Here at the Lab we hear about a lot of different weight loss schemes, from cookie diets to injecting pregnancy hormones. That one, strangely enough, didn’t make a recent list of stupidest diets put out by AlterNet, but it’s still a great quick list of the current not-so-greatest hits in the weight loss world.
Cookies are not diet food
The first victim on the list is the cookie diet, which author Brad Reed says is problematic because of the low number of calories — about 800 — that a person is supposed to eat each day on the program. Such a low calorie consumption can lead to dizziness, weakened kidney function and heart palpitations.
And as someone who’s actually tried a couple of these diets, I can tell you that eating cookies all the time is not as fun as it sounds, and if you’re at all interested in healthy eating rather than just weight loss, you’ll be craving actual healthy food in no time.
Fit shoes are a scam
Another big diet trend that far too many people buy into is the idea of special shoes that will help you burn more calories. These shoes are all over the place these days, and most experts call them both ugly and useless. The idea is that the contoured platform shape of the sole makes you burn more calories just by walking than you would otherwise, and that they help to tone the butt, hips and thighs.
But experts say don’t bet on it. Exercising in the shoes could easily result in injuries because they’re so unstable, and it’s unlikely any shoes would make your weight loss program more effective (unless they managed to actually get you walking more).
Ab belts make a comeback
I actually didn’t know that ab belts, which were popular as a means of weight loss in the early 1900s, are making a comeback, but Reed names them as another stupid choice when it comes to weight loss products.
As in days of old, these devices use electricity to supposedly help tone muscles; the Federal Trade Commission isn’t happy with the claims many of the companies selling these devices make.
Drive-through diet on the road to ruin
This last one is a new one but you’ve probably heard about it if you watch any television: the Taco Bell Drive-Through Diet. Taco Bell is running new commercials with a woman claiming that she lost 50 pounds by replacing her regular, unhealthy drive-through food with Taco Bell food.
The commercial illustrates that the chain offers seven items containing fewer than 9 grams of fat, but notes in the fine print that these are not low-calorie foods. More fine print says she consumed 1,500 calories a day and that you could lose that much weight by cutting 500 calories a day — for two years. A visit to the diet’s website can get you a coupon for a Fresco Taco. This one really raises Reed’s ire.
Hold on, back up right there. If Christine honestly considers eating exclusively at Taco Bell to be a “sensible choice,” you have to wonder what other “sensible choices” she made to help her lose weight. Did she go to a witch doctor for monthly leeching seminars? Did she inject herself with flesh-eating bacteria to vaporize the extra calories? The mind reels.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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Strange diet ideas you should probably skip