17 Weight Loss “Tricks” That Don’t Actually Work—and What to Do Instead

Going on a cleanse

The worst diet advice nutritionists have ever heard: Go on a cleanse. These “detox” diets purport to rid your body of harmful toxins and help with weight loss—but they don’t, and they can be harmful, according to the National Institutes of Health. “The weight lost completing a cleanse or detox is not sustained in the long run—temporary solutions equal temporary results,” says NYC-based registered dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot MS, RD, bestselling author The F-Factor Diet and creator of F-Factor. “Immediately after finishing a cleanse, people go back to their regular eating habits and inevitably gain their weight back.” Cleanses can lack important nutrients like protein and fiber, she says, which can leave you exhausted and hungry. Plus, “juice cleanses have more sugar than several bowls of sweetened cereal,” Zuckerbrot says. Your kidneys and liver naturally detox your body, so cleanses aren’t necessary. Here are some other terrible pieces of diet advice that nutritionists hear.

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9 Best Diet Snacks for When You’re Trying to Cut Back on Sodium

Apples with peanut butter

Apples with peanut butter can be great low-salt diet snacks, but you have to make sure of one thing—that the only ingredient in the PB is plain ground organic peanuts, no salt added. One tablespoon of peanut butter has only 3 mg of sodium, while one medium apple has just 2 mg. “The apple provides you with fiber and water for hydration, and the peanut butter provides you with protein for satiety,” says Keri Glassman, RD. Keep an eye out for the signs that you’re eating too much sodium.

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9 Inspirational Weight-Loss Stories That Prove It’s Possible to Drop Pounds for Good

Get serious for your future family’s sake

When my husband and I had difficulty starting a family after trying for five years, I decided to see a fertility specialist. I was well over 400 pounds at that time and he told me there was nothing he could do for me until I lost weight.

My aha moment: After hearing the doctor’s news, I received an unexpected pregnancy announcement from a family member. That announcement broke me, but I also credit it with finally giving me the kick in the butt I needed. It made me realize if I ever wanted a family that I needed to do something a little more drastic. I’ve been overweight my whole life, and I’d tried every diet from Weight Watchers to South Beach. I decided to get a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and it has completely changed my life. Since January 2016, I have lost 220 pounds. A few years back, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome which makes losing weight very difficult. At the time, I had considered weight-loss surgery, but I was worried people would judge me. It wasn’t until I wanted to start a family and couldn’t do so without intervention that I really got serious. Losing weight isn’t just about eating right or exercising. It’s about finding a balance between the two, and setting attainable goals. Start with small goals and celebrate your progress along the way. For me, accountability is key, I use social media to keep myself accountable for what I’m eating, ensuring I’m exercising and doing weekly weigh-ins. My husband and I are still hoping to conceive! —Lindsay Hackman Shenk, 34, PA, human services program specialist

Learn the 50 things doctors wish you knew about losing weight.

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10 Nighttime Habits that Can Make You Gain Weight

Dinner is your largest meal of the day

Americans tend to eat their largest meal of the day at dinner, but that could be a one-way ticket to extra pounds. “Loading up the body with calories that it never has an opportunity to burn translates to weight gain,” says Michael Russo, MD, a general surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery at Memorial Care Center for Obesity at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. Instead, try making your largest meal a high-protein breakfast or lunch instead. “You’ll feel more energized throughout the day and give your body the time it needs to effectively use the calories, instead of storing them while you sleep,” he adds. A study from Tel Aviv University, published in the journal Obesity, suggests racking up as many as 700 calories at breakfast—as long as you eat less at lunch and dinner. In their study, obese women who ate that jumbo breakfast (and then 500 calories for lunch and as few as 200 for dinner) for 12 weeks lost double the amount of weight and double the inches off their waist compared to a group of obese women who ate the same number of calories, just in reverse order (200 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch and 700 at dinner).

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15 Food Myths That Are Making You Gain Weight

A calorie is a calorie

Wrong. “This is a myth that refuses to die and keeps people from getting and staying healthy, as well as losing weight and keeping it off,” says Mark Hyman, MD, author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? (and the Clintons’ health advisor). The truth is, there are good and bad calories. Sure, eating 20,000 calories a day—even if they’re all from fruits and veggies—will make you gain weight. But not nearly as much as eating half that in donuts and processed junk. “Your body is much more complex than a simple math problem. In fact, every bite you eat affects your hormones, brain chemistry, and metabolism. What counts more is the quality, not the quantity, of the calories,” says Dr. Hyman. For quality inspiration see foods nutritionists swear by.

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50 So-Called “Healthy” Snacks That Are Secretly Destroying Your Body

Frozen yogurt

While fro yo itself is a good treat, it’s easy to eat it the wrong way. “People go to a frozen yogurt place and think ‘Hooray, I’m being so good by having yogurt instead of ice cream, I can pile peanut butter cups and chocolate syrup on top.’ What was initially a good choice is now 600 to 900 calories,” says Angel Planells, MS, RDN, Seattle-based founder of ACP Nutrition, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Your best bet instead is to go light on the extras, he suggests: “Two or three toppings max—think fruit, nuts, maybe a small drizzle of chocolate syrup—otherwise you may as well just eat some ice cream.” For more frozen snack variety, try one of these summer treats.

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12 Little Weight-Loss Tricks Only Nutritionists Know

There’s no single trick that works for everyone

“I wish the diet industry would stop touting that weight loss is simply the result of eating less and exercising more, says New York City-based clinical nutritionist Jennifer Cassetta. “For some people that do eat way more than their bodies need, then yes, this strategy can often lead to weight loss,” she says. “However, that is not always the case.” In other words, there isn’t one perfect solution—and the thing that might work for you may not even be on your radar yet.

To help you make strides toward your goals, we asked top dietitians and nutritionists for the strategies that actually get results. And make sure you avoid the worst diet tips nutritionists have ever heard.

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