With obesity rates reaching epidemic proportions and many industrialized nations having a sedentary lifestyle that encourages weight increases, more people are overweight today than arguably ever before. This also means that more people are following diets more than they ever have before. Dieting has become an important part of life, but the problem with the fad diet is that the weight just doesn’t stay off. Lots of pounds can be lost during the diet, but this is because of nutritional deficiencies. This causes a rebound after the diet is over and sometimes even more weight is gained.
Statistics About Fad Diets
1. In 2010, 54% of adults said that they were currently on a diet. That’s the most since survey results were first taken in 1986.
2. The number of Americans who regularly consume low calorie, sugar free foods and beverages: 187 million.
3. 69% of fad diets fail to achieve a target weight because people are exercising appropriately in combination with the diet.
4. The most popular method of trying to cut calories out of a diet is to drink diet soft drinks instead of regular ones.
5. 86% of fad dieters are looking to cut down on foods that are high in sugar. Another 85% are looking for help in eating smaller portions of their favorite foods.
6. Only 8% of dieters will follow a restrictive weight loss plan like the Atkins Diet.
7. US weight-loss market revenues totaled nearly $61 billion.
8. Australian research has shown that young girls who diet at severe levels are 18x more likely to develop an eating disorder within 6 months.
9. Losing weight is consistently one of the top resolutions that are made at the start of every new year.
10. More than 1 in 20 adults are considered to have extreme obesity.
11. About 33% of kids between 6-19 years of age are considered to be overweight or obese.
12. 1 in 6 kids meets the clinical definition of being obese.
13. The number of adults who are considered to be obese: 1 in 3.
14. Almost 3 out of every 4 men are considered to be at least overweight, but the prevalence of obesity is the same in men and women.
15. Being overweight in the United States is more likely to affect racial minorities than any other group.
16. Fad diets are more likely to work when 150 minutes of exercise is completed every week.
17. 65% of people who successfully complete a fad diet will end up gaining all of their weight back that the lost.
18. More than 95% of people relapse from a diet in 5 years or less.
19. It only takes a weight loss of 5% to bring significant health benefits that may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes developing.
20. The amount of money spent on bariatric surgery in the last year: $5.77 billion.
21. 8 out of 10 dieters try to lose weight on their own without any support system.
22. The average American adult tries to implement a fad diet 4 times per year.
23. Within two weeks, 25% of Americans will give up on their weight loss goals.
Fad diets are followed because they seem to work and work fast. The truth is that any diet can help someone lose weight. In a much publicized case, one man lost weight just by eating Twinkies all of the time. 85% of people can lose weight while they are dieting, but the fad diet only allows for about 15% of people to keep that weight off. The problem is this: it took time to develop the extra weight. It’s going to take time to get that weight off in a healthy way.
It can actually be dangerous to lose a lot of weight quickly. The gallbladder is often the most susceptible piece of equipment in the human body to fast weight lost. Stones can develop which may cause inflammation or a blockage. That might require a surgery and then suddenly your liver is dumping bile directly into your digestive tract instead.
Whether you’re on a high protein diet, a zero sugar diet, or even the Atkins diet, here are some statistics about fad diets that you’re going to want to see.
Why Are Fad Diets Popular
Fad diets might seem like a good idea, but that’s because we all live in a society that demands instant gratification. That’s why these diets are such a moneymaker.
Something that got broken over the course of 6 months isn’t going to right itself over the course of 6 weeks. It just isn’t going to work. You actually end up hurting yourself by following a fad diet to the letter because your body begins to crave the things that it needs. It isn’t some specific hormone that is causing you to gain weight and there isn’t a specific food group that is doing it. Being overweight is simply a combination of genetics, poor eating habits, and a sedentary lifestyle.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use a fad diet to kick start a weight loss plan. It just means that you’ve got to be smart about what diet you choose to follow. Are you really going to be able to eat cabbage soup for an extended period of time? Or can you avoid eating tons of carbs? How likely will you be able to stay away from all sugar?
The best way to lose weight is to do so slowly and surely. You might even start not by dieting, but by increasing the amount of exercise that you get every day. Just 45 minutes of exercise per day will eliminate 500 calories from your lifestyle every day and that’s enough to lose 1 pound per week for many people. Over the course of a year, that’s 52 pounds.
Instead of spending money into the black hole of fad diets, spend money on yourself. Invest into a physical activity that you love and reward yourself. Limit portions and allow yourself to fail a day here and there. Over time, you will find that you are much more likely to keep your weight off and that means having a slimmer, more confident you.