Although the Obesity epidemic has skyrocketed in the past three decades, FAD Diets have been around for over 100 years. FAD diets are dietary plans sold as the best and fastest tactic for you to lose weight. Hi guys I'm Begoña, from Simple Health. A shout out to all of you repeating a visit, and a warm welcome to all. I think that most people would agree with me that there are no quick fixes or miracle cures when it comes to losing weight, regardless of the celebrity behind the product. FAD diets are a huge business with over 50 billion dollars a year in sales in the US alone. However as data shows, our obesity epidemic keeps getting worse. To this day, people around the planet are gaining more fat than ever before. So where is the disconnect? Well that's what we're about to find out, so I hope that you stick around while I debunk why FAD diets don't really work. Reason number 1: No one FAD diet is really unique or new. I have been listening to the public, students, friends, family for decades about new dietary trends. A new diet that will cure all weight loss headaches. But there is one thing that I've noticed, and it is that every new FAD diet is really a recycled version of an old diet, with a little twist, but pretty much the same. For example the Ducan diet is a high protein diet, just like the Atkins Diet before that, the Zone diet, and the South Beach Diet. Different names, same bottom line. Some of the more modern FAD diets may include one healthy aspect, like increasing fiber. Like the F Factor diet the F stands for fiber, by the way. Telling someone to increase fiber intake is great advice. I advise people to do that all the time. But it's nothing new. Every health and nutrition organization in the world recommends to increase fiber-rich foods in your diet. So there goes the uniqueness of that FAD diet. In reality they are all very similar with the bottom line: fast weight loss promises. Quick note: do not follow the F-Factor diet without reading about the negative health effects associated with it first. Reason number 2) There is no one nutrient that's healthier than the other. FAD diets tend to criticize one nutrient while praising another as the key to your weight loss. Most of us have heard of high-protein diets. They have made this nutrient to be the most beloved by the public, while carbohydrates the most hated. Thank you, Dr Atkins! We need a variety of nutrients to keep us healthy, carbohydrates are an essential nutrient. We need them not just to survive, but to thrive. As Harvard University puts it: "glucose", which is a type of sugar and a carbohydrate, "is the primary source of energy for the trillions of cells in our bodies." It is also the only nutrient that red blood cells can survive on. The brain chooses this sugar to function as do all the cells in muscles. But I am not trying to vilify one nutrient while defending another. I'd be trying to defend protein if the rules between carbs and protein were reversed. The fact is that there is no one essential nutrient better than another. The scientific evidence is abundant and clear: low-carb, high protein diets aren't more effective than a normal diet at keeping weight off. Science shows that after 12 months of a weight loss plan, the low-carb, high protein diets do not win the race. People following these diets lose as much weight as those just lowering their daily caloric intake. Reason number three: FAD diets come with products that you have to buy. Before you follow a diet, consider the nutrition knowledge background of its proponents. FAD diets will want you to purchase their product for the weight loss to happen. Whether it's a powder, or a snack, a prepared meal, whatever it is, there is a catch: a financial catch. The weight-loss industry is huge, with billions of dollars in sales per year, yet we are not getting any thinner, or any healthier. Remember that you don't need special products to lose weight. Always check the evidence behind these products from a third party, not from the company trying to get you to buy their product. Reason number 4: restrictive diets do not work long-term. By long term I mean a few months, let alone years. When you follow any diet, your goal should include keeping the weight off after a year, two or three, not just a few weeks. It is true that you will hear testimonials of people losing 5 to 10 pounds in a week, but it is not pounds of fat. It is about perhaps a pound of fat, and the rest is water-weight. FAD diets tend to start off really exciting but they don't last long, and people quit after a few weeks because the diets are not realistic to keep up with. A predictor of success for following diets and weight loss is how bearable and maintainable a diet is. Science shows that the most successful diets are those that a person can keep up with. We live in a society obsessed with weight and diet, so it makes sense that we are attuned to looking for the next FAD diet being The One that will cure all of our weight problems even though we know deep inside they're all after the same thing: your money, not your waistline. A too-good-to-be-true product that promises safe, healthy, and fast weight loss is just that: too good to be true. For many people, weight loss is a lifelong setback and once the FAD diet is stopped, the lost weight is regained quickly, which makes the person feel even more defeated than they did when they first began the diet. You have to start with the basics. Ask yourself: "how long did it take me to put on this weight? "Has anything in my life changed to contribute to this weight gain?" "How am I eating differently?" "How's my mood? My sleep?" "How much exercise am I involved in?" All of these have to be considered before starting on a diet program that promises easy cures to weight loss. To this day the best scientifically-proven way to lose weight and to keep it off is to exercise five to six times a week, and eat a variety of unprocessed foods: fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, fish, and lean meats. Quick fixes don't exist. Be kind to yourself. If it took you six months to gain that weight, give yourself at least half of that time to lose it, and without compromising your pocket and your health. Follow a diet that is realistic for you, not one that will only stay with you for a few months, but one that you can comfortably follow for the rest of your life. Thank you so much for your time. I wish you the best health that money cannot buy. Please remember to like and subscribe to my channel. Leave any comments below, especially if you've had experience with FAD diets. Until next time, cheers to your health!