In the back of our mind we know they aren't healthy. We know that no one can really lose fat by drinking some strange concoction, filling up on nothing but cabbage soup, or eating plate after plate of fatty meat. Yet, people who struggle with their weight turn time and time again to fad diets. Why? What is it about fad diets that is fascinating to us? Are there any that actually work?

We are fascinated by fad diets because we want an easy way out of our weight problem. We do not want to work at losing weight by counting calories and exercising. We want to be able to take the weight off as easily as we put it on.

Fad diets sound easy, whether or not they truly are. They tell us that we can lose weight "without dieting or exercising or counting calories." Some do work, but only those that do cut calories. Perhaps we are fooled into thinking we are not cutting calories by being on a fad diet, but, in fact, if the diet works, calories will be cut somewhere. Keep in mind that cutting just 500 calories a day will cause you to lose a pound a week, so with a little discipline this is not hard.

One problem with fad diets is that they are often unhealthy. Fad diets will not include all of the nutrients and types of food the body needs for ultimate health. For instance, a strict "no carb" diet eliminates important whole grains. They do lead to weight loss, but at a potentially high price.

You can recognize fad diets by their advertisements. If you hear claims of tremendously fast and easy weight loss, chances are you are looking at a fad diet that will provide temporary weight loss results, but not the lasting ones you want.

Keep in mind that a popular diet is not necessarily a bad diet. Fads come and go, but some popular diets will stick around for a while because they work and they are full of healthy foods. The South Beach Diet, for instance, is a lower carb diet that does not eliminate the healthy grains that our bodies need. This diet works, lets the dieter live a healthy life, and is extremely popular.

If you are looking for weight loss, learn to recognize and avoid the fads. Instead, choose a weight loss plan that incorporates good, calorie-controlled nutrition with adequate amounts of exercise to see lasting weight loss results.