The new obsession for the urban dwellers is weight. This ofcourse is a fairly new phenomenon with the advent of the global beauty products. The fashion billboards, the models and the icons that are all celebrated are a body type that the industry is trying to sell to the world along with fad diets to become that body. Thanks to junk food and lifestyle anomalies, we aren’t healthy. To achieve a desired weight, we adopt these new age fad diets, that promise us results quickly. “I gained a lot of weight post pregnancy. I needed to lose weight for my health. I looked up various materials and found The KETO diet suitable for me. I got inspired into Ketosis through my friend who lost 40 kgs in a year. The transformation is amazing. I am into it for four months now,” says Tilova Ghosh, a Graphic Designer who is also a mother of a toddler.

It is almost funny how these fad diets have been discovered. Apparently, Atkins came into being from Dr Atkins own efforts to reduce his weight. And Ketosis was meant to be a solution for epileptic seizures. So, KETO, short form of Ketogenic is a low carb diet in which the body produces ketones in the liver to use as energy. Keto is a low carb high fat diet which is not the best diet you should be following. “A body need all kinds of food and to generate energy you need to balance your protein and fat with carb. To minus a food group from your meal is more harmful than good for the body in the long run. Though this will get you the promised weight loss,” says Moumita Chakraborty, Nutritionist.

On the other hand GM diet , which is General Motors diet was specifically for the employees who were obese. “In GM diet you are supposed to have one kind of food for the whole day. We are used to several meal a day, so I ended up with constipation. It is very hard. Nevertheless, I followed it,and lost 10 kgs. I did it for my brother’s marriage, and now I have discontinued it,” says Sudeshna Saha, who started from 68kgs to 58kgs. Talking about GM diet Nutritionist Moumita says, “I don’t recommend these diets, I will always customise according to the body type. To deprive the body of nutrients is not a good thing. GM diet restricts protein intake and therefore slows down your metabolism. It also leads to duller hair, skin. So, think before you decide on these diets.”