By Priya Shah
AmesEats Daily writer
The grapefruit juice diet, cabbage soup diet and the all fruit diet are some of the extreme measures men and women try a few weeks before spring break to shed a few pounds before heading off to a tropical destination.
Last week, three of our readers admitted to doing a few of the diets and saw positive results. Keep in mind, they’re not experts — our panel of professors proved that. Across the board, all of the professors agreed that crash diets do not work for sustainable weight loss; they are unhealthy and unnatural.
Michele Roling, an eating disorder treatment coordinator at Iowa State’s student counseling services, a spring break weight-loss mentality can be the trigger for an eating disorder. “The number one risk of starting a diet is developing an eating disorder,” Roling said.
Regardless of if the diet is supposed to be two weeks, it can develop into a lifestyle. Losing those specific pounds “becomes a psychological warfare where no number is good enough” and this uncontrollable addiction can start consuming your life.
Roling emphasized that everyone has a different biological make-up that determines your body shape and appropriate size. On Monday, author and recovered eating disorder specialist Jenni Shaefer said, “eating disorders do not discriminate and they come in every shape and size.” Shaefer believes that the best thing to do is practice “intuitive eating – eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.”
It is important before beginning any sort of drastic weight loss measure to consult a physician or dietician to make sure that the methods are not detrimental to your health. There are so many wonderful, tasty foods available — don’t limit yourself to cayenne pepper, maple syrup, lemon juice and water. It might make you look good for spring break, but that’s no way to live.
