Many diets promote quick ways to shed extra pounds, but few deliver. Fad diets have become as much a part of eating as food itself. A fad diet is defined as a reducing diet that enjoys temporary popularity.

According to the American Heart Association, Americans spend more than $6 billion a year on fad diets. The Diet Channel Web site states that an estimated 50 million Americans will go on a diet this year. Half of them will be on a low-carbohydrate fad diet.

Even with a large amount of the population on fad diets, scientific research has shown little evidence to prove their effectiveness. In addition, registered dieticians do not recommend these diets.

Wendy Cunningham, assistant professor in family and consumer sciences on campus, and a registered dietician, said that fad diets restrict the food you eat, instead of providing a balanced diet. Cunningham is worried that fad diets provide people with false hope about weight loss.

“In many cases the diets are setting people up for failure because they will gain the weight back,” she said.

Cunningham is referring to claims of quick weight loss that many fad diets make. She said in most cases the initial weight loss is because of reduced caloric intake. Low-carbohydrate diets, such as Atkins and the South Beach diet, restrict carbohydrate intake to as low as 20 grams per day.

“The big concern with the Atkins diet is the long-term health of the individual,” Cunningham said.

Citrus Heights resident Carol Michaels said she lacked energy when she was on the Atkins diet. “I struggled with regular everyday tasks,” she said. Michaels, 37, tried several low-carbohydrate diets before giving up on them last July. “My weight was up and down and I felt horrible most of the time,” she said.

In August, the parent company for Atkins declared bankruptcy, putting an end to the Atkins diet. Even with Atkins’s demise, the low-carbohydrate diet remains a popular choice among dieters.

Joe Stover, a Sacramento resident, said he tried every fad diet imaginable. “I tried Atkins, South Beach, and the all-yogurt diet, to name a few,” Stover said. He said that they all worked for a short period before the weight came back. Stover, 29, works out five times a week, and has a desk job. “I was told by a trainer that because I wasn’t active at work, I would need to work out harder to expend more energy,” he said.

“What some people don’t understand is just because they work out an hour a day doesn’t mean they can lie on their couch the rest of the day,” Cunningham said. She said that some people work out and then don’t participate in other forms of physical activity. “People could park further away from the grocery store and walk to get some exercise or use the stairs instead of an elevator,” Cunningham said.

Physical activity is an important aspect of any weight-loss plan. Fad diets rarely discuss the amount of activity needed to lose weight. “I went to a doctor and then a personal trainer to find out how much I should work out,” Michaels said.

Kelin Munson, an exercise science major and personal trainer, said he doesn’t give his clients nutritional advice because he is not a registered dietician. Munson also believes that fad diets are not healthy. “I tried a low-carbohydrate diet and I didn’t like the way I felt,” he said. Munson thinks people should follow a balanced diet.

The Zone diet is somewhat balanced. The basic principle is to eat 40 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent protein. Cunningham said the Zone diet does encourage dieters to eat sufficient amounts of each nutrient, but the diet is still unbalanced.

Michaels has been on the Zone diet since the summer. “It is the best diet I have been on,” she said. Michaels modified the diet, allowing her to eat more carbohydrates. She said she plans to try a diet based on the most recent food pyramid guidelines.

The new food pyramid, released earlier this year, focuses more on activity and body types than specific serving amounts. Cunningham said it’s a great diet that is very reasonable.

The Heart Association recommends diets that encourage physical activity and slow weight loss. Regular physical activity is important and they recommend seeing a physician before trying a new diet.

Fad diets come and go, which should be an indication of their success. They are temporary dietary changes that can induce short-term weight loss.

“In order for a diet to work, it has to be a permanent change,” Cunningham said. In other words, a lifestyle change is needed.

Vincent Gesuele can be reached at [email protected]