We’re four weeks into 2018 and chances are a lot of folks have fallen off "new year, new me" diets. But are celebrities to blame? Well, kind of. Our favorite stars are constantly pedaling weight loss plans on the ‘gram or talking about their new nutrition plan responsible for their bikini bod, but these diets may actually be making it harder to lose weight.

Max Bridger, personal trainer and co-founder of LDN Muscle, a London-based fitness company that provides personal training, nutrition plans and supplements, spoke to The Daily Mail about why the most popular diet fads are setting you for failure.

Meal Replacement Shakes

An undie-clad Kim Kardashian hit Instagram earlier this month to promote Flat Tummy Co's latest product Shake It Baby with a half-gallon of milk in one hand and guzzling a cup of the slimming shakes with the other.  “I felt like it was impossible to fit in my regular work outs and eat healthy. But this program is giving me a kick in the right direction that I need. These meal replacement shakes are so good and it’s helping me get my tummy back to flat in the new year,” she captioned the pic.

Issa ad, folks. Max tells the Daily Mail, “With shake diets you replace 1-2 meals per day with a (usually) protein-based shake, containing an extremely loosely proven 'thermogenic (fat loss) blend,'" and totaling around 150 calories. Sure, meal replacement shakes will cut calories (an estimated 800-1,200), but don’t give you the same satisfaction of eating whole foods and are difficult to stick to beyond a few weeks.

“These cravings will eventually beat you, and when you revert to your normal style of eating, do not be surprised if you put more weight on than you lost…This often happens because your metabolism has adapted to run on fewer calories, becoming more efficient. Add more calories to a slower metabolism, and more will be left over to be stored as fat.”

The 5:2 Diet

The 5:2 plan has many celeb fans including Beyoncé. Here’s how it works: You eat just 600 calories two days a week and eat normally for the rest. Max says, “Assuming you can move these fast-days around, this method of dieting can be more flexible and sustainable than the rest, and it may really work for some people long-term.”

The downfall comes when you return to normal eating. Chances are you will regain at least the weight you lost through the 5:2 dieting, plus due to a slightly slower metabolism now, you may wind up piling on more pounds than when you started. *sigh*

The Ketogenic Diet

Rihanna is a fan of this low-carb plan (but still no word on whether or not ‘Thickanna’ is). A Keto diet can burn up to ten times as much fat as a normal diet. Sounds amazing, no? “The biggest issue with the keto diet is that it creates a negative association with carbohydrates, unfairly demonizing them for causing weight gain,” says Max.

Basically, a keto diet is a set-up for feelings of guilt and failure and, again, is unlikely to be sustainable.

The Solution

“Little changes will be easier to implement and maintain than large, lifestyle-changing fads and regimes,” says Max. “So finding your average daily calories and then reducing them by around 200-300 calories for two to four weeks is a good place to start…For 99.9 per cent of the population it comes down to calories in vs calories out.”

“If you burn more (through exercise and daily activity) than you consume (through food and drink) consistently, then you will lose weight as you are in a calorie deficit.” So eat less, exercise more and make healthier choices. You got this!