Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
Maybe you're one of the lucky people who've seen the number on the scale drop a bit since the holidays and you're feeling confident things will stay that way. Maybe you lost a little weight initially, but it's already started coming back. Or maybe you gave up after one week because you were just too miserable from starving yourself.
Wherever you fall on this spectrum, here's a harsh truth that you probably don't want to hear: According to a study published in The BMJ research journal, those dieting effects typically don't last very long.
Scientists studied the effects of 14 popular diet programs and found that while people mostly maintained weight loss after six months of their chosen diet, those effects stopped at 12 months. What's more, the study found that "differences between diets were typically small to trivial and often based on low-certainty evidence."
Another study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health found that 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. That means they are at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other serious health issues even if they aren't overweight.
Joel Bikman, a long-time nutrition executive with Utah connections lays the blame on food choices and not just the quantity. "It's simply our diet," he said. "We're eating the wrong kinds of foods in the wrong quantities, and it's making us not only fatter, but sicker."
Here are some reasons most popular diet trends just don't work.
Diets can be nutrient-deficient
Many diet programs focus not on calories, but on regional foods, or isolating specific types of foods. Yet one of the most common complaints is that you'll feel hungry shortly after eating. It's probably not because you need to eat more — it's because you need to eat better.
A study published on BioMed Central found that many diet fads promote meal plans that lack essential nutrients. And, as was the case with calorie restriction, this can lead to further health problems down the road.
"This study shows a significant prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans," researchers from the study wrote. They added that "an individual following a popular diet plan using food alone, has a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient deficient, a condition shown to be scientifically linked to a higher risk of dangerous and debilitating diseases including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, birth defects and overweight/obesity."
On the plus side, getting the right balance of macronutrients — prioritizing protein and healthy fats, while limiting carbohydrates — has very positive effects.
Writing for the Cedars-Sinai blog, Rosanna Turner notes, "Each macronutrient plays a role in keeping your body full and satisfied, which helps to prevent overeating, reduces cravings and enables you to lose weight.
One of the easiest ways to stay within caloric guidelines and still get all of the necessary macro and micro nutrients is through meal replacement shakes. HLTH Code Complete Meal is a carefully formulated meal shake designed to optimize health, including weight management, gut health, brain health, even hair, skin and nail health.
HLTH Code Complete Meal features an optimized, science-backed blend of protein, collagen, healthy fats, apple cider vinegar, probiotics, prebiotic fiber, vitamins and minerals—with no added sugar or any artificial ingredients.
"Based on scientific and competitive research, we believe that HLTH Code Complete Meal is truly a breakthrough in healthy eating and certainly with meal replacement shakes," Bikman said. "Our customers tell us they're the best-tasting and most-filling shakes they've ever had, and they help keep blood glucose low—which is absolutely essential."
Most weight-loss programs are unsustainable
Calorie restriction is probably the most common way people seek to lose weight. They think it's a simple matter of mathematics: Just consume fewer calories than you burn. While it's definitely possible to lose weight this way, it can be difficult to maintain and it's not necessarily good for your body.
The National Institute on Aging reported that the longest clinical trial involving humans and calorie restriction found that even though those who restricted calories lost weight, they experienced negative side effects as well. These included a loss of bone density, lean body mass and aerobic capacity. Some participants also experienced brief episodes of anemia.
"There's insufficient evidence to recommend any type of calorie-restriction or fasting diet," the NIA report states. "A lot more needs to be learned about their effectiveness and safety, especially in older adults."
Poor protein choices
While some people vilify fats and carbohydrates, protein is often seen as the golden child of macronutrients. Unfortunately, too many people still eat too little protein, or even the wrong kind.
What you want to look for are proteins with a high biological value, which means they're absorbed and used efficiently by the body. Because of their complete amino acid profile, animal sources typically have a higher biological value than plant sources (though there's promise with fermented plant proteins). According to a study by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, eggs and whey protein had the highest biological values.
Consuming the wrong kinds of fat
For decades, fats were considered the culprit behind weight gain and health problems, which is how the low-fat dieting trend got started. These days, with an abundance of scientific evidence to the contrary, people are realizing that consuming healthy fats may be the single biggest — and best change they can make for their health and weight.
Vasanti Malik, a research scientist with the Department of Nutrition at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health says, "Fat helps give your body energy, protects your organs, supports cell growth… and helps your body absorb vital nutrients. When you focus too much on cutting out all fat, you can actually deprive your body of what it needs most."
Just remember that not all fats are created equal. According to Healthline, the healthy kinds of fats you want are found in dairy products, eggs, fatty fish, nuts and plants such as avocados.
The HLTH Code Complete Meal contains fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter fat and more. This tasty blend not only helps your body stay healthy, the 1:1 ratio of fats and protein work in tandem to keep you full longer.
Cracking the code for a healthy diet
Not only is the HLTH Code Complete Meal backed by science, it's backed by customers, too.
"These are truly the best meal replacement shakes my husband and I have ever tasted," one reviewer wrote. "We have tried quite a few different brands but none come close."
Another review reads, "I have been very pleased with the shakes from HLTH Code. The ingredients are far superior to other shakes I have used and I appreciate the research and information provided by this company."
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