What are the best fad diets? It's a question I'm often asked. Unfortunately, I'm not really in favour of fad diets, so it's a difficult one to answer.
It's not that I'm against all fad diets on principle. But if there's one message I'd like you to take away from my website, Obesity Cures.com, it's that there's no silver bullet. No one shot cure ... no best fad diets.
That's the message I hope you take away from this article.
Your ideal weight loss solution should comprise a basket of cures, each chosen to suit your specific needs. A diet, fad or not, may be one ingredient of that basket. But one size does not fit all.
However, if you are going to choose a fad diet as part of your weightloss basket, you should at least be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
In this article, I'll outline some of the main categories of fad diets and some of the pros and cons of each.
High-Fat, Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Millions of Americans have joined the low-carb craze and started high-fat, low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet and the Zone Diet. They are made up of about 60% fat, 10% carbohydrate, and 30% protein. These fad diets say you can eat high amounts of fat and protein while getting very low amounts of carbohydrates in the form of vegetables.
The main premise of the low-carb diet is that a diet low in carbohydrates leads to a reduction in body's production of insulin.
The end result is that fat and protein stores will be used for energy. So you stuff yourself full of unlimited amounts of meat, cheese, and butter, and only eat a small portion of carbohydrates.
But here's the catch...
People who start the diet usually lose a great amount of weight, but it's not permanent weight loss. Instead of burning fat, they lose water and precious muscle tissue.
Furthermore, these diets are low in several nutrients and contain excess amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, substances that increase the risk of heart disease.
Plus, regardless of what they claim, the enormous amounts of protein put a strain on your kidneys.
Not exactly a promising contender for the best fad diets title!
Moderate Fat Diets
Next, there are the moderate fat diets. Moderate fat diets include diets like Weight Watchers, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, Herbalife and Jenny Craig.
These diets are made up of about 25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, and 15% protein. They encourage the intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and essential fatty acids found in foods like olive oil and salmon.
These diets are usually nutritionally balanced if the dieter eats a variety of foods from all categories. For example, Weight Watchers operates on a point system where foods get a number of points based on calorie, fiber, and fat content.
Dieters get a specific number of points they can use for the day. While it's not encouraged, they may choose to spend most of their points on carbohydrates instead of balancing it out. This could lead to deficiencies in nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc.
Herbalife counters this shortcoming with a range of nutritional shakes and vitamin products.
If followed properly (and backed by judicious supplementation), these diets are probably the most successful for losing weight and keeping it off... A possible contender for the best fad diets title.
Low and Very Low-Fat Diets
Finally, you have your low-fat and very low-fat diets. Fad diets in this category include the Dr. Dean Ornish's Diet and the Pritkin Plan, among others. They are made up of about 13% fat, 70% carbohydrates, and 16% protein.
These diets are mostly vegetarian diets and don't recommend eating a lot of meat. Like the low-carb diets, you can eat unlimited amounts of certain foods. Because you can't eat a lot of meat, these diets are deficient in zinc, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids.
Also, it is so restrictive that people find a hard time staying on it for life and end up gaining their weight back.
So, that's a brief outline of some of the main fad diet categories. And, yes, you're right I haven't told you definitively what I think are the best fad diets. But read the above carefully and you'll see I've nudged you in a certain direction.
That's as far as I'm prepared to go without knowing more a bout your specific circumstances.
This is really something you need to decide for yourself. Your needs will be different from others.
While rapid weightloss diets are generaly inadvisible, perhaps you have valid reasons for needing to lose weight fast. In which case, maybe a low-carb diet, despite its many disadvantages, is what you need right now. You can always switch to a different program later.
The choice is yours...
But don't decide right now.
To help you make a better informed choice, I've devoted a page on my website to fad diets with links to summaries of the more popular ones - http://www.obesitycures.com/best-fad-diets.html
And be sure to browse the rest of the site while you're at it. You might well find something else that suits your needs better than even the best fad diets.
Alan Cooper is a journalist with 20 year's experience and the publisher of ObesityCures.com, a site with the ambitious aim of being a "one-stop-shop" for impartial information on obesity and weight loss solutions - including fad diets, prescription weightloss pills and natural weight loss aids.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIt has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with... Read More
Yes, you read it right?no diets!The first step in this... Read More
RISING POPULARITYGastric bypass surgery has become a popular surgical procedure... Read More
Do calories matter or do you simply need to eat... Read More
Your health is affected not only by how much body... Read More
If you knew when you were going to die, would... Read More
You know you have will-power. You can change a diaper... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
Who really wants to lose weight? None of us, right?... Read More
Are you working hard in the gym 3 times a... Read More
There are several theories on the origins of Valentine's Day.... Read More
It's been called the world's oldest medicine, the miracle fat... Read More
Gastric bypass surgeries are temporary physical fixes to a long... Read More
Remember that movie with Jim Carey, "Dumb and Dumber?" And... Read More
Whether coming from a close friend, the nightly news or... Read More
I asked my sister to come to my gym with... Read More
If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on... Read More
Burn fat while you sleep! Eat whatever you want and... Read More
Living a powerful, healthy, fit and trim life is a... Read More
I clearly remember how much I loathed having my picture... Read More
To upgrade the current software in your brain you can... Read More
Did you say there's a way I can eat what... Read More
As a low carb dieter, you have probably been bombarded... Read More
There are many books and internet articles written about weight... Read More
Getting enough of the good fats will help you lose... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Put simply, your resting metabolic rate is the minimum number... Read More
Here are 5 solutions to slimming:1. Set Mini-Goals: Try setting... Read More
To say that Americans are obsessed with dieting is an... Read More
Not losing weight but gaining it is why we are... Read More
Getting into a weight loss program or any type of... Read More
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss... Read More
For some of us, food is warmth and love. We... Read More
If you want any weight loss program to work you... Read More
I received a telephone call from a lady last week.... Read More
This past Christmas Season, as most of us stuffed our... Read More
For many years, herbalists believe that Cayenne is the most... Read More
Losing weight is a tough and demanding task for most... Read More
I really like Dr. Phil, so I wanted to like... Read More
Have you ever wished for a diet where you ate... Read More
As a Master swimmer I am made painfully aware, each... Read More
Browsing one of the Russian websites I have recently found... Read More
Finding Mad Cow in Oregon puts a new wrinkle in... Read More
Stop Being Influenced by Food Ads on TVThere is much... Read More
Only if you're trying to fool the scale on a... Read More
In 1994, I had a RNY surgery. At 350 lbs... Read More
You have been on diets before. You probably have lost... Read More
No One I Know Looks Like a Bathing Beauty, so... Read More
Americans have their French fries, the British have their chips,... Read More
Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of... Read More
You're always hungry right? The last thing you have time... Read More
Weight Loss |