The Juice Cleanse Diet. The Hollywood Diet. The Grapefruit Diet. 

With a quick Google search or scroll through social media, you're guaranteed to come across at least one ad for a quick and easy diet plan that promises to help you lose weight fast. 

Unfortunately, there's a reason why these fad diet plans don't work—and it's not because they don't deliver on their promises. Let's explore why fad and crash diet plans are often ineffective and what you can do instead to achieve weight loss and health goals.

What is a diet plan?

A good diet plan involves healthy eating that provides nutrients the body needs and is one that a person can maintain long-term. 

However, many quick fix diets, often referred to as "fad diets," are unrealistic and overly restrictive. They can also be very dangerous to your health. 

How can you spot a fad diet plan? They promise quick weight loss and usually have no scientific research to prove they're safe or effective. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Why diet plans don't work

Below are 4 main reasons why fad diet plans are not the answer to healthy, lasting weight loss and management.

1. Crash diets don't last

Most of the time, the diet plan you just paid for is nothing more than a crash diet. These diets significantly decrease daily calorie, protein, fiber, and vitamin and mineral intake, so your body will drop weight quickly. 

This isn't sustainable in the long run, so once you stop following the crash diet plan, you will quickly regain any lost weight and are at an increased risk of gaining more.

 In addition, crash diets also contribute to the following:

• poor sleep
• loss of muscle mass 
• low energy
• fatigue
• slower metabolism
• increase in hunger
• a negative relationship with food

2. Unsustainable Lifestyle Changes 

The other problem with most crash diet plans is that they fail to address the importance of education and behavior changes in forming sustainable eating and exercise habits. Maintaining weight loss in the long term is hard without understanding the nutritional value of foods or the triggers behind unhealthy eating habits. 

Fad diet plans often disregard individual preferences and lifestyles, creating a one-size-fits-all approach impractical for everyone. At Profile Plan, we focus on our client's individual needs to design a customized plan that sets them up for success and helps them make behavior changes aligning with their personal goals.

3. Don't promote exercise

If a diet plan suggests you don't need physical activity to lose weight, that's a huge red flag. Exercise, combined with healthy eating, not only contributes to weight loss but also helps keep those pounds off.  

Physical activity also improves brain and memory function, decreases the risk of developing chronic illnesses and diseases, increases sleep quality, and boosts mood. 

4. No one diet plan works for everyone

Since we have unique health needs and goals, there's no one-size-fits-all regarding weight loss plans, including diet. 

Many diet plans don't consider our differences, like age, sex, health conditions, goals, physical abilities, and genetics.. So what works for one person may not work for the next. 

How to achieve weight loss goals

Below are 4 ways we recommend for helping you achieve and maintain your weight goals: 

1. Work with a weight loss coach

A Profile Plan weight loss coach works with you one-on-one to get to know your health goals, struggles, motivations, and strengths to create a personalized weight loss plan that sets you up for long-term success. 

2. Join or create a weight loss community

Losing weight is hard; keeping it off can be even harder. Therefore, joining a weight loss community of people with similar weight loss goals provides the support you need to reach your goals and live a healthy lifestyle. 

3. Focus on a diet that gives your body what it needs

Instead of relying on quick-fix fad diets, focus on giving your body exactly what it needs. 

Whether you have type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, or a food allergy, Profile Plan can help create a customized meal plan for your health needs and weight loss goals. 

4. Set realistic weight loss goals 

It’s important to set realistic weight loss goals that are conducive to your life stage and lifestyle. A Profile Plan coach can help you set realistic, maintainable and sustainable weight loss goals.

Remember, being healthy goes beyond a number on the scale. Consider other critical health measures vital to your overall well-being, such as energy levels and sleep quality. 

Final thoughts

When all we are after is quick results, trendy diet plans can be tempting. But unfortunately, they don't last in the long run due to unsustainable lifestyle changes or unhealthy crash diets. 

Committing yourself to healthy lifestyle changes ensures that any progress made stays with you forever! Profile Plan's science-based nutrition program combines compassionate, one-on-one coaching with sensible meal options to help our members lose weight. 

Learn more about health coaching and why it works, or schedule a free consultation today!