4 Popular Diets That Don’t Actually Work, Say Dietitians — Eat This Not That

There always seems to be a new diet coming out of the woodworks that will claim to help you lose weight. While some may actually get the job done, others fall flat and leave you with questions as to what went wrong. In some instances, diets will work in a short period of time. However, in the long run, you’re left gaining the weight back that you worked so hard to take off.

It’s hard to know which diets will actually work best for you personally, or which will flop. That’s why we brought in two experts from our Medical Expert Board to tell us what diets they believe won’t work. Once you’ve checked them out, take a look at Diet Habits Wrecking Your Immune System, Say Dietitians.

The ProLon diet focuses on fasting-mimicking—a specific intermittent fasting plan that limits calories for a set period of time, but during which you don’t stop eating entirely. It is a 5-day plan that is supposed to nourish your body, support cellular rejuvenation, and support metabolic and overall health for healthy aging.

In the diet, you eat meals that include plant-based soups, energy bars, drinks, and a variety of snacks such as chips. You can also take a supplement that minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids.

“Since this diet involves the use of pre-packaged foods and drinks provided by the brand, people aren’t learning sustainable ways to manage their weight, and instead are going auto-pilot on a low-calorie plan that results in dropping pounds without any thought,” says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT, author of  The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook, The 7 Ingredient Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook, and Fueling Male Fertility. “While people will see quick results, they may not see sustainable results.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Also known as the Keto diet, this diet consists of limiting your carbohydrate intake while focusing on eating high-quality fats as well as a moderate amount of protein.

“I’m not a fan of the keto diet,” says Lisa R. Young, PhD, RDN, author of Finally Full, Finally Slim, and The Portion Teller Plan. “This diet is a very low carb, high-fat diet. Limiting carbs and increasing fat intake leads to ketosis, where your body uses fat for energy instead of carbs.  This can lead to metabolic acidosis, constipation, dizziness,…