The Hidden Traps Behind TikTok Diets

A Few Words About TikTok

TikTok is one of the most popular social networking platforms, where anyone can publish their own videos, usually of short duration.

By using this application, we can watch videos posted on topics that interest us, we can “react”, write comments, like, etc.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for posted videos to deal with topics of nutrition and health.

Many TikTok users through their videos share tips for healthy eating, suggest recipes for healthy meals, propose effective ways to lose weight or even promote specific foods, specific food combinations or dietary supplements for quick loss of excess weight.

Of course, lately there has been concern about whether using the application can act as an aggravating factor for the development of critical nutritional errors.

Popular Diets on TikTok

On TikTok, we can encounter all kinds of diets that have become quite popular.

A common characteristic of some of these is the significant restriction of daily energy intake. Such diets, among others, are:

• Cabbage Soup Diet. The cabbage soup diet is based exclusively on consuming large quantities of cabbage soup and some fruits and vegetables for 7 days and promises significant rapid weight loss.

• Military Diet. Also known as the soldier’s diet. It’s a strict 3-day diet, which is followed by a 4-day “break”, and this cycle is repeated continuously for as many weeks as possible.

Specifically, for the first 3 days, you should follow a low-calorie meal plan so that the total calorie intake during this phase does not exceed 850-1150 calories per day. The remaining four days of the week are more flexible. A healthy and balanced meal plan that does not exceed 1500 calories daily is recommended.

Also, from time to time, users of the application may suggest “magical” food combinations such as chlorophyll in water. Specifically, they mention that adding this plant component to a glass of water helps with weight loss, detoxifies the body, and even improves the skin.

Another food combination promoted for fat burning is coffee and lemon. It is recommended to squeeze half a lemon into your morning coffee.

What Are the Hidden Traps Behind TikTok Diets?

What we should emphasize from the outset is that these diets are usually promoted by untrained dietitians-nutritionists who have no knowledge about nutrition.

Also, these diets have no scientific basis and certainly no one can guarantee their safety if you follow them long-term, as these diets significantly deviate from recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet.

Due to their restrictive nature, the diets spread on TikTok may be accompanied by the following hidden traps.

Significant Loss of Muscle Mass

Weight loss is a common goal for many of us. It’s natural to want to see our efforts rewarded immediately and the number on the scale dropping, however rapid weight loss can be accompanied by significant muscle mass loss, which is certainly not what we want in a weight loss program.

The goal of a weight loss program is to lose fat while maintaining as much lean body mass as possible.

To avoid muscle mass loss, a recommended rate of weight loss has been set at 0.5–1 kilogram (Kg)/week. Of course, the rate of loss depends on many factors such as initial weight, metabolic rate, the diet plan being followed, the degree of compliance, whether you exercise, etc.

Greater loss than this can lead to significant muscle mass loss.

Quick Regaining of Lost Weight

Although we hear the opinion of an expert countless times, we continue to choose the “quickest” and extremely restrictive way, because that’s how we’ve associated the concept of dieting: To lose weight, you must deprive yourself!

However, restrictive diets often offer only a temporary solution to our excess weight problem.

In the majority of cases, the final result is regaining the lost weight.

This happens because these diets are primarily based, as we mentioned, on significantly reducing calorie intake and not on educating the individual to adopt correct habits that will contribute to long-term maintenance of the weight lost.

Usually, people after adopting an extreme diet return to their previous eating habits resulting in the weight quickly returning.

Increased Risk of Nutritional Deficiencies and Other Pathological Conditions

Rapid weight loss through strict restriction of energy intake, which can be achieved either by avoiding entire food groups or by promoting monophagia (consuming enormous quantities of a single food), can have very serious consequences for our health.

Consuming very few calories daily can increase the risk of several nutritional deficiencies. This happens because it is difficult to consume adequate amounts of several nutrients, such as iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 in a low-calorie diet.

Conclusion

TikTok is one of the most popular social networking applications, where various videos dealing with nutrition and health topics circulate.

Several users promote specific dietary patterns as a means for effective weight loss or promote magical food combinations claiming to help burn fat or detoxify.

However, these diets seem to pose significant risks to our health, and for this reason, before adopting them, consult a specialized dietitian-nutritionist to guide you appropriately.

Successful and effective weight loss is not limited to following a diet, but includes long-term changes in nutrition and overall lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do popular TikTok diets pose health risks?

The diets promoted by this popular social networking application may pose significant risks to our health. This is because, in the majority of cases, the dietary patterns promoted are quite restrictive and extreme, resulting in a significant limitation of daily energy intake. Also, these diets lack scientific basis, resulting in both their safety and validity not being able to be certified.

Are popular TikTok diets effective for weight loss?

The truth is that most people may see significant weight loss in a short period of time. However, this is mainly attributed to the restrictive nature of these dietary patterns, which leads to a significant reduction in your daily energy intake.

However, the weight loss is temporary, and as soon as you return to your previous eating habits and start eating normally, your weight will return.

What are the hidden traps of adopting popular TikTok diets?

These diets have hidden traps that we should not ignore before considering adopting them.

First of all, due to the significant restriction of energy intake, loss of muscle mass may be observed, which is certainly not what we want in a weight loss program. Also, often the weight loss that accompanies the adoption of these diets is temporary, and the weight is quickly regained. Finally, consuming very few calories daily can increase the risk of several nutritional deficiencies.

Are there magical food combinations for weight loss?

There is no scientific evidence behind the theory that specific food combinations will help you lose excess weight, detoxify, or burn fat.

For example, there are no fat-dissolving food combinations or better food combinations for weight loss, to “lose the love handles” and fat.

What is the appropriate diet for weight loss?

If your goal is to reduce your body weight, it’s good to adopt a balanced diet that includes all food groups, in quantities aimed at creating a calorie deficit. Quick diets only provide a temporary solution to the problem, and the weight is likely to be regained when you start eating normally again.

Before deciding to start a new diet or a popular nutritional trend, consult the experts.