Weighing too much may increase your risk for developing many health problems. If you are overweight or obese, you may be at risk for:

• type 2 diabetes
• coronary heart disease and stroke
• metabolic syndrome
• certain types of cancer
• sleep apnea
• osteoarthritis
• gallbladder disease
• fatty liver disease
• pregnancy complications

You may be able to lower your health risks by losing weight, doing regular physical activity, and eating healthfully.

“Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”
“Eat as much as you want and still lose weight!”
“Try the thigh buster and lose inches fast!”
And so on, and so on. With so many products and weight loss theories out there, it is easy to get confused.

Myth: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.

The phrases food faddism and fad diet originally referred to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short-term weight loss, usually with no concern for long-term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity. “Fad diet” is a term of popular media, not science

Fact: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fad diets often promise quick weight loss or tell you to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may lose weight at first on one of these diets. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow. Most people quickly get tired of them and regain any lost weight.

Fad diets may be unhealthy because they may not provide all of the nutrients your body needs. Also, losing weight at a very rapid rate (more than 3 pounds a week after the first couple of weeks) may increase your risk for developing gallstones (clusters of solid material in the gallbladder that can be painful). Diets that provide less than 800 calories per day also could result in heart rhythm abnormalities, which can be fatal.

Tip: Research suggests that losing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week by making healthy food choices, eating moderate portions, and building physical activity into your daily life is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. By adopting healthy eating and physical activity habits, you may also lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.