“Fad diets appeal to the idea that some special eating plan can defy the laws of thermodynamics and allow for weight loss faster and greater than a sensible eating and exercise plan. We are always looking for the ‘magic bullet’ where none exist,” says Bruce Pokorney, MD, Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs, Lancaster General Hospital. Dr. Pokorney is also the author of a weight management guide, Healthy Partnership—Achieving & Maintaining Weight Loss.

Dr. Pokorney encourages people to examine why they want to lose weight. “You can’t be successful if it is your spouse or your parent who wants you to lose weight. You need to want it too,” he says. He also feels it is important for dieters to understand why people gain weight—consuming more calories than their bodies are using—and to realize the enormous benefits of weight loss. “Maintaining a healthy weight is a health issue, not a cosmetic one,” he says.

Dr. Pokorney is among those medical professionals who remain skeptical when they hear about miracle diets that promise fast results with little or no effort.

But how can you tell a fad diet from a good diet? Mary Papadoplos, Registered Dietitian, Lancaster General Diabetes & Nutrition Center, recommends asking some simple questions.

Does the diet:

• Promise rapid weight loss of more than 1-2 pounds per week?
• Recommend eliminating an entire food group or severely restricting its intake?
• Provide too few calories?
• Require you to use special supplements or products?
• Promise weight loss without exercising or making other healthy lifestyle changes?
• Rely on personal testimonials and not scientific evidence to support its claims?
   

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, ask your doctor or dietitian what he or she thinks about the diet plan before you start something that might not be right for you.

Many fad diets encourage you to not eat an entire group or groups of foods. “This type of dieting can severely restrict vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients your body needs to work properly,” Mary says.

While some fad diets appear to work because the pounds seem to melt away, Mary and Dr. Pokorney both say that most of these diets are not plans that people can follow for life. Once a person stops the diet, he or she often regains the weight. Mary cautions that this trend, known as “yo-yo dieting,” can negatively alter a person’s metabolism and lead to feelings of failure, poor self-confidence and low self-worth.

“A healthy diet needs to be well-balanced. It should encourage lifelong changes with gradual results. It should be supported by scientific evidence and you should be able to adapt it to fit your personal preferences and lifestyle,” Mary says.

To help you in your quest to maintain a healthy weight, www.LancasterGeneral.org offers interactive ideal body weight and body mass index calculators under the “Health Information” section of our Web site.

If you would like to get involved in a supervised weight management program, the Lancaster General Wellness Center offers classes for children, teens and adults.

Please call 544-3138 to learn more.