Many people are not meeting their nutrient needs, yet have no problems exceeding their calorie requirements. As a result of this trend, obesity rates are increasing all over the world. The desire to lose weight has resulted in an endless stream of popular fad diets such as “Atkins, South Beach, Grapefruit, or the Abs.” A fad diet is a highly-marketed diet that promises quick weight loss and is usually replaced by another one shortly after its popularity dies down. 

Let’s face it, any diet that is low in calories may work in the short-term, but fad diets don't help you change eating habits for the long-term, which is the most challenging and most important part of achieving a healthy weight so you can enjoy the benefits of a healthy life. Fad diets, therefore, contribute to “yo-yo dieting,” which is an unhealthy means of the successive loss and re-gain of weight due to perpetual dieting. More importantly, fad diets are often very restrictive and can be very harmful. It is not healthy to cut out any particular food groups, skip meals, or use weight loss supplements. Your body requires certain nutrients on a day-to-day basis. 

To properly lose weight and permanently keep it off you need to work with a registered dietitian (RD). RDs are nutrition professionals that can individualize a diet plan for you.