Fad diets are short-term weight loss regimes, which usually focus on certain food items and exclude others. They often include supplements, because the body is not getting enough of essential nutrients. These diets promise rapid weight loss, which is usually achieved, but after the diet is over the weight is gained again very quickly. These diets are often criticized by doctors and nutritionists because they involve certain risks, such as dehydration, malnutrition, osteoporosis and kidney failure.
Lemonade diet
In this diet, it is not allowed to consume solid foods or plain water. The only things that are allowed are lemonade, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Six to twelve glasses of this mixture should be consumed per day. People who want to lose more weight should use less maple syrup.
Three-day diet
This diet is based on the principle that certain food combinations trigger certain chemical reactions in the body, which boost the metabolism and make it burn calories and fat at a faster rate. The diet only lasts for three days, with two days of pause before it is allowed to start again. There is no solid scientific proof that those reactions actually take place during the three-day diet plan.
Cabbage soup diet
In this diet, the person is allowed to eat as much cabbage soup as he or she wants. This soup is not very nutritious, and other foods are allowed only in very small amounts. Over the seven days of this diet regime, the dieter will probably develop a distaste for the soup and start eating less and less of it, which is probably the reason why some weight is lost.
Grapefruit diet
This diet is based on the belief that grapefruit contains certain fat burning enzymes and it should be taken whole or as juice with every meal. Protein-rich foods are allowed, and it is necessary to drink eight to ten tall glasses of water too.
Grape diet
In this diet, the dieter is only allowed to eat grapes and to drink water. The quantity of grapes or water is not limited, but it is not allowed to drink water one hour after eating grapes, because it can dilute the natural chemicals in grapes. It is also important to wash the grapes carefully in order to remove all traces of pesticides.
Hollywood diet
This diet promises a weight loss of 10 pounds over 48 hours, during which time the dieter is only allowed to drink a special mixture of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and essential oils. It is not allowed to smoke or to drink anything else. Solid foods are not allowed.
Atkins diet
This popular diet focuses on foods rich in protein and high in fat, which have fewer calories. Carbohydrates are strictly restricted at first, and as the time goes by it is allowed to gradually introduce them back in the diet. This diet is generally considered unhealthy, mostly because of the fats, and it is necessary to take multivitamin and other supplements to prevent deficiencies.
Raw food diet
This is a vegan diet, in which meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy products are not allowed. The dieter eats only uncooked vegetables, fruit, fruit juices, nuts, seeds and whole grains. The diet is based on the belief that these foods contain more nutrients than cooked foods, and more digestion-aiding nutrients.
Negative calorie diet
This diet involves foods that require more energy for digestion than the amount of calories they actually contain, which is supposed to lead to weight loss through calorie-burning. There is no scientific proof to back this claim up.
Three-hour diet
This diet focuses not on the foods that are consumed but on the time they are consumed at. If there are more than three hours between each meal, the body turns on the so-called starvation protection mechanism and starts consuming lean muscle. The meals are smaller and more frequent, which lowers the production of the belly-fat producing hormone called cortisol and reduces cholesterol and insulin levels.
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