



Worst diets of 2012


What made these three diets the biggest lemons of the year, according to dietitians around Australia?

Biggest losers ... diets that damage.

Biggest losers ... diets that damage.


For all the wrong reasons.






Lemon detox diet





What the dietitians say







The Acid and Alkaline Diet




What the dietitians say:





Six Weeks to OMG





What the dietitians say:







  • I've done all three diets and found that not one of them worked long term. On the Lemon diet I lasted a day before hunger kicked in.

    The Acid diet has some resonance with me. There are some things I just can't eat like dairy, refined flour and sugar, so I stopped eating them. Then I did an elimination type diet where I worked out what I could digest and what I couldn't. I did stop eating broccoli even though I love it because it felt like it was getting "stuck". So I substituted broccoli for shredded cabbages in all colours and it worked a treat.

    I still eat meat but only beef and a little bacon. Everything else feels like it gets stuck too. But I heap my plate with veggies, use coconut oil or beef dripping for fat and I've never felt better. I'm full after each meal, lost the desirel to snack in between and I'm steadily losing size without any effort. Cutting out all non veggie carbs has been the biggest boost. For whatever reason my body just can't digest wholegrains any more.

    People tell me it's dangerous to go without wholegrains but I just laugh at their ignorance. I'm not bloated any more, my tummy isn't in pain after every meal and my grocery bill has been substantially reduced. I'll leave the naysayers to their overconsumption of grains. I'm not interested.

    Winning all the way!

    Audra Blue
    Date and time
    January 10, 2013, 7:06PM
    • You'll be hungry on any diet. You're reducing calories (no matter what method you use).....

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 8:20AM
    • That's not true. You can fill up on veggies at a very low calorie count and they will make you feel full. Plus if you you're getting enough nutrients, you won't feel hungry and you'll naturally eat less at every meal.

      If a diet is making you hungry all the time, it's time to change your strategy.

      Audra Blue
      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 8:38AM
    • Actually, all you are doing is going on a low carb diet which has been consistently proven to be very effective, not dangerous and able to be a 'lifestyle' that you can sustain long term. Probably you have some wheat intolerance or something like that, which accounts for feeling better when you reduce some foods.

      So well done.

      The food pyramid is a crock when it comes to weight loss. To maintain weight in conjunction with some exercise, you can follow it. To lose weight, cut out the bottom layer (grains) and the sugar, then you are fine.

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 9:05AM
    • @Audra I think you say some really valuable things including that the silly diets don't work and you need to educate yourself and listen to your body because everyone is not the same. If you base your eating (stop calling them diets) around healthy foods and make sure that they fill you up - e.g. loads of veges and proper quantities of lean protein in whatever form - then you are 80% of the way there. You need some form of dairy or high calcium food(some people bloat on dairy too) so that your thyroid works properly but you don't really 'need' grains because veges are carbs too - good carbs full of fibre.
      Also - to @fluffy - it's not even willpower, its about raising your standards and realising that in order to be healthy you have to eat healthy - its not magic as you rightly say

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 9:13AM
    • @Amy, I have been on an Atkin's type diet for over a year and I don't get hungry - fats and oils are very filling.

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 9:43AM
    • If your body 'cannot digest wholegrains anymore' you have a very, very serious problem with your digestive system which requires medical attention.

      It's not so much whether you can go without wholegrain (you can) but any suggestion of inability to digest it is . . very bad - or you completely misinterpreting what your body is telling you.

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 11:18AM
    • If you are accustomed to over eating then any sensible diet is going to leave you hungry until you adjust. If this is too much to bare then you better ramp up the exercise instead but that's going to be uncomfortable too.

      If being in good shape was easy then everyone would do it.
      There is no easy way out, only self discipline.

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 12:34PM
    • "but I just laugh at their ignorance." Good on you audra, it is great if things are going your way. It is of concern though that you have tried so many diets, as this tends to reflect a lack of healthy eating overall. If more people simply tried eating a good breakfast every day, laying off the sauces they overload their otherwise healthy pastas / vegies /etc with, and undertook more incidental exercise, it would help their bodies make a downward adjustment naturally. I have seen an overweight lady following a Tony Ferguson diet have no rice with an Indian meal as rice is banned, however as caramel dessert was not on the list of forbidden foods she ate the dessert. We also had visitors on a low carb diet, so we had to ensure we didn't serve potatoes or anything... of course, they had a packet of pizza shapes before dinner every night. Common sense can go a long long way to fixing up your bad habits permanently.

      Date and time
      January 11, 2013, 1:32PM
  • All diets are scams - you might need a plan to help keep on track (which is great) but there is no big secret people - eat healthy food and exercise to burn off more calories than you consume. Fad diets don't work - you'll make yourselves sick and feel horrible because you will continue to fail. East less (calories), run more - easy.

    No secret, just healthy food and excersise
    Date and time
    January 10, 2013, 11:11PM

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