The overweight and obese are often advised multiple measures to reduce their waistline. Specialized low-cal, low-fat diets are among the favorites of dietitians and nutritionists. This diet program, undoubtedly, forms an integral part of any weight-loss regime. However, blind faith on these diets and sky-high expectations often lead to reverse results, i.e., instead of losing weight, these diets end up contributing more flab to our bodies.

Additionally, there are plenty of specialized diet programs available off the shelf in the market promising reed-thin figure in unbelievable time-scale. If the promises are too good to be true, perhaps they are! The results are not just ridiculously over-exaggerated but sometimes, accompanied by false testimonials. But to their credit, these diet programs achieve the purpose of attracting the consumers in heaps.

Before coming to the point of actual results achieved through these diet programs, it would be worth mentioning about the mindboggling amount at stake on these programs. The manufacturers spend billions and billions of dollars every year to come up with new diet products, and the market for these products is expectedly much more than any other weight loss product. This is because these diets promise natural weight loss using naturally available products. But the truth is, of course, far from this, as we'll observe in the proceeding paragraphs.

So, what's the truth about these much-acclaimed specialized diets? Well, the truth is not as straightforward as it seems. Firstly, you are never too sure about the contents of these diets. The herbs' and plants' extracts contained in these diets are not proven performers. They are used based on traditional knowledge about their efficacy in weight-loss and appetite suppressing endeavors, with little or no clinical testing to prove their worth.

But the most worrying aspect about these diet programs is the fact that some of these actually result in weight gain, instead of weight loss. Their modus operandi is simple. The body metabolism is simulated into believing that the stomach is full when it's not. Reluctantly, you eat less and the accumulated fat is burnt to derive essential energy. This fat loss leads to weight loss albeit, temporarily because the day you stop taking these specialized diets, your body will demand more food, and it'll try to replenish even the lost body-fat by demanding more food intake. And the net result is weight gain in the long run.

Ignorance of average Joe and Jane is largely to be blamed for such a mess that we create for our bodies. Lack of accurate knowledge about working of metabolism and the specialized diets lead to a situation where instead of improving the body condition, we end up harming it by eating more.

In the wake of above discussion, it won't be wrong to conclude that before resorting to any kind of diet program that is different from your usual diet, it's pertinent to consult some knowledge resource from an expert, who has not just authored it, but also lived every word of it.