Sorry, but not all diets live up to their hype.

For example, one diet claimed that if you ate nothing but bananas you’d lose weight (the proof being that you never saw an overweight monkey…)

It won’t work. (and it will make you very sick of bananas)

Others are good for short-term weight loss, but since they don’t burn fat, will only lead to loss of water. Examples are the so-called cleansing diets or liquid diets. While they’re great for removing the toxins, you really can’t sustain it for more than a week without feeling sick or lightheaded. Of course you stopped it, you silly girl, and you’re smart you did, or you would’ve starved.

What you can do:

• Don’t believe every diet you hear. Ask how it’s supposed to help you lose weight, and research to see if its claims are actually supported.
• Take celebrity endorsements with a grain of salt. Celebrities have personal trainers and plastic surgeons. If they’re thin, it’s not just because of that diet— hey, you’d lose weight too if you had a fully equipped gym in your bedroom.
• Check if the diet meets the daily nutritional requirements. While all diets require a certain control of calories, if you aren’t getting enough food you will feel too weak to think or function properly. So you’ll either get sick, or binge. But here’s the deal. Mother Nature’s programmed your body to store food in “lean times”. Your poor eating habits have triggered this survival instinct, so anything you do eat goes straight to your hips. Trust us on this.
• Be wary of any diet that demands that you buy a product. They may work, but it’s a huge financial investment, and not easy to sustain. You’re better off with something that involves a lifestyle change. You can use a drink or a pill, you can try a power bar or a miraculous patch, but it’s just one of many activities. Ask yourself: “Will I still lose weight without this product? Can I replace it with something else if I see fit?” If the answer is a resounding no—then read the fine print. It may say, in so many words, “You’ll gain everything back the moment you stop.” Scary.