Weighing in on fad diets

As swimsuit season hits Utah after months of winter, many women are scanning Internet sites in search of quick ways to lose 20 pounds in less than a month, an unhealthy decision according to dietitians and personal trainers.

And while the gym is still a popular choice to slim down for the summer, others are turning to fad diets to drop the pounds. Diets such as Atkins, South Beach and others are up against hundreds of new fad dieting trends, including diets that promote people consuming just one or two food items, or primarily high protein foods. And another that calls for a syringe.

"There's an interesting one that came out where people inject themselves with a hormone to lose weight," said nutrition expert Cara Munson. "There's always fad diets, and people believe it'll help because they read about it somewhere."

Alice'n Kindall, 22, said she felt sick after trying the Medifast diet, which requires dieters to eat packages of meals every day and then fix a high-protein and vegetable dinner for a week, a 1,000 calorie daily average.

"I'm a yo-yo dieter," said Kindall, a University of Utah student. "I was on another diet for about a month, and I lost 10 to 15 pounds but it didn't stay off. My friend, Ashley, she's been just working out right and exercising and the weight is staying off. I go off and try these extreme diets because I want it off now."

Cecilia Johnson, 25, said she read about the grapefruit diet online, which consists of eating grapefruit at every meal with a mix of proteins and vegetables, and tried it out. A couple weeks later Johnson felt "starved" of the carbohydrates she was depriving her body of.

"I lost some weight, but it came back pretty quickly after I stopped," said the Salt Lake resident. "I couldn't keep up with the diet."

Daniel Williams, a personal trainer for 24-hour Fitness Gym at Trolley Square, said he's seen hundreds of people come in looking to lose some weight before going to the Bahamas or Hawaii, but the ones trying to lose 20 pounds in a month have little chance of success.

"With your body, other than liposuction, there are no shortcuts. Nothing will substitute good, hard work," Williams said. "And even with liposuction, the fat will be gone, but two to three months later you'll just gain it back."

When dieters attempt fad diets that promote taking out carbohydrates or other necessary macronutrients the body requires, the body may lose weight but at a price — when the diet is stopped, people end up gaining back the weight and then some.