Need to lose weight? Don't fall for fads, experts warn

By Ashleigh Beaudoin

Helga Leigh knows what it’s like to fad diet and fail.

Not too long ago, she and daughter Annette began a strict diet after hearing about it on television.

“It was something that was available to everyone and we just jumped for it,” Leigh said.

The weight-loss program set her weight target based solely on her age and height and established a severely reduced daily calorie intake it said was necessary for her to reach it. Eventually, Leigh realized the diet was probably doing her more harm than good.

“I never really got down to as low as they wanted, because I felt it would be dangerous,” Leigh said.
 “It was such a struggle. I lived on a lot of yogurt.”

When starting on a new diet plan, or looking at an already existing diet, there is a wealth of information available to users. Calorie counters, diet plans and nutritional guidelines can now be found almost instantly on hundreds of websites and smartphone applications. However, this flood of dieting advice makes it hard to know where to get the right nutritional information.

The ideal diet starts by consulting experts, doctors or dietitians before any changes are made to daily eating practices or exercise, especially if a person has not exercised for a long period of time, said Chelsea Corsi of the Thompson Rivers University Wellness Centre.

Above all, avoid the trendy diet fads.

“It’s all about incorporating healthy eating into your life forever, it’s not about doing something for two months, it’s healthy eating or active living,” said Corsi, a wellness advisor at TRU.

She said it’s important that changes not be too radical, because that can throw the body off balance. Don’t eliminate any of the four food groups from daily eating practices, as they all contribute to maintaining a healthy body, said Corsi. Without the four food groups, for example, exercise may become difficult

It is also important when starting a weight-loss program to have a goal in mind but to keep it realistic. Some websites promote quick tips to drop 10 pounds in as many days and other gimmicks to shed weight quickly, but Corsi said these won’t provide lasting results.

“It’s unrealistic, lots of diets say don’t eat any carbs [carbohydrates] or don’t eat anything with white sugar in it and that really limits people and they’re not going to be successful,” said Corsi. “The biggest thing is to have some sort of plan for yourself that is open to having chocolate. If you restrict, you just want it more.”

Simone Jennings, a registered dietitian in Kamloops, also recommends lifelong eating strategies instead of quick-fix dieting.  

“Diets often work in the short term, but we often see people experience rebound weight gain,” said Jennings.

“Because there is so much information out there, websites need to be evaluated on an individual basis to see what they offer,” said Jennings. “I would probably look for information that is offering strategies for overall healthy eating, wellness and a level of physical activity as opposed to fad diets or really restrictive diets or eliminating entire food groups.”

Jennings recommends websites run by accountable government bodies, such as Health Canada. A good way to set goals and to stay on track is to use an online tool such as EATracker, a Canadian program that helps users set their goals and monitors their progress. EATracker also analyzes recipes and ingredients to determine the nutritional value of meals that users may be unsure of.

“Anyone who wants to diet or lose weight needs to look at their entire lifestyle and find a strategy to fit their lifestyle,” Jennings said.