By wacky fad diets, I mean
those diets that basically allow all you can eat of one food but restrict
intake of other foods. Some of these diets have the names of famous people attached
to them, but I’m leaving the names off, to avoid controversy.
Examples of fad diets are:
The
Morning Banana Diet Basically dieters
can eat all the bananas they want for breakfast and snacks but no other foods
at those times. Some promoters of this diet allow milk with breakfast.
The
Grapefruit Diet (sometime called the Hollywood Diet) Generally dieters following his plan eat grapefruit
with all meals and are not allowed other carbohydrates, such as sweets or
grains.
The
Ice Cream Diet Early renditions of
this diet allowed those wishing to lose weight to eat all ice cream they wanted
but nothing else. Now those promoting this diet suggest dieters eat 1,250
calories per day in a balanced diet and once serving of ice cream.
Baby
Food Diet This diet plan allows weight
watchers to eat all the baby food they can gag down for two meals a day and
snacks. They are allowed one normal meal a day.
I’m sure you can name many
more fad diets
Will these diets work?
It’s amazing how boredom can
decrease your appetite. Most of us will eat less if we are faced with limited
choices. Let’s be honest, after a week you can develop a real aversion to
bananas, grapefruit, or baby food, and maybe even ice cream. And then you’ll
probably eat much less. That why the early renditions of the ice cream diet
often failed, many could eat prodigious amounts of their favorite dessert for
weeks on end.
In modern renditions of
these fad diets, dieters are encouraged to eat a low calorie (about 1200 calories
daily) balanced diet with these foods and to exercise more. This
increases the likelihood of weight loss.
So what did you learn?
Basic science holds true. If
you consume less calories and exercise more you lose weight. Fad diets add a
little advertising pizzazz to this bland advice. That makes some people stick
to their intentions long enough to lose weight.
Does this apply to writing?
Strong writing is like your
basic balanced 1200-calorie diet with plenty of exercise. It works and produces
the desired results – a good, maybe even great novel. However, it often takes a
well-known name, a dynamic platform (which mean lots of hard work doing
promotional activities), and/or catchy advertising gimmicks to turn it into a
best seller.
Have you found the fad diet (advertising gimmick) to
sell your books? I’d like to hear about it. I’m sure other writers would too.
JL Greger
In Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight,
physician Linda Almquist, Sara's sister, is investigating an ambitious
"diet doctor" who may be eliminating anyone who thwarts his career
plans. You'll think of this book before you start your next diet. Learn more at www.jlgreger.com.
