TWIST OF FAT

Secret to weight loss? Make changes to your neurological passages

- Jack Rear

Weight loss miracle cures are everywhere. Every day a new study, product or trend promises a magic bullet that will banish fat and give you a svelte figure with next to no effort.

Fad diets date back to the 19th century, but the advent of Instagram and TikTok has led to a mass proliferation of get-slimquick techniques from detoxifying teas to volume-eating diets.

“Self-esteem is at an all-time low, and not trusting yourself is a key feature of people who pursue quick-fix solutions,” says Dr Jo Perkins, a chartered psychologist. “You’ve tried it on your own, haven’t succeeded, so you lean on a magic solution.”

This is human nature, says Dr Perkins. “We’re hard-wired to want to expend the least energy on the best result—a hungry monkey reaches for the nearest banana rather than the one at the top of the tree—it’s the same with weight loss,” she says.

The trouble is that “we live in an instant gratification culture where it’s easier to order a weight loss product online than it is to stop and think about it and why we even want it,” adds Dr Perkins. “There’s a perceived credibility that comes with being the first to discover something. It’s a doublewhammy inducing us towards fads.”

However, in the long term, these techniques are tricky to stick to. Here are a few popular ‘weight-loss miracles’ and, crucially, why they won’t work in the long term:

DETOX TEAS

Promoted as ‘flat tummy teas’, these products are presented as a natural way to reduce water retention, cleanse the digestive system, and ultimately lose weight. A common denominator in these products is often senna, a natural laxative.