Hungry for Change

As we sit on our couches covered in chip crumbs, scrolling through Instagram, there's a high likelihood we'll come across a #fitspo post littered with hashtags like #Whole30, #keto, or #paleo. And we'll likely double-tap because we wanna be #fitchicks too, dammit.

But let's get real. Junk food habits aside, dieting is hard. From weeding through the dozens of popular dieting trends to navigating the countless apps promising to help us lose weight, these days, dieting is so much more than cutting carbs or counting calories. So how can we go about doing it right?

It's easy to get sucked into the latest dieting trends — we've all been there, especially when we're trying to shed pounds fast. Fad diets get the most attention, with amazing results promised if we follow the usually "extreme" demands. They tend to gain cult followings, as the sense of community — especially in today's one-click-away, online world — bolsters us through our hunger pains and sugar cravings.

They also tend to get bad raps, since many fad diets centre around deprivation of one sort or another, whether that be from animal products or pizza. Cutting out major food groups, or restricting calories to lose weight quickly, can be incredibly harmful to your overall health, and losing weight in this way is nearly impossible to maintain. And because Canada doesn't regulate weight loss programs, basically anything is fair game, no matter how crazy (or dangerous).

Which is exactly why we're breaking down a few of the latest dieting trends, pointing out problems in each, and offering solutions for a healthy lifestyle and relationship with food. We'll also provide our favourite ways to diet effectively, including by using proven services like Noom, which focus on long lasting outcomes, with an emphasis on gaining confidence and energy throughout the process.

Whole30

You might be familiar with this dieting trend, since it's been publicized by celeb Busy Phillipps, and is apparently followed by Jessica Biel and Miley Cyrus. This is a deprivation diet that focuses on eating "real" (read: program-approved) foods and cutting out the following:

Added sugar
Alcohol (note: you can't even use it in cooking)
Grains
Most legumes, including: beans (green beans and peas are allowed), peanuts, and all forms of soy
Dairy
Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfates
Baked goods or junk food, even if they contain "real" ingredients

The commitment: cutting out all processed food and "treats" while eating as much fruit, vegetables, and meat as you want for 30 days. You're also not allowed to weigh or measure yourself during that time.

The promise is a big one: Basically a life overhaul. From eliminating cravings to improving allergies, anxiety, chronic pain, digestive issues, and skin conditions (not to mention weight loss), it certainly presents itself as the miracle cure to all your problems.

Those craving comfort food after a bad break-up need not apply.

If we look past how intimidating this diet seems at first glance (that list of no-no's is long), there are pros — and cons — to this approach.

For starters, it has a massive following, meaning you won't be going it alone. But if we get down to the nitty-gritty, the method of slowly reintroducing all the banned foods after 30 days is actually a great way to see how your body responds to each item individually, allowing you to weed out foods your body doesn't agree with.

Sounds great...except cutting out carbs and going high-protein all at once can be really dangerous. We're talking kidney-failure dangerous.

When our bodies are without carbs for energy, they're forced to break down fat. If they have to break down too much fat, our ketone levels can get too high, causing our kidneys to go haywire. It's recommended that you talk to your doctor before taking such an extreme approach to weight loss, and only do it if you're in good physical health.

Paleo

Like Whole30, the paleo diet (a.k.a. the caveman diet) focuses on high-protein, low-carb consumption to trick our bodies into producing ketone s as a means of losing weight. Ergo, the same health risks apply.

The idea behind eating like a caveman (ie., sticking to foods that, back in ye olden times, could be procured through hunting and gathering, like lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while avoiding anything "farmed") is that the relatively rapid switch from hunting and gathering to farming means our bodies haven't evolved to properly handle farming-related foods, like dairy, grains, and legumes.

The commitment: Be prepared to shell out a lot of money, since the approved foods will likely run up grocery bill. But unlike Whole30, this diet isn't so strict; feel free to enjoy up to three cheat meals per week when you're just starting out.

This diet also promises the moon: From lowering the risk of conditions like heart disease to even suggesting it could lead to a totally disease-free life, the whole weight-loss thing seems like small potatoes in comparison. However, it's important to note that there have been no long-term clinical studies to prove any of these claims, nor do we know the lasting effects of sticking with a paleo diet for any length of time.

Besides, pasta is so good. 🤤

Vegan

It turns out that veganism can not only be a moral choice, but a trendy one, too. (Just ask trendsetters Jay-Z and Beyoncé.) It's also the total opposite of the other two diets we've looked at.

The commitment is to go totally vegetarian, meaning no food from animals whatsoever. Say bye-bye to foods like dairy, eggs, honey, and gelatin, but feel free to eat basically everything else. (Within reason...)

And if you're in it for you (and not the fur babies ), then the promise includes lower cholesterol; a lower chance of heart disease, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and Type 2 diabetes; and weight loss.

Sounds pretty fab, but like other fad diets, there are serious risks involved. Vegans need to pay special attention to ensure they're getting enough nutrients and may need to take supplements, such as for vitamin B12 (which only occurs naturally in animal-based foods). Because the risk of vitamin and nutrient deficiency among vegans is so high, this is another diet that experts recommend consulting your doc about before tossing out your artisanal cheese.

Things to Keep in Mind

If you're considering trying any of the latest trends, there are things to keep in mind. We don't want to sound like a broken record, but reading fitness magazines isn't going to cut it: talk to your doctor. Why? Well, for starters, while some sources tout the Whole30 and paleo diets as ones that "actually work," dietitians disagree, ranking them both as some of the worst fad diets of the past year.

And if there's controversy, it's probably best to steer clear. This year has been a sh*t-storm in more ways than one, which F-Factor creator Tanya Zuckerbrot found out the hard way this summer when the F-Factor diet became the most controversial topic in the online wellness community seemingly overnight. The dieting program, which sells food and other lifestyle products in addition to its high-fibre message, recently came under fire when lifestyle and fashion influencer Emily Gellis Lande publicly shared messages from women claiming the F-Factor food products caused a slew of health problems.

(FYI, doctors have thrown major shade Whole30's and the paleo diet's way, too.)

Our takeaway? Life's too short not to eat the damn cake

A Balancing Act

In all seriousness, our research has reinforced the benefit of lifestyle changes rather than highly restrictive quick-and-dirty diets.

Sure, some of these methods may help you shed those quarantine pounds fast, but keeping off unwanted weight is the true challenge.

That's why we recommend Noom, which is centred on getting fit "for good" and losing weight "for good." In other words, Noom is not in favour of crash dieting, rather, it's all about lasting results. Noom is basically like having a personal dietitian in your pocket, and is focused on establishing enduring change and healthy habits for life, through combining the power of technology and real human connection.

The personalized weight-loss app and meal-planning service has helped 45 million users worldwide, and although it may be trendy, it has more merit for long-term health than the aforementioned fad diets. Plus, it makes it simple to monitor your progress, track your meals, and ensure you are as organized as possible in your weight-loss journey.

Rather than claiming to help you shed pounds fast, Noom is all about encouraging users to change their eating habits and shift their attitudes about food and wellness for the better, leading to a healthy life in the long run. Slow and steady wins the race, friends.

Wherever you are in your wellness journey, we wish you luck.

Today's edition brought to you by:
Noom

Food for thought: Three popular diets explained