TW: DISCUSSION OF DIETING, EATING HABITS AND WEIGHT LOSS TRENDS

As someone who has tried fad diets to make herself lose weight– Not only do they NOT work, but they cause serious health complications. They’re unhealthy for you and leave you feeling empty and disconnected from your body, family, school, work, and friends. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fad diets out there and none of them promote a healthy relationship with your body or with food. 

Here are just a few of the many fad diets out there and reasons they do more harm than good to your body:

Diet pills

If you take away anything from this post, please let it be this: do not take pills or any supplement that promises rapid weight loss results and do not take any weight loss advice from celebrities, or ANY person that is not your doctor. Even then, because our healthcare system is founded on oppression of those who are in marginalized bodies, we have to question everything and everyone. Weight loss medication claims to block fat absorption, reduce appetite and a list of other things.

Not to mention, garcinia cambogia is considered a supplement which doesn’t have to be investigated by the FDA. So if you take it, you won’t see the results you want and you could be putting anything in your body and not even know it.

Debunking

Diet pills have a list of side effects, from general dizziness and nausea to heart problems. They only offer short-lived, temporary solutions and you can easily gain the weight back as soon as you stop taking them.

Flat tummy anything

Teas, shakes or anything like that aren’t doing your body any good. The “weight-loss” ingredient is garcinia cambogia and the studies trying to prove whether or not it actually works are inconclusive to say the least. What most of them do agree on is that they come with some nasty side effects from headaches to liver failure!

Debunking

Products like this that claim to give you a flatter tummy are basically just laxatives. They’re way too low in calories to even be considered a meal and you just poop them all out anyway. If you  do drop a pound or two, it’s in one of the most unhealthy ways that doesn’t last. 

Shapewear

If you wear shapewear for the purpose of slimming down your body, then listen up! The idea behind the product is to reduce fat or build muscle and this is inherently false. Shapewear just shifts the fat on your body while you’re wearing it. They do not make your body permanently slimmer than before. That being said, shapewear is okay to wear if it makes you feel more comfortable and confident in the clothes you are wearing! The WHY of your choice to wear shapewear is important! Knixwear is a perfect example of shapewear that promotes a positive body experience with shapewear.

Debunking

Different versions of shapewear have been around for a long time from Ancient Greece to Victorian-era. They have gotten better in the sense that they don’t change the natural location of your ribs using metal bars, but they still aren’t great.

There are a lot of health issues associated with wearing tight shapewear for long periods of time both internally and externally. They can restrict the blood flow to the lower half of your body, rearrange your organs and cause skin irritation. 

Juice Cleanses

When doing a juice cleanse, the only things you’re consuming are juices from fruits and vegetables. They can last weeks and wear your body out. And you poop. A lot. It’s so important to remember that a body naturally NEEDS fuel to live.

Debunking

A lot of people do these cleanses to start their weightloss journey, but it doesn’t work like that. They can cause dehydration, starvation, dizziness and more. AND the “benefits” of juice cleanses aren’t even supported by scientific evidence.

It’s expensive, it isn’t proven to work and it makes you feel like crap. What more do you need to stay away from juice cleanses?

Love yourself instead

Instead of trying to rapidly change our body because society tells you to, adjust your mindset. Form a healthy relationship with your body and listen to it. Don’t deprive yourself of the nutrients you and your body need and deserve. If we can spend our lives up to the moment learning how to shrink ourselves, we can take one chance to accept the body we are in.