9 Ways to Tell Fad Diets from Effective Weight Loss Diets

In a diet and fitness world full of hype, it's hard to make choices will give you good, permanent results. There's a lot of confusing, conflicting, and misleading information. And there are many weight loss programs and products that range from ineffective to downright dangerous. It's hard to tell which deliver on their promise and which are hype that is marketed well.

You may have already spent a small fortune on unused exercise equipment, diet books, foods, and supplements and still aren't as slim or fit as you want to be.

There are literally hundreds of diets to choose from. I was recently on a site that sold 100's of diet books - there were diets over 40, diets for obese people, diets for stomach fat, even an "idiot proof" diet. So how to decide which diet plan to try?

If you're frustrated with the way you look and feel, if you are confused about what is the best diet or the best exercise program, you aren't alone. If you've tried the "fad diet of the month" and it didn't work, maybe it's not your fault. The diet and fitness industry thrives on your failure. If you lost weight and kept it off, you wouldn't need to buy the next great weight loss "miracle".

So before you start off on a new diet program, get out your "BS" detector and here are some things to look for in an effective weight loss program.

- You want to look for a program that is based on science. One that has you eating nutritious food and teaches you to work with your body's metabolism, instead of against it, to lose weight. This will eliminate the fad diets and the flat out kooky stuff that may drop a few pounds that you'll gain right back and could never be sustained as a lifestyle.

- Look at the author's credentials. Does the author have experience in the weight loss or fitness industry? Has he or she used this plan himself or tried it on clients before offering it to the rest of us? Does she explain things clearly?

- What does the website look like? Does it look professional? Is there lots of good information or is it just a lot of hype?

- Does this sound like a plan you can live with? Some diets work quickly but when you go off it you will probably gain the weight back. I personally don't want to count calories or eat a low carb diet or high protein diet for the rest of my life!

- Is the plan based on healthy eating? Sure, eating nothing prepackaged frozen dinners may take the weight off (this is serious portion control!), but is it really good for you? Do you want to be just thin, or lean and healthy?

- Is there was ongoing support? Do you get access to the author on a blog or vis regular emails with continued education?

- Is there a guarantee? You want at least a 30 day, preferably 60 day guarantee. That way you have a chance to try the plan out and get your money back if it doesn't work for you.

- What are other people saying? Most websites have a testimonial section. Are they for real? Are the before and after pictures convincing? They should be. The publishers of these sites could be in a lot of trouble if they've made them up. However, a better idea is to go on sites like yahoo answers, amazon, or diet blogs where real users have posted comments.

- Is there a special offer? Are they offering free tips, ebook or special report? These will give you an idea if you like what that author has to say and their style. See if it resonates with you before you buy. Excellent authors usually have so much good information they are generous with giving some away.

The healthy diets that work will all have a lot of similarities. Know yourself and find one that makes sense to you and will fit with your lifestyle. Then give it your best effort. If it doesn't work out, you will know that you didn't fail the diet, the diet failed you.


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Frustrated with the way you look and feel? At SlimFit101.com our mission is to provide our readers unbiased, honest information, based on science and common sense, on the most effective weight loss and fitness programs and products. To make an informed choice on the perfect diet program for you, visit us at SlimFit101.com .