by Catherine Macpherson, RD
Claudia L. Hohnbaum, MA, RD, LD
Vickie L. James, RD, LD
©Learning ZoneXpress
1
What is the Myth?
 All diet claims are true.
 We can lose weight with
a fad diet and keep it off.
 We can stay healthy and feel
good on fad diets.
 It is even POSSIBLE for most
of us to look like the model
on the ad.
2
©Learning ZoneXpress
What Are the Facts?
 Americans spend $34 billion
annually on diet products
— from sugar-free sodas and
weight-loss supplements to
diet programs — yet the nation
is becoming more overweight!
 The number of overweight adults has
increased from 56 percent to 65 percent
of the population*.
*National Center for Health Statistics (1994-1988 to 1999-2000)
3
©Learning ZoneXpress
What Counts?
Fad diets are big on hype…
SHORT on HEALTHY weight
loss that LASTS!
 After this presentation you’ll be able to:
 Tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy
plans.
 Name popular fad diets and list health dangers of
each.
 Identify red flags for spotting a fad diet.
 Describe habits leading to a healthy weight for life.
4
©Learning ZoneXpress
Spotting a Fad Diet
You know it is a fad diet when…
 You can’t eat pizza, or other
foods you like to eat!
 It is boring! You have to eat the same foods
over and over again.
 You can’t eat with your friends because you
have to have “special” foods!
5
©Learning ZoneXpress
Spotting a Fad Diet
Spotting fad diets is not always easy,
but the following red flags help.
 Promise quick weight loss.
 Are short-term.
 Limit foods…often exclude whole food
groups like breads & cereals.
 Do not require physical activity.
6
©Learning ZoneXpress
Spotting a Fad Diet
 Have “secret” ingredients.
 Use the names of famous
people to “sell” you.
 Use quotes from people
instead of proven facts.
 Criticize doctors or the medical field.
 Sell something.
7
©Learning ZoneXpress
Common Fad Diets
 High Protein/Low Carbohydrate Diets
 Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
 The Zone
 Protein Power
 Elimination Diets
(Eliminate specific foods from the diet)
 Sugarbusters! Diet
 Single Foods Diets
(Claim a single food is the SECRET to weight loss!)
 The Grapefruit diet
 The Rice diet
 The Cabbage Soup diet
8
©Learning ZoneXpress
More Fad Diets
 Blood-Type/Body-Type Diets
 Eat for Your Blood Type Diet.
 Eat for Your Body Type Diet.
 Liquid Diets
(Diets that replace two meals with liquid formulas.)
 Slimfast
 Skipping Meals
 Fasting or Near Fasting
 Laxatives
9
©Learning ZoneXpress
It Doesn’t End!
 Detox Plans
 Fasting
 Liquid Dieting
 Use of "detoxifying" herbs or teas.
 Dieter (or Fat Burning) Teas
 Over-the-Counter Supplements
 Herbs such as Ma Huang.
 Hormones such as DHEA (dehydroepian-drosterone).
 Minerals such as chromium (sold as chromium
picolinate).
10
©Learning ZoneXpress
People Buy These?
 Drugs
 Over-the-counter drugs
such as Dexatrim.
 Other Gimmicks
 Cellulite creams.
 The “Abdominizer” and "Thigh Master”.
 “Fat-burning” sweat suits.
 Even vacuum-pants that claim to suck the fat out of
your body when hooked up to a vacuum cleaner.
11
©Learning ZoneXpress
Decisions & Choices
 What strategies do the following
weight loss diets use? Some may
be a combination.
 Reduction
 Elimination
 Chemicals
 Gimmicks
12
©Learning ZoneXpress
Problems & Dangers
 High Protein/Low
Carbohydrate Diets
 Lacks foods that give us ENERGY.
 Low on fiber, vitamins and minerals! We risk
constipation and less healthy skin!
 May stress out and damage kidneys.
 Too many unwanted saturated fats (cause heart
health concerns).
13
©Learning ZoneXpress
Unhealthy “Secrets”
 Elimination Diets
 Cutting out foods — like carrots on
the Sugarbusters Diet — means
cutting out healthy nutrients!
 Single Foods Diets
 Drastically reduce intake of certain foods.
 May be REALLY low in calories. Besides, there is no
“secret” food for weight loss!
14
©Learning ZoneXpress
Complications
 Blood-Type/Body-Type Diets
 Unscientific claims.
 Eliminates certain foods!
 Liquid Diets
 May be too high or too low in calories depending on
how much is consumed!
 Without fiber from foods, constipation is a problem!
 They don’t have some healthy compounds ONLY
found in foods, like phytochemicals for cancer
protection!
15
©Learning ZoneXpress
Major Problems & Dangers
 Skipping Meals
 Studies show:
• Most people who skip meals eat more
food (that are higher in calories and fat)
at their next meal.
• People who skip breakfast have a lower intake of
nutrients such as iron.
 Fasting or Near-Fasting
 Possible dangerous side effects including:
• extreme fatigue, constipation, dehydration.
• nausea, diarrhea, and gallstone formation.
 Dangerously low levels of calories and nutrients.
16
©Learning ZoneXpress
Dangers with “Natural”
 Detox Plans
(Claim to rid the body of toxins.)
 “Off base” with scientific facts.
 Some plans use herbs that may be dangerous!
Check current research on safe use.
 Purging rids the body of healthy nutrients and is
dangerous.
 Dieter (or Fat Burning) Teas
 Many of these teas contain a “natural” laxative.
 Just because these are natural ingredients, it doesn’t
mean they are safe!
17
©Learning ZoneXpress
Dangers with Laxatives!
 Laxatives
 Read the product label:
• “Natural” herbal laxatives such as senna,
aloe, buckthorn, cascara, or castor oil can
cause major problems!
 May cause diarrhea which can result in loss of
nutrients and water.
 Potentially dangerous side effects:
• cramping, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting
• constipation, dehydration
• fainting, irregular heartbeat, electrolyte imbalances
18
©Learning ZoneXpress
Dangers of Pills & Potions
 Over-the-Counter Supplements
 No scientific proof of health benefits.
 Mega doses of vitamin and mineral supplements
may be dangerous.
 Ma Huang and DHEA have both been found to be
dangerous. People have died after taking the herbal
stimulant Ma Huang.
 Drugs
 Appetite suppressants such as Dexatrim may have
dangerous side effects.
 No proven long-term weight loss!
 Keep people from making healthy life-style changes.
 Use only with a medical doctor’s recommendation!
19
©Learning ZoneXpress
What a Waste!
 Other Gimmicks
 Waste of time.
 Waste of money.
Spot weight reduction is just a myth! It is
impossible for these to cause you to lose fat
from just one spot on the body.
20
©Learning ZoneXpress
The Rest of the Story!
What can happen to me?
 A Sluggish Feeling!
 With a really low calorie intake, your body
tries to conserve energy — making you feel tired!
 Muscle Loss
 The body uses energy from muscle when it doesn’t have
enough carbohydrates.
 Muscle helps burn more calories. Unless muscle is rebuilt,
weight will be more difficult to lose in the future.
 Water Loss
 A problem often resulting with quick weight loss, caused by
muscle loss and dehydration…this loss is easily regained!
21
©Learning ZoneXpress
Even More!
 Dehydration & Electrolyte Imbalance
 Losing a lot of body water unbalances electrolytes
like sodium and potassium.
 Sodium and potassium work to control heart beat and muscle
contractions, potentially causing a heart attack.
 Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies
 Diets that restrict food groups and calories often lack key
vitamins and minerals.
 Lack of key vitamins and minerals causes serious problems like
iron-deficiency anemia or poor bone formation.
 Weight Cycling (Yo-Yo Dieting) can be linked to:
 high blood pressure
 high blood cholesterol
 gallbladder disease
22
©Learning ZoneXpress
Sad Fad Facts… Beware!
A Dangerous Choice… Fad and “Quick
Fix” Diets aren’t the answer!
 Fad diets are temporary solutions that can:
 COST you good HEALTH.
 Offer you false hope.
 Prevent you from making healthy changes to your diet
and lifestyle habits.
 Make you feel like a failure.
 COST you MONEY.
23
©Learning ZoneXpress
Ban “Diets”?
 Does SLIM equal Beauty?
 Ask yourself if you REALLY
need to lose weight.
 Forget perfection. Magazine
models are not real life.
 Ask Yourself what counts?
 The “look”, the “guy”, the “girl”, the “size” or ME?
24
©Learning ZoneXpress
What Does Work?
… but I thought too many Americans
are overweight… so what DO we do?
 Is there a “quick-fix”?
 Healthy weight comes from good life-long habits.
 What’s the healthy plan?
 Use the Food Guide Pyramid.
 Fit ALL foods into your — denying yourself of some
foods doesn’t work.
 Eat when you are hungry, eat slowly, and stop eating
when you start to feel full.
25
©Learning ZoneXpress
The Way to Healthy Habits
 Get a handle on “Portion Distortion”
 Muffins range from 2 to 8 oz.
— 1.5 oz is considered a serving!
 Soft drinks used to come in a 12 oz. can
— what size do you drink? 20 oz. is pretty common now!
 Get physical! Move & Groove!
 Find physical activity you LIKE.
 Regular, daily physical activity is a key to any healthy weight
effort.
 Get Real — Have a healthy plan for:
 Snack attacks
 Fast foods
26
©Learning ZoneXpress
What’s Healthy?
A healthy eating plan + physical activity = healthy weight
— with better health now and later!
 You know you’re on the right track when
you can answer yes to these questions:
 Do you have energy?
 Do you feel hungry at meal times?
 Do you sleep well?
 Do you need to move and be active?
 Do you like who you are and where you’re going?
27
©Learning ZoneXpress
Smart Choices
Some weight-loss programs provide good counseling,
ideas for changing bad habits, and support for losing
weight — others don’t. Before signing up, or paying
for a weight-loss program, you should find out:
 Qualifications of the staff.
 Health risks associated with being overweight or
obese.
 Problems associated with the recommended diet
program.
 Total cost of the diet program — including any
special foods.
 Difficulty of maintaining the weight loss.
28
©Learning ZoneXpress
Summary
 Beware of Fad Diets:
 “Quick-Fix” solutions to weight
loss can endanger your health!
 Best Way:
 Healthy eating plan.
 Increased physical activity.
29
©Learning ZoneXpress
You're the Expert
 Your friend tells you that he
or she wants to go on a diet
to lose 10 pounds quickly.
 Explain three types of fad diets to him or her
and give reasons why each should not be
followed.
 Discuss your reasons.
30
©Learning ZoneXpress
Applying What You Know
 Choose one of the following:
 Visit a local drug store and create a list of five fad diet
products being sold. List reasons why each should
not be used.
 Create a “fad diet check sheet” that you could hand out to
people who are evaluating weight-loss products and
programs. Include a list of red flags that signal a fad diet.
 Using the Internet, health clinic, or school nurse's office,
look for three resources (brochures, programs, books,
videos, etc.) that promote sensible weight loss. Share
these resources with your class.
 Collect fad diet ads from magazines, using the “spotting a
fad diet” check list, indicate why they are ineffective and
could be potentially dangerous to your health.
31
©Learning ZoneXpress
Bringing It Home
Think to yourself...
 Have you ever tried a fad diet?
Have you tried several?
 If you are trying to control your weight, you can avoid fad
diets and choose a lifestyle for sensible weight control.
• Think of at least one change that you can make in your life
right now that can make your lifestyle a healthier one.
• Think of two benefits you would receive from making this
change.
 Tell yourself that you can make this change — picture
yourself acting out this change.
You can do it!
32
©Learning ZoneXpress
Diet Myths Quiz
Choose the best answer for the following questions.
1. Which of the following is not a fad diet red flag?
a. flaunts famous names
b. is long-term
c. has secret ingredients
d. criticizes the medical profession
2.
Which of the following are health problems that
...could result from following a fad diet?
a. lack of energy
b. loss of muscle
c. iron deficiency
d. all of the above
33
©Learning ZoneXpress
Diet Myths Quiz
3. Which of the following will likely be
.experienced by someone on a fad diet?
a. gain acceptance of body shape
b. try new fruits and vegetables
c. waste money
d. lose weight for a lifetime
4. Which of the following is not part of a healthy eating
.plan?
a. eating when hungry
b. allowing all foods to be part of diet
c. regular physical activity
d. expecting weight loss to happen quickly
34
©Learning ZoneXpress
Web Resources
 Here are some suggested websites for
more information on healthy eating:
 About.com - Fad Diet Information
nutrition.about.com/cs/faddiets
 Quack Watch
www.quackwatch.com
 KidsHealth
http://www.teenshealth.org/teen/index2.html
 Partnership for Healthy Weight Management
www.consumer.gov/weightloss/
 Weight-control Information Network
www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/nutrit.htm
Please note that web sites are constantly changing and being
updated. You may need to revise this list.
35
©Learning ZoneXpress