fad diets that work fast

(image source: amazon.com)by lauren zima we probably all want to lose weight fast,but the latest diet craze promises that in more ways than one. the fast diet seems tobe making people lose weight fast...but to do it, they’re fasting.

for the diet,you can eat whatever you want five days a week, but for two days a week — you fast...just500 calories each day for women, 600 for men. the chew explains how it works...

“ifyou eat less calories, your body over time will start drop the metabolism. but by trickingit — eating whatever you want, then restricting calories, the idea is that you keep metabolismhigh and just end up losing weight.”

a book on the diet was authored by a london-baseddoctor and a writer. 

the doctor says

he lost 20 lbs. in his first three monthson the diet, and that his glucose and cholesterol levels went down. and business insider pointsout other potential positives -- some studies have shown fasting...

-improves memory
-improvesmood
-increases effectiveness of insulin in the body
-makes you live longer

butthe diet certainly has its critics. people magazine says just the thought of eating only500 calories a day is awful, and spoke with experts who warn 500 calories a day can actuallyslow your metabolic rate. plus...

"if you eat very little on monday, by tuesdayyou may say, i am going to have that brownie because yesterday i ate nothing ...i can seemore junk working its way into this diet, and over time you could end up with seriousnutrient deficiencies."

and britain’s

national health service has spoken out againstthe fast diet, saying too little is known about intermittent fasting for it to be safe.

thediet book is new to the us. in britain, it has become a bestseller.

the new yorktimes reports it was published in mid-january and has held the no. 1 spot on amazon’sbritish site since.

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