Quick Weight Loss Tricks Don't Work for Long

July 11, 2009— -- Finally, summertime is here. After months of gray skies, it's time to leave the house and enjoy the sunshine; time to grab your swim suit and jump into the pool, right? Much easier said than done if you're one of the millions of Americans who haven't been hitting the gym and practicing food portion control.

Putting on the swimsuit is a daunting task for those who aren't happy with their physiques. Many of them believe that drastic times call for drastic measures, so they opt for the detox and cleanse fasts that are easily available. Such liquid diets last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Promises range from ridding the body of dangerous toxins to losing weight to improving energy levels. But do these claims really add up?

Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder, who founded the company Envision Beauty, says such claims are unsubstantiated. She says that while you may enjoy dropping a few pounds quickly, the weight loss is only temporary.

"I believe there is very little in the way of long-term benefits or really deep cleansing or actual weight loss," she said. "More fundamentally, I don't believe that trendy juice fasts do much to teach the real-life skills of detoxification -- learning how to eat healing foods each and every day. Unfortunately, many people who go from unhealthy diets to short-term fasts end up going right back to old habits when they finish."