Final answer:
Fad diets have several characteristics including promoting rapid weight loss, making claims about targeted weight loss, and lacking scientific evidence.
Step-by-step explanation:
9 characteristics of many fad diets:
- Promise rapid weight loss (> 2 pounds a week)
- Claim that weight loss will be from certain parts of the body
- Claim to work even without exercise
- Help sell a product, such as prepackaged meals, pills, or books
- Lack well-validated scientific evidence to back their claims
- Use "before and after" photos or testimonials from individual dieters to "prove" that the diet works
- Identify "bad" foods and "good" foods
- Require following a rigid menu or meal plan
- Sound too good to be true