It's a Friday afternoon and I enter my office only to be surprised by a gentleman who is using my phone. "You don't mind if I use your phone, do you?" he asks. Not knowing who this individual is, I laughingly tell him that I'm expecting a client in a few minutes and that I will need the room soon.

"Hey, aren't you the Nutrition and Fitness Guy?" he asks.

"That's me," I reply.

"What do you think of the Atkin's Diet?" he continues.

"Honestly, I don't think very highly of it." "Why not? I lost 40 pounds on it." he explains.

When I ask him how long he has kept the weight off, he looks perplexed. "I gained it back this past year."

That's exactly the point of the above anecdote.

This scenario is a common occurrence in the life of a dietitian. People ask questions and we have answers; answers that people don't always want to hear.

The truth about fad diets...
Generally, individuals who are looking to lose weight want to do it quickly. In most cases, high protein diets will help people drop the weight quickly. But what kind of weight is being dropped? In order to figure that out, you have to understand basic physiology. Human beings store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in our muscles and liver. You see, carbohydrate is the all encompassing term for every type of sugar. Ever heard the saying, "All carbohydrates turn into sugar?" Well, a carbohydrate doesn't turn into sugar; it is sugar!

When you store this sugar in your body, it attracts water. It therefore follows that if the sugar wasn't being stored in our bodies, the extra water (weight) wouldn't be there either. Well, that's exactly what happens in the initial stages of a high protein diet.

Have you ever tried a high protein diet (Atkins, Sugar Busters, etc.) and lost more than five to 10 pounds in the first week? That's physiology in action. What you are doing is depleting virtually all of the sugar stored in your body and losing a whole lot of water weight in the process. Are you losing any weight from fat? Probably one or two pounds, maximum. That may sound good to you, but I'll let you in on a little secret: You could be losing one-to-two pounds of fat per week by eating a healthy, lower calorie diet instead.

So why is it that people continue to try these fad diets? Because we live in a society of instant gratification and of people who want fast results. Any fad diet, particularly the high protein/low carb diet, is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It's like fixing a leaky water balloon by putting scotch tape on it. What you really need is a new balloon!

According to the American Dietetic Association, a high protein/low carbohydrate diet does not burn fat and build muscle, as some people think it does. In fact, a very high protein diet can strain the liver and kidneys. It is not a healthy eating plan for life-long health.

People on high protein/low carbohydrate diets also may suffer long-term health consequences, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic's Executive Health Program. Further, he stressed that the creators of these latest fad diets have yet to publish a single peer-reviewed study documenting that this approach is safe, or even that it works for most people.

There is no real magic solution to quickly dropping body fat that will stay off for the long term. It can be very frustrating to people who need instant gratification with respect to their weight. What you need to focus on, however, are long-term strategies that will get you healthy and keep you that way.

What are these long-term strategies? It's exercise first and foremost, coupled with a calorically-appropriate, well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, starches and fats (yes, even a certain amount of fat is essential in our diets). After all, we are looking for diets that are realistic and that we can live with.

Weight is not the only thing we need to be aware of with respect to our health. An estimated one-third of all cancers are related to your diet. Include foods that contain the nutrients that researchers have shown protect you. These include vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, vitamin E and selenium to name a few. If you practice high protein/low carbohydrate diets for the long term, you are most likely not meeting the requirements that your body needs.

One of the most respected nutritional researchers/physicians is Dr. Dean Ornish, author of Eat More, Weigh Less. Dr. Ornish asks,"Where's the evidence? None of the authors of high protein books have ever published any data validating [their] claims." In any type of research we need to focus on facts rather than unsubstantiated claims.

Robert Goldberg is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian and ACE Certified Personal Trainer. He has a dual degree in Nutrition Science and Applied Nutrition. Robert completed his Dietetic Internship at The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and specializes in sports nutrition, fitness instruction, weight management and medical nutrition therapy. He writes for Built2XL, Inc., a Web site targeting plus-sized, muscular, big-boned and tall people.