Fad Diets

One of the most known weight loss myths all over the world is the cabbage soup diet. Dull and boring, it supposes that the person who want to keep it eats nothing else but cabbage soup without salt for a whole week. This drastic diet comes with the promise that you'd lose up to 10 lbs in 7 days. However, despite the fact that it consists of healthy products, it may be dangerous due to the metabolism dis-balance it creates, so you'd better take some food supplements during this time. And don't forget to ask for your doctor's advice before starting.

Another star on the fad diets list is the grapefruit diet. Known from the early 1930s, this diet managed to preserve a huge popularity due to the fact that you are allowed to eat as much as you want, provided that you end all meals with a half of grapefruit. The mechanism of action was thought to be the fat-burning proprieties of an enzyme contained in the fruit. This fact was never proven by scientists, so probably this diet works only because it helps the body eliminate fluids, thus having a reversible effect on the body weight.

Last but not least, fad diets also count the Atkins diet, the 3 days diet or the South Beach diet. All famous, tried by millions of fast men and women, these diets managed to get many persons ill and even fatter, due to the yo-yo effect. This yo-yo effect appears when the body weight fluctuates due to the severe short-term diets followed by overeating periods. This is definitely not a healthy way of getting rid of the extra pounds.