5 Diets You Should Probably Avoid When Losing Weight

Losing weight is a goal that most people have multiple times during their lives. There are all kinds of diets to try. Some can help by giving you a new outlook on your relationship with food. Others end up being unhealthy in the long run for various reasons. Wondering which diets to avoid the next time you try to lose weight? You should definitely avoid these five:

1. The Egg and White Wine Diet

Introduced in a 1970s Vogue article, the egg and wine diet includes — you guessed it — eggs and wine. At the end of the day, you get a small steak. If you follow it, the diet can shave off some pounds. A bottle of white wine is about 600 calories, three eggs are 225, and the steak is about 400. So, you’re consuming less than 1300 calories a day, and cups of black coffee help you stave off hunger.

The problems are apparent, however. This diet is patently unhealthy. There are no fruits or vegetables, and consuming a bottle of wine every day is binge drinking. While this diet may help you lose a pound or two, it’s awful for your liver and the rest of your body.

2. Carnivore Diet

With this diet, you just eat meat with a bit of cheese and eggs. Contrary to popular belief, this probably wasn’t the diet consumed by your caveman ancestors. It’s just a made-up fad.

Eating meat keeps you fuller longer than carbs. As a result, you end up consuming fewer calories. This can lead to weight loss. But this diet is high in saturated fats and low in vitamins. Your heart and the rest of your organs will suffer.

3. Detox Diet

Sometimes called a cleanse, this type of diet takes many forms. One of the most common just allows you to consume a few tablespoons of lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper for several days. Others let you consume a wide range of fruit and vegetable juices.

The theory is that you clean out your body by not ingesting solid foods. But you need solid foods — especially roughage — for your health. These diets are often so low-calorie that they reduce your energy levels and make it hard to function.

4. Whole30

With the Whole 30 diet, you eat fruits, vegetables, seafood, unprocessed meats, nuts, eggs, olive and coconut oils, and coffee, but you cut out most allergens. By getting dairy, wheat, alcohol, sugar, and processed additives out of your diet for 30 days, you can see how your body reacts without those foods.

This diet can be helpful if you’re trying to identify allergens or foods that upset your stomach. However, it’s not great for weight loss or health. Its strict rules can be hard to follow and cause you to develop guilt around food. It also lacks the necessary amounts of complex grains. Because there are no restrictions on amounts, you may end up overeating and gaining weight.

5. Paleo-Vegan

The paleo diet focuses on meat, but when you combine a vegan twist, you can only eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and oils. Eliminating dairy can help some people to feel better, but this diet often lacks protein. It’s also overly restrictive.

When a diet is too hard to follow, it often ends up backfiring. Rather than losing weight, you end up cheating, feeling bad, and then getting into a vicious emotional cycle with eating. It’s more effective to take a more balanced approach when you’re trying to lose weight.