Fad Diets: What Works, What Doesn’t

Some of these ads are for "magic pills;" some are for special teas or drinks that "wash away the fat." They sound too good to be true, but many of us will try almost anything to shed that extra weight. So what works, what doesn't and why?

One general rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Magic pills that help you lose weight without dieting, and grapefruit drinks that wash away your fat, special diets that let you lose 10 pounds in a weekend … most of these are gimmicks. Some of them do work, though, at least temporarily.

Let's look at some of the more popular ones, if and how they work, and what the "catch" is!

Magic Pills

You can find these in any women's magazine, or in the circular for your Sunday newspaper. Advertisements showing how Jane Doe lost 40 pounds without dieting and felt great, just by taking these little magic pills. Results guaranteed! How could you go wrong?

Well in most cases, the magic pills contain an appetite suppressant, and some form of caffeine. Together these serve to rev up your energy level and somewhat dull your hunger. To lose weight, though, you still have to follow the little diet plan that is almost always included with the pills. Typically, these plans lay out some basic healthy eating hints and a recommended diet plan allowing about 1,200 calories a day, and encourage you to drink lots of water and exercise regularly.

Can you lose weight? Absolutely -- you could probably lose weight by eating only 1,200 calories a day anyway, though, especially if you exercise regularly. Some of these appetite suppressants work; however, the contents may actually be dangerous for some people (Ma Huang/Ephedrine usage, for example, can cause cardiac arrhythmia, cerebral hemorrhage and even cardiac arrest). Some people may find that the appetite suppressants help them decrease their eating habits; however, it probably won't help those that are impulse eaters.

The bottom line? Most of these are basically an extremely expensive form of Dexatrim. Anyone with any heart condition should avoid ephedra-based products, anyway. Sure they're guaranteed -- but the manufacturers are banking on the fact that most people won't save their empty bottles and mail them back in time to collect their money when the product fails.

Cabbage Soup Diet

This is the famous all-the-soup-you-can-eat diet that most of us have tried at one point or another. Handed from friend to friend on a piece of paper -- or sent via email -- this diet has you eating an unlimited quantity of cabbage soup plus a few select other foods, which rotate by day. While there may be some science to the selection of foods (beef and tomatoes supposedly counteract each other, for example) the bottom line is that you just can't eat that much soup -- and when you do, it's mostly water and very low-calorie vegetables. Plus cabbage soup is just not an appetizing breakfast!

Dieters on this diet usually get sick of the soup after only a few days, and often experience severe gas, cramping and diarrhea. Does it work? After a few days, you may find that you've dropped a couple pounds; however, unless you're trying to fit into a bridesmaid dress, this quick-fix effect won't help. You haven't changed your eating habits and the weight loss -- partially from the low-calorie soup, and partially from the almost-always-present diarrhea -- isn't permanent. One common side effect is that you probably won't be able to eat cabbage soup again for a long, long time.

The Four-Day Wonder Diet

Another famous diet initially passed from friend to friend, this is similar to the Cabbage Soup Diet, but without the soup. Each of the four days there are prescribed foods that you eat, in combination. It is high protein and low carbohydrate, although some carbohydrates are included (fruits and vegetables) which prevents you from going into ketosis. For example, you might get grapefruit and coffee for breakfast, chicken and a side salad for lunch, and steak, tomatoes and applesauce for dinner. Each meal is laid out, in sequence, with what is -- and isn't -- an acceptable substitution. This diet is now available in book form, as well.

Does it work? Of all of the fad diets, this is the closest we have seen to being effective. While you don't necessarily change your permanent eating habits, the diet includes a balance of foods including green vegetables, fruits and proteins. Dieters on this diet often do lose weight, and as a pre-wedding or pre-vacation diet, it can be a nice little boost. It also can be a nice kickoff to a more traditional diet, if you want. This is, however, not intended as a life-style diet and the author of the book clearly states that you should not stay on the Four-Day-Wonder-Diet any longer than four days.

So why does it work? There are those that say certain foods counteract each other, and this may be true. What is apparent is that you are eating reasonably low (1,000-1,400) calories a day, with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Your system does tend to flush itself out (read: you may get diarrhea) and you are eating three set meals. The fixed diet also tends to reduce snacking potential (there is no guessing what is or isn't allowed -- if it's not there, it's not allowed!) Does the weight stay off? Well, in many cases the weight may stay off, if you use this either as a platform to spring into another diet, or change to healthier eating habits. Most people, though, use the four-day-wonder-diet like the Cabbage Soup diet -- to drop a few hasty pounds before a major social event.

The Grapefruit Diet

This diet has been around for years, and basically revolves around the theory that grapefruits contain some ingredient that magically helps fat burn away. You eat grapefruit with every meal, plus coffee or tea, and a few prescribed food to go with this. Does it work? In most cases you'll lose weight -- few of us can survive on the measly 800 calories this diet allows per day. And the burnout rate is high -- even devout grapefruit lovers will find themselves wincing at the sight of yet another perky grapefruit at their place.

Does it work? The Grapefruit growers would certainly like you to think so…. But the fact is that you are eating far less than your body needs to sustain itself, and any weight loss is probably water weight that will come right back as soon as you drop the diet. Grapefruit is a healthy food and certainly a low-calorie filler with your meals -- but there's nothing magical about it and this diet is worth skipping.

Double that for the "Hollywood Grapefruit Juice" diet which renews this same theory, except that you have to order their "special" grapefruit juice. For $15 a gallon, it really should have some magical properties!

Beverly Hills Diet

This diet has you combining foods and eating them in specific orders to benefit from the enzyme burning process. Fruits have to be separated from other foods, for example, and meats and certain vegetables can be consumed together, but not with any carbohydrates…. And let's not even get into the day where you get all the grapes you can eat, but nothing else!

You may lose weight, but it probably won't be from any specific enzyme burning created; the fact is you don't eat many calories on this diet and it's very restrictive. This diet is also, to be honest, not a lot of fun, and unlike the Cabbage Soup Diet and Grapefruit Diets, above; this one lasts for five weeks. That's just way too long to stay on a diet that saps your energy and doesn't help you learn to change to healthier, long-term eating habits.

So What Does Work?

The bottom line? The same things that you already knew -- eating smaller, more nutritious, lower-calorie meals and increasing your exercise level are the key to long-term weight loss. If you're looking to fit into a special outfit for an event, or break out of a plateau, most of these diets (with the exception of the "magic pills") will help you lose a few pounds in a few days.

In the long run, though, there's no magic trick to losing weight -- you already know the answer. Eat fewer calories than you burn, drink lots of water and increase your exercise level to step up your burn rate, and you'll lose weight. Slow but steady weight loss based on behavior modification is going to net you far better results, in the long run, than any quick-hit diet.