How To Spot A 'Bad' Diet Plan

As anyone who has read a magazine or watched television in the past few years knows that obesity is a big problem here in the US. Even if you aren't overweight, though, a lot of us find ourselves wanting to shed a few pounds to fit into that little black dress we wore a year ago. It's very tempting to try those weight-loss pills you see on TV, but the truth is that it's not that simple. Not only do those pills and fad diets not work, some can be harmful to your health. So that you won't have to learn this the hard way, here are a few signs of an unhealthy diet.

-A diet should never rule out entire food groups. There's a reason meats and carbohydrates are on the food pyramids we learned about in school-they include nutrients our bodies need to function properly. Instead of banning these things outright, a healthy diet will teach you how to incorporate them into everyday living. Speaking of which-

-A diet shouldn't be a 180° turnaround from what you're doing now. While you will definitely have to make some changes to your lifestyle, something that is too different will be very hard to stick to. It's better to make small but ongoing changes such as getting sauces on the side or cooking with butter-flavored sprays.

-A diet should not focus on a particular product. I'm sure you've been bombarded by ads for 'dietary supplements' that will make you lose 30 pounds in five weeks by popping a pill twice a day. When it comes to healthy weight loss, however, there's no such thing as a 'magic bullet'. If you look at the fine print on the back of the bottle or bottom of the TV screen, you'll see that the claims the ads make have not been evaluated by the FDA. In other words, they've been put on the market without having been checked for safety and efficacy. Contrary to popular belief, the terms 'herbal' or 'natural' do not necessarily mean 'safe'.

-On the 'magic bullet' tip, products or fad diets that promise extreme amounts of weight loss in a short amount of time should be avoided. Yes, we all want to lose weight quickly, but it's not healthy to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week.

-If your diet can't be adjusted to 'real life', it's going to be very difficult to stick to. Pre-packaged meals might be good for learning portion control, but you need to be able to eat with the rest of the world.

Overall, your diet needs to include a lifestyle change. Even if you lose the weight quickly with products like Slimfast or Dexatrim, you still need to learn healthier ways of cooking and eating if you want to keep the weight off. Without a change in the way you think about food, you may find yourself back where you started. This might not be easy, but it is worth the effort.

Do Those Weight-Loss Pills Really Work?

We've all seen the ads. First, there are all these people in swimsuits telling us how they lost such-and-such amount of pounds just by taking a pill. Then, there are the ones that look like a bad infomercial.  There are the ones where a pencil-drawn woman is complaining about how her husband lost more weight than her and needs something just for women. The commercials all look nice, but do weight loss pills really work? I'm not talking about the prescription drugs that are only given to people with a good bit to lose; I'll talk about that in another post. I'm talking about the ones sold on TV and at health-food stores that claim they can give you a body like Heidi Klum with just the pop of a pill. Do they work? More importantly, are they safe?

Here's one thing that should raise a red flag-the vast majority of the diet aids you see on TV and in stores are sold as 'dietary supplements'. For this reason, they are not subject to the rigorous FDA testing prescription products are and do not have to disclose the ingredients or risks. There is nothing keeping them from exaggerating or flat-out lying about their effectiveness. Bans may be issued on certain ingredients later, such as the ban on ephedra, but that was only after more than 16,000 cases of adverse effects, including deaths. If it were tested by the FDA before going on the market the way prescription and some over-the-counter drugs are, the risks may have been made known ahead of time. To their credit, though, most of the ads and packages do tell you the FDA hasn't been involved.

Here's another thing-'herbal' does not necessarily mean 'safe'. You still would want to talk to your doctor first to see if whatever supplement would interact with other things you're taking or would exacerbate any conditions you may have.

At this time, Alli is the only is the only over-the-counter weight-loss aid that has been approved by the FDA. You've probably seen the ads on TV and walked past the displays in the drug store. A low-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical, Alli keeps some of the fat you eat from being absorbed. Essentially, the fat moves straight through your intestines and comes out the other end. It is meant to be used alongside of a larger dietary change because any weight loss it causes is minimal and the side effects can be pretty awful. If fact, there have been instances of what can delicately be called 'anal leakage' if someone eats too much fat. Thanks, but no thanks.

I'm not going to go into too much more detail here, but the basic 'verdict' is that most weight-loss supplements you see advertised aren't evaluated by the FDA and may not be anywhere near as effective as they say they are. They might say, 'diet and exercise recommended' on the ads, but it is in very fine print. Even Alli, the one over-the-counter weight loss pill that has been approved, would only be effective if it were used in addition to a larger lifestyle change. There is no 'magic pill' that will burn our fat or make us thinner without our having to do anything; an ongoing lifestyle change involving diet and exercise is really the only safe and proven way to lose weight and keep it off.