The other day while trolling my facebook newsfeed (when I admittedly should have been doing a million other things), I noticed a couple of my facebook friends had “liked” a site proclaiming “Fast And Effective Diet – Lose 10 Pounds in 7 Days.” Although I knew I’d be doing so for amusement (as opposed to doing so to gain any valuable insights), I clicked on the link. And boy, was I appalled at what I came across.

This supposed “10 pounds in 7 days” solution seemed to offer anything but (anything but a solution that is). The prescribed breakfast consisted of a glass of cold water with lemon juice, followed by two apples or two oranges (or one grapefruit). How they came up with this count is not explained. Breakfast could also include one handful of nuts. Next came lunch, which consists of cooked chicken or veal (no measurements or cooking instructions given) — along with one “pot” of “sour milk yogurt.” (Huh?) An afternoon snack is a fresh seasonal salad with olive oil and “very little” salt, followed by a prescribed dinner of “two hard boiled eggs plus cucumber salad or green salad with olive oil and a little salt”…followed by a warning that after 6:00 p.m., nothing was to be consumed other than a liter of green tea.

Come again?!

I am truly baffled that in this day and age, with all the knowledge we are getting about what constitutes a healthy diet (as opposed to a crash diet or one that’s not nutritionally sound) that people would actually think this is something healthy to incorporate into their lives. Then again, it’s on a site that calls itself “Healthy Food Team” (then it must be true! not!) and promises the reader he or she will lose 10 pounds in 7 days.

In the words of actor Geena Davis’s character in the remake of The Fly, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

As someone who has taken off over 250 pounds of excess weight and kept it off for over a decade, I can assure you that there are no shortcuts, no quick fixes and no magic wands when it comes to healthy and lasting weight loss. And any “diet” that prescribes any salt, much less a liter of green tea before bed and no measurements of the prescribed “chicken of veal” should potentially be avoided.

As explained in the bonus section of my brand new book, Weightless: My Life As A Fat Man And How I Escaped, the tenants of losing weight are easy. And they do not necessarily include “one pot of sour milk yogurt” (whatever that is). Instead, why not eat less, move (exercise) more, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep? Yeah. It really can be that simple. And you can even enjoy an occasional cookie while doing so. It’s all about making healthy choices for the long term. And while you might not “lose 10 pounds in 7 days,” you just might do something else instead: keep the excess weight off once and for all.

Photo Source: Weight Loss Advisor