The new year is here and many of you want to lose weight quickly. You promised yourself, your family and friends that this was the year that you were going to do it. Now comes the problem of wanting to lose weight quickly, and which fad diet should you follow, coupled with what magic pills or potions you will consume in order to do so. And of course, there is an overabundance of companies waiting to extract cash from your hand to help you in this endeavor.

There are magical pills out there which promise to burn fat, rev your metabolism, increase your level of growth hormone, and on and on and on…

Which one should you buy?

The pills in the pharmaceutical looking bottle, or the others in brightly colored packages with huge promises listed all over the front and back?

They all seem like a good choice don’t they? And while you are at it, you better get the ones which promise to lower your stress hormone cortisol too. Of course being the intelligent shopper that you are, you go for the supplement that promises to be a natural dietary supplement for getting rid of all of your excess weight and that maintains a healthy gut too. There is no need to spend huge amounts on various diet programs, exercise equipment, and gym membership. Just buy that bottle of weight loss pills and you will be looking like an Instagram fitness model by spring, if not sooner. I have a unicorn and pixie dust to sell to you also…

Now, lets cut to the chase.

Dietary supplements are sold as health aids. Although there are some useful supplements on the market, most of these which are sold to promote weight loss are as useful as a unicorn pulling a wagon.  The most common ingredients in most of these are nothing more than vitamins, minerals, fiber, caffeine, herbs and other plants. In other words, you can get all of the same benefits, but better, simply by eating healthy, whole foods while cutting out the sugar laden junk and processed foods.

Some of the most popular supplements claim to improve nutrition, boost energy, build muscle or burn fat. Yet, when you read the small print on their labels, the results are usually not typical, and you must follow a healthy diet coupled with exercise.

Dietary supplements are not medicines. They aren’t meant to treat or cure disease.

And they will not make an obese person thin!

Contrary to how these scam companies promise that their products will help you to lose weight quickly – you might be surprised to learn that makers of dietary supplements rarely carry out clinical trials. That’s part of the reason why there’s little scientific evidence to show that weight-loss supplements work.

 Raspberry ketone is massively promoted as a “clinically proven” weight loss supplement. However, that claim is supported by one clinical trial which consisted of only 70 obese adults. These people were all placed on a restricted diet and exercise program. They were then randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a supplement containing raspberry ketone, caffeine, bitter orange, ginger and garlic root extract.

Did you catch the phrase; “placed on a restricted diet and exercise program”?

The 45 people who completed the trial all lost weight:

• The average weight loss in the supplement group was 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms).
• The average weight loss in the placebo group was 0.9 pounds (0.4 kilograms).

These results might sound promising, however you must not over look the fact that this trial was small and lasted only eight weeks. That means the results can’t be reliably generalized to real-world situations. And importantly, a short trial like this may miss side effects that only become apparent with long-term use.

In addition, the trial used a supplement that contained multiple ingredients. So it’s impossible to tell which ingredient was responsible for the weight loss. Another point to consider is the difference being only 3.3 pounds average, you must also factor in water retention. We only see the weight difference, but we are not provided with the actual difference in body fat lost, which is what really matters.

Always do your research before handing over your cash!

 If you’re thinking about trying a weight-loss supplement it is always important that you first do your homework. Check credible websites, such as those run by the U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Also be sure to talk with your doctor before taking any supplement. This is especially important if you have health problems, take prescription drugs, or are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Don’t get suckered into “Fad Diets” to lose weight quickly!

Just because your neighbors cousin, who has a friend whose coworker had great success on some fad diet, it does not mean that you are going to be successful with it. Nor will you usually hear about this distant person actually being able to maintain what they lost on said diet. Quick weight loss diets are just not an intelligent choice, no matter how smart you think yourself to be.

Fad diets are never good.

One of many reasons they are no good is that they do not address the problem which got you overweight in the first place! Once you’ve reached your goal with the fad diet, you in all probability will gain the weight back as you reestablish old eating habits. Losing weight requires a permanent change to your nutritional lifestyle my friends. This point is not even arguable. Of course you can try to argue, but I would be willing to wager my home that you would end up being a part of the 95% of dieters who fail to keep their weight off.

How do you know you are looking at a fad diet? Typical signs include:

• Claims of fast and easy weight loss.
• Elimination of certain food groups or “bad foods.”
• Requires you to buy dietary supplements impressively labeled as fat burners, weight loss aids, and metabolism boosters.
• Tells you that foods need to be correctly combined for proper digestion to occur.
• No need for exercise.
• Highlights specific foods, such as grapefruit, lemonade, or special soups like cabbage soup.

Weight loss is a $66 billion dollar industry, and one of the most advertised, according to U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market. And many of these so-called plans being sold to the masses are fad diets. They are called such because they are popular thanks to a new bestselling book or a heavy rotation by public relations teams but with little evidence behind them. There is no healthy, nor permanent way to lose weight quickly! Just don’t ask your favorite Aunt who is on her 12th fad diet this year…

Although fad diets have been proven not to work over and over throughout the decades, people still place their faith in quick fixes rather than do what is actually required for healthy and permanent weight loss.

There are many healthy ways to maintain your weight that do not include fad diets. Eating whole, healthy foods and treats in moderation during times when your body is most active is an excellent approach to healthier eating and losing weight. With your doctors approval you can also add on a few hours a week at the gym; then you will get on the right track.

Society needs to stop trying to cheat their way into healthy lifestyles. To lose weight quickly is never going to bring you success, nor is it ever going to give you a healthy enough body that you imagine you would like to have.

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