From stressing on seemingly healthy components - cabbage soup or juice made out of raw vegetables - to the completely bizarre - maple syrup or cotton balls soaked in orange juice - fad diets have been cropping up over the last five decades faster than you can say "skinny". In our never-ending quest to shed off the extra pounds and look cover-model material, there is nothing we won’t say yes to. From the bride-to-be who will survive on only liquid a few weeks before her wedding to the chubby co-worker who spends his lunch break munching desolately on a carrot stick, we are surrounded by people lured by the promise of miraculous weight loss supposedly spurred by the magic power of one food group to the exclusion of others, whether it is protein, fruit or vegetables.

From Atkins to the South Beach Diet, the Liquid Detox to the Five-Day Lemon Fat Flush, there is no shortage of diet plans available that claim to help you shed off the extra pounds in an incredibly short period of time. While most such plans lead to weight loss initially, anyone who has dieted regularly will tell you that it is impossible to keep the pounds away once you are off the diet. The dramatic drop in weight every time you start a new diet is most likely the result of a loss in water weight and not fat. In fact, since most diets call for the elimination of essential food items from your daily intake, they will lead to a loss of vital nutrients, weakening the body’s immune system and causing health issues over time.

Sadia Salman, nutritionist and CEO of Diet by Design, a company that provides healthy meal plans to assist in weight management, has seen many a client succumb to the promise of easy weight loss without having to lift a finger. "Fad diets are just hyped-up versions of short-term and inconsistent weight loss plans. They do not hold good for long-term weight loss goals and in fact will make one weak in muscle content and decrease your metabolism so that all the weight will come back on as fast as it went off."

The health risks associated with any diet that doesn’t involve a balanced meal plan incorporating all food groups are numerous. The popular Atkins diet, the protein-intensive programme that promises immediate results, has been known to increase cholesterol levels that cause heart disease and can also lead to kidney problems. A liquid detox diet can cause severe headaches and dizziness while the cabbage soup diet causes bloating and gassiness.

According to psychologist Huma Umair, who has dealt with patients suffering from eating disorders, fad diets appeal to us because they don’t require a life-long commitment to a healthy lifestyle. "Most people would rather put themselves in misery for a few weeks than take the small but difficult steps needed to overhaul their lifestyles, which is what a healthy weight loss plan requires. Plus, you have all these celebrities endorsing unrealistic goals that are impossible for a regular person to achieve. Following in their footsteps is likely to cause not only a loss in self-esteem but also lead to health problems," she says.

What, then, is the solution to losing weight and keeping it off? Experts agree that there is no easy way to do it. Slow and steady definitely wins in the race to the finish line when it comes to staying fit and healthy. "Overnight weight loss is not a reality. Just like any self-improvement programme, it requires hard work and commitment. It is a scientifically calculated equation of caloric intake versus calories burnt which varies individually according to body mass index, metabolism rate, age and other indices," stresses Sadia.

It follows logically, then, that any diet plan, which is not formulated with your body’s unique parameters in mind, is likely to fail. Generic diets will not address the individual needs that each person has. Another red flag that should help you spot a fad diet is its claim of achieving weight loss without involving any form of exercise. "A successful weight loss strategy needs to involve some physical activity," says Sadia. "An hour of cardio coupled with some floor exercises should accompany a meal plan that is balanced and includes carbs, proteins, dairy and fruit."

Sadia stresses on that fact that carbs are not the enemy modern-day diet plans deem them to be. "They are an essential part of any long-term weight management programme. Carbs are an important component of a balanced diet because they help todecrease LDL (bad cholesterol), increase working memory and visuo-spatial memoryas well monitor sugar levels. What’s bad is refined sugar."

Instead of forcing yourself to follow a difficult, bland or uninspiring meal plan for a short period of time, introducing a few simple changes in the kitchen can set you on the track for a lifetime of healthy living. For starters, say no to white sugar and switch to either honey or unrefined brown sugar in your morning tea or coffee. Replace your regular atta with whole-wheat atta. Ban the colas completely from your fridge.And drink more water. "Having water before a meal will enhance metabolism, making your body burn calories faster," according toSadia.

As for the quick-fix diet plans, while it is okay to resort to one before a special occasion when you want to fit into a particular dress, relying on it to achieve weight loss over a sustained period of time is impractical and unhealthy. Unless you’re Beyoncé, who famously went on a maple syrup diet to shed 20 lbs for her role in Dreamgirls, or a movie star being paid millions of dollars to yo-yo with their weight, we suggest you take the healthier and saner, albeit longer, route to slimming down.