stick to ones that have been developed by nutritionists to avoid the risk of malnourishment. Human bodies rely on a balanced diet, requiring a wide variety of food groups to thrive, so sticking to diets that cut out entire food groups is likely to cause health issues.

They can result in muscle loss: Many trendy fad diets that lead to quick weight loss actually lead to muscle loss, rather than fat, due to lacking quality protein. Maintaining muscle mass during weight loss is essential for long term health and healthy aging, which is why a diet that is rich in protein, paired with regular exercise, is what our Programme is focused on.

Is a low calorie diet bad for you?

The short answer is no, not always. But, not all low calorie diets were made equal, as some can be beneficial while others can be damaging. If you follow a fad diet or eat small amounts of nutrient-deficient foods, low calorie options can lead to poor nutrition, muscle loss, blood sugar spikes, hunger and fast weight re-gain.

However, done the right way, some low calorie diets yield incredible health benefits including sustainable weight loss.

The Fast 800 is a low calorie diet that follows a nutrient-dense approach using delicious foods that are great for you, and keep you fuller for longer. Based around a Mediterranean-style diet, The Very Fast 800 involves consuming 800 calories per day for up to 12 weeks to achieve rapid weight loss, the healthy way.

This 800 calorie number has been carefully examined in clinical trials. It’s shown to be the magic number that induces rapid weight loss while being high enough to be safe and manageable when done correctly with a plan that prioritises protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. The DiRECT Trial study, in particular, found that an 800 calorie diet resulted in not only healthy weight loss, but also remission of type 2 diabetes.¹ Crucially, participants were shown to lose weight, and keep it off long term.

How we can help you achieve sustainable weight loss

Designed by nutritionists, The Fast 800 is backed by science and focuses on diet, exercise, mindfulness, habit psychology and even the power of community to achieve long term results.

Our Programme is not a one-size-fits-all approach: it’s tailored to your individual goals. We take care of all the planning, from providing weekly meal plans and tasty recipes, to helpful shopping lists and guided exercises.

Our pioneering 800 calorie approach should be followed for a maximum of 12 weeks, then from there we support you to increase your daily calorie intake by shifting to The New 5:2 Diet or Way of Life. This is so you can enjoy your hard earned results for, well, life.

Just take a look at our members’ results to see how our holistic approach to weight loss yields incredible long-term results. Sign up for your 7-day free trial of The Fast 800 Programme and say goodbye to fad diets, and hello to a sustainable, enjoyable way to lose weight for good.