WASHINGTON — As a board-certified family medicine physician, Dr. Shilpi Agarwal hears from a number of patients who try — and fail at — fad diets. She has even tested out a few herself, and has some advice for anyone ready to juice, cleanse or subsist on shakes.

“Whenever you’re looking to start a healthy jump-start to your life, you want to make some positive changes in your diet, exercise — keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Agarwal, who is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

The never-ending health hacks that populate celebrity social media accounts and magazines are what inspired Agarwal to write her book, “The 10-Day Total Body Transformation,” which, in a way, also sounds too good to be true. But, Agarwal said it isn’t.

“Losing 10 pounds in 10 days, that’s not something I promise,” she said. “The goal is habit formation … I think it’s hard for people because there is so much health information. We get it from all different angles, and it can be hard to figure out (what) is correct and (what) is a fad.”

Agarwal said when you stick to the facts and implement good habits, you’ll start to notice a difference in as little as 10 days — even if it’s just in how you feel.

Here are some of her top tips that draw from the book and from her experience practicing medicine:

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