Diets That Work Fast vs. Diets That Work Long-Term

Diets That Work Fast vs. Diets That Work Long-Term

So which is better for weight loss: diets that work fast, or diets that work long-term? Of course, in an ideal world, you would have both: a diet that worked quickly and continued doing so no matter how long you stuck with the plan. Most reputable diet plans try to incorporate elements of both into their programs, so that dieters can experience quick results with the more health-promoting aspects of a long-term lifestyle change.

Pros and Cons to the Fast-Acting Diet

You see them advertised everywhere: the quick solutions to weight loss that promise instant, overnight results. To get these results, you usually only need to do one thing, such as cut out a food group, eat large quantities of another, or try a diet pill or gimmick.

The disclaimers say it all: "weight loss not typical, your results may vary," and yet this is a multi-billion dollar diet industry. What makes the crash diet so alluring is the promise of rapid results coupled with the notion that you only need to integrate one change into your busy lifestyle to guarantee these results.

Believe it or not, there is a time and a place for the fast-acting diet. For the dieter who has not had any success with other weight loss programs, or who has reached a seemingly unbreakable plateau, the crash diet can give enough weight loss that the dieter feels motivated to continue. Of course, the catch is that the dieter must eventually switch to a more sustainable lifestyle change, because these crash diets generally are too restrictive, unbalanced, or the weight loss tapers off over time.

Pros and Cons to the Long-Term Diet

The long-term diet is less of a temporary eating program and more of a lasting lifestyle change. With these programs you learn to connect your behavior with your eating patterns and to change your relationship with food.

As you can imagine, this doesn't occur overnight. It's a long-term change that does prompt weight loss, but usually the pounds come off more slowly than with a crash diet. What makes these programs alluring is the thought that every pound lost is a permanent pound lost, as your lifestyle change is lasting and the weight won't come back.

Of course, the downside to the long-term diet is that weight can come off more slowly than with a crash diet, which means that many dieters can become discouraged and give up. These programs are best suited to a format where lots of encouragement and support can be given to dieters over the long term. This can take the form of meetings, support forums, and other in-person or online types of cheerleading.

Integrating Both into Your Lifestyle

Many long-term diet plans actually incorporate the quick results of the crash diet with the long-term weight loss of the lifestyle change. Most diet programs start with a detox or induction period, lasting 2-4 weeks, that severely restrict the kinds of foods and beverages you ingest in the hopes of kicking bad habits and prompting fast weight loss. Over time, the programs become less restrictive and more akin to the kind of lifestyle changes you can sustain over a long period of time.

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