Celeb Trainer Vinod Channa Tells Us Why We Shouldn't Follow Fad Diets; Follow This Instead

Nowadays, fad diets are trending everywhere. These diets promise you to lose as much as 7 pounds in a week. Many individuals look up for these types of diets and apply on themselves without knowing the reality, theory or science behind it. Most importantly, people forget to look up for any side effects these diets may have or if they may actually make them prone to certain health conditions. An individual should follow a diet keeping in mind his/her health, lifestyle, age and requirement of food. All this should be done in accordance to various other factors like intensity of workout, body-fat percentage and time frame to achieve a target etc. If someone you know manages to lose weight by following a fad diet, it does not necessarily mean that you too will get the same results. it is essential to know whether or not the diet is suitable for you in the first place.Also read: E-Cigarettes: Harmless New Fad Or Another Stick To Death?​

According to my experience and knowledge of more than 22 years in this industry, there is no 'one' diet suitable for all body types.

Following are some of the most trending diets in the present times:

1. Keto diet

The nutrient intake in ketogenic consist of 70-75% fats, 20 to 15% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrate. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. Normally, carbohydrate is an energy source. But here in this diet, the body does not have enough carbohydrate and therefore, it starts using fat for energy. The liver uses stored fat and the fat sources you eat for energy. Stored fat is broken into two parts, fatty acids, and ketone bodies. Ketone bodies give power to the brain instead of glucose. This state of having a lot of ketone bodies in your blood is called "Ketosis."

Keto diet plan consists of the following:

Fats includes healthy fats such as variety of cheese like cheddar, parmesan, goat cheese etc, avocados, full fat milk.

Protein includes fish, chicken, red meat, paneer, tofu etc.

Carbohydrate includes vegetable especially green leafy etc.

Also read: Keto Diet: 5 Things You Need To Know Before Going On A Ketogenic Diet

Practically, many of my clients have got good results after following the keto diet. But the result do not last even for few months. They gain back on weight quickly. Some people lose their basic strength, endurance level, start feeling weak and experience blackouts. Keto diet cannot be followed by anyone or everyone and it should be followed under clinical supervision only. People should know that following keto diet is benefits for short-term benefits. 

Cabbage diet

It is originated from Sacred Hearts hospital for post-surgical patients. It is now used as a rapid weight loss plan for achieving quick results. The plan is as follows:

Day 1 Eat only cabbage soup and fruit all day, apart from bananas.

Day 2 Homemade cabbage soup, plus other vegetables all day. As an indulgence, you can end the day with a baked potato and butter.

Day 3 Homemade cabbage soup, and other fruits and vegetables.

Day 4 Homemade cabbage soup, and anything up to 6 bananas and fat-free milk.

Day 5 Homemade cabbage soup, plus 6 tomatoes and up to 450 grams of meat or fish

Day 6 Homemade cabbage soup, plus meat (beef) and vegetables.

Day 7 Homemade cabbage soup, plus brown rice, pure fruit juice and vegetables. No bread, carbonated beverages, or alcohol.

Weight loss achieved through cabbage diet lasts only for a week. Once you get back to normal eating habits, you put back on more weight than you had lost. Cabbage diet helps detox your body. People who want to see fat loss for self-motivation at the initial stage can start by following this diet and then continue with good eating habits and regular exercise.

Also read: Here's How Cabbage Helps You Lose Weight

General motor (GM) Diet

The GM Diet was derived by the company General Motors to help its employees deal with weight gain due to sedentary work environment and achieve weight loss. The diet plan is as follows:

Day 1 Fruit all day, except for bananas, 8 to 10 glasses of water

Day 2 Large boil potato, cooked or uncooked vegetable without oil, 8 to 10 glasses of water

Day 3 All fruits except banana, cooked or uncooked vegetables without oil, 8 to 10 glasses of water

Day 4 8 to 10 bananas, 4 glasses of milk, 8 to 12 glasses of water

Day 5 6 tomatoes, one cup of brown rice, 12 to 15 glasses of water

Day 6 One cup of brown rice, cooked or uncooked vegetable of your choice without oil, 8 to 12 glasses of water

Day 7 One cup of brown rice, any vegetable, all fruit juices

Weight loss achieved by following a general motors diet lasts for a week only. Once you get back to normal eating habits, you gain more weight than you had lost. But, if you maintain the habit of eating low calorie food, it can help in maintaining some of the lost weight. Most of the individuals give up on the GM diet after 2 days and feel guilty for not being able to complete it.

Also read: Brown Rice Vs White Rice: Which One Is Healthier And How?

In my opinion, instead of following any such fad diet, always follow good eating habit in which every meal should contain good amount of protein, fibre, especially water soluble fibre - like vegetables, carbohydrate, essential fat, vitamins and minerals. The percentage of these requirements can increase or decrease as per body-fat percentage, body type etc.

Healthy eating habits one must opt for:

Breakfast

Egg/oats/sprouts/moong chila with a cup of tea or coffee

Mid snack

Vegetable juice/fruits

Lunch

Chicken/fish/paneer/dal/green leafy veggies with 2 multi grain chapatti or a bowl of brown rice

Mid snack

Egg/ makhana/peanuts butter with fruit/curd with green tea or coffee

Dinner

Vegetable soup or salad with chicken/egg/paneer/tofu/sprouts

Include a cheat meal once in every 15 days where you can eat your favourite junk food like pizza, cake, chocolate etc. The results of healthy eating in this way lasts forever, when combined with regular exercise. The one and only way you can lose weight irreversibly is by religiously following healthy eating habits and regular exercise. Weight loss is a continuous process which happens over a period of time.

Also read: 4 Reasons Why A Cheat Meal Is Important For You

At times celebrities or models contact me to achieve certain goal in a limited time frame. According to the given time frame, we increase intensity of workouts and go strict on diet like reducing carbohydrate and fat to achieve the target in given period of time.

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