We often hear how people around us are trying a new diet, whether it’s family members, friends, co-workers, or even a celebrity you’ve seen on TV. Do you ever hear about people living on these diets long-term and fully achieving their weight loss goals? It’s probably extremely rare. There is no short-term miracle diet that will help you lose all your excess weight and keep it off. That’s why the term “fad diet” exists, because these diets are not backed up by science. So, what makes people want to do these crash diets? Whoever’s promoting these diets often tell us how it’s supposed to make you lose weight quickly and that it’s easy to do. For example, we can tell you to only drink juice for the next two weeks and you’ll see results. Easy enough, right? Give it a couple days……Alright, it’s time to quit. It’s not as easy as it sounds. People who do tough it out for the suggested amount of time will surely see results, but what’s going to happen once they go back to their normal diet? More than likely, we’ll over indulge ourselves after severely restricting what we eat, and the weight will slowly start to creep back up.

In short, fad diets are NOT the answer. Successfully losing weight and being able to keep it off requires a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. On average, healthy changes result in one to two pounds of weight loss each week. Fad diets can be harmful because they often result in water loss and even decreased muscle mass. Being able to incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine is the best way to have long-term success. We know it’s frustrating, because all we want is to see results and to see them quickly, but it’s not worth it. You may have short-term success, but it’s common to gain the weight back and sometimes even MORE.

Don’t get in the pattern of gaining and losing weight over and over. Instead, call our office to schedule an appointment with our dietitian, who can help you lose weight realistically in a way that works best for YOU. You could also schedule a surgery consultation with Dr. Snow, who provides patients with a tool to lose weight. Weight loss surgery with us will include frequent follow up appointments with both our doctor and dietitian to help you implement long term changes for you to have the best success. Call our office today!