Weird Ways to Lose Weight

Some people will do anything to lose weight--except follow a healthy diet and exercise program. The diet industry is a $35-billion industry and there are a variety of products that claim to be able to help you lose weight. Some are goofy, but some are dangerous. Before you participate in any of the weird ways to lose weight, research the method to be sure that it is medically sound. This can help you to save money and time on products that don't work.

Sweating

• When you sweat, you lose water weight, which causes some people to turn to sweating as a way to lose weight. You could, for example, sit in a sauna every day, but there are also special "sauna suits" to wear while exercising. These suits cause you to sweat even more as your body temperature is elevated.

  While you will lose water weight from wearing the suit, you're likely to gain this weight back once you drink water or eat your next meal. Sauna suits are also fairly unattractive and you might feel silly wearing it, especially if you are working out at the gym. Some people might experience a rash, but that's the only harm that they present.

Single-Food Diets

• There are a number of diets that allow you to eat unlimited amounts of a particular food while restricting all other foods. Popular examples are the cabbage soup diet and the grapefruit diet. While the rules vary, these are essentially a very-low-calorie crash diet. You do lose weight because you are eating so few calories. However, this type of diet can also lower your metabolism, which will cause you to regain the weight--along with a few extra pounds--when you resume normal eating.

Fasting

• Fasting is a time-honored way to rid the body of toxins and lose weight. When doing a fast, you are not allowed to eat food, though you can drink liquids. Well-known examples are the Master Cleanse and a juice fast. Fasts can be an excellent way to rid yourself of addictions, but they are not a permanent solution to weight loss. Someone who fasts all the time probably has a more serious eating disorder, such as anorexia. If you are going to do a fast, be sure to view it only as a starting point for a healthy lifestyle.

Nicotine Patches

• Though dangerous, some people use nicotine patches to decrease the appetite. Smokers often find that nicotine helps control eating habits and increases metabolism. A nicotine patch might be able to give you the same results without the negative consequences of smoking. However, nicotine is still an addictive substance and this is not a healthy solution for weight loss.