Weight Loss Diet

Quality Weight Loss Diets vs. Fad Weight Loss Diets

Although there are many programs advertised to help lose weight, the only proven long-term and safe method is to burn more calories than are ingested. There are many weight loss diets that attempt to help you reduce your caloric intake. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which ones will help you keep the weight off for good and which ones are fad diets that will only bring about temporary weight loss

A fad weight loss diet is one that makes unrealistic promises. Most fad diets are very low in carbohydrates and in calories, causing fluid loss from the body, which brings about a loss of weight on the scale. However, once the body gets rehydrated with water, the weight will come right back on.

Weight Loss Diet Reviews

Having a hard time telling the fad weight loss diets apart from the real deal? The diet directory, Diet Surf, has written great reviews of many popular diets online. Healthplug.com has included their descriptions of some of the most popular diets to give you an idea of what types of diets are fads and which can help you really keep off the weight.

Quality Weight Loss Diets

1. Weight Watchers (point system and weekly support group)

Foods You Eat on this Diet:
Eat within your calorie needs using a counting system for each food of your choosing.

Positives:
Support group and weekly weigh-ins provide motivation for those who need group support. Meetings are widely available. Diet is well balanced and no special foods or formulas are required.

Drawbacks:
Translating non-Weight Watcher foods to their point system is more challenging than exchange plans since their point system is not used outside of their program. Program costs may be considered high for cost conscious dieters.

Safety and Health Issues
This diet is safe and promotes healthy eating habits and manageable weight loss.

Dietitians comments about the Weight Watchers Diet
This diet program has stood the test of time and for those who appreciate group support and peer pressure, it can be a benefit to attend meetings. Their new focus is to provide more self-management tools to diet successfully, which should help people learn how to keep their weight off in the long run.

Visit Weight Watchers for more information about their weight loss diets.

2. eDiets (online computer generated meal plans)

• Foods You Eat on this Diet
  Structured meal plans are provided using typical grocery store package foods and recipes with minimal substitutions.
• Positives:
  Structured meal plans are simple to follow because the thinking is done for you, which can be helpful in the short term. No meetings to attend.
• Drawbacks:
  Rigid meal plans can get boring quickly and many may find it hard to make food choices outside of the meal plan structure.
• Safety and Health Issues
  This diet is based upon healthy guidelines and is well balanced, depending upon calorie level.
• Dietitians comments about eDiets

Structured meal plans have the same appeal as prepackaged food plans for dieters looking for an easy answer. These plans can be helpful at first, but are not a long term approach to eating in the real world - the true test of weight loss success.

Visit eDiets for more information about their weight loss diets.

Fad Weight Loss Diets

1. Atkins diet (low carbohydrate, high fat)

• Foods You Eat on this Diet
  Red meat, chicken and turkey, seafood, eggs, high fat dairy foods like cheese, butter, and cream, oil, nuts, some vegetables that do not contain a lot of starch, artificial sweeteners.
• Positives:
  Some people may enjoy the fatty foods and meat on this diet and the rapid weight loss at first.
• Drawbacks:
  This is a high fat diet, high in animal foods, and limited in carbohydrate, so it teaches people to choose calorie dense foods that are likely to lead to weight gain and heart disease once the diet is over.
• Safety and Health Issues
  This diet limits many healthy vegetables and nutrient rich carbohydrates. Eating a diet high in saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels and increases risk of heart disease. High in saturated fat, the number one nutrient associated with heart disease Low in fruits, whole grains, and other sources of carbohydrate. Low in phytochemicals - cancer fighting substances founds in fruits and vegetables. Lack of fiber may cause constipation Rapid loss of water weight at first may provide a false sense of diet success
• Dietitians comments about the Atkins Diet
  Many people may enjoy eating the fatty foods allowed on this diet but may find it monotonous and restrictive over time. Any diet that restricts calories will cause weight loss, a reduction in blood pressure, reduced blood sugar (if it was abnormally high), and reduced blood cholesterol and triglycerides in the typical overweight person. There is no magic in restricting carbohydrates. Eventually, carbohydrates need to be added to this diet. Adding back carbohydrates on top of foods high in saturated fat brings people back to square one, the typical American diet, associated with obesity, heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. If this diet was a true cure for obesity and heart disease, it would have worked the first time it was introduced over 30 years ago.

Visit the Atkins Center for more information about the Atkins Diet.

2. Zone (balance of low-glycemic index foods to keep you in "the zone")

• Foods You Eat on this Diet
  Low fat protein foods such as skinless chicken breast, fish, low fat cottage cheese, some fruits and vegetables, and small amounts of olive or canola oil.
• Positives:
  Good amounts of fruits and low starch vegetables, and low in saturated fat. Restricts refined carbohydrates that are low in nutrition.
• Drawbacks:
  Meals must be calculated with exact balance of fat, protein and carbohydrate for proper "zone". Diet is very restricted in calories (800-1200), so it is difficult to stay on long enough to lose weight, especially if you exercise.
• Safety and Health Issues
  Basically safe on the higher calorie level (1200) but too low in essential nutrients. Low in whole grains and calcium. Low in carbohydrate - eliminates many highly nutritious foods without proven scientific rationale.
• Dietitians comments about the Zone Diet
  The challenge of combining certain foods may be too complex and a hassle for many people to follow for an extended period of time. Amounts of carbohydrate containing foods (even the good ones like whole grains and beans) are restricted so that it may be difficult to stay on this diet long enough for long term results. Overemphasis is placed upon the notion that carbohydrates promote fat storage due to increased insulin levels, and that reducing carbohydrates is the solution to obesity. Restricting total calories and amounts of food causes weight loss and improves insulin sensitivity, not just restriction of carbohydrates. Any diet that restricts calories (of any source - fat, carbohydrate, and protein) will cause weight loss. There is no magic in restricting carbohydrates and it is unnecessary to limit the "good" carbohydrates like starchy vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

Visit Zone Perfect for more information about the Zone Diet.

In Conclusion

What is important about picking a weight loss diet is to find the weight loss diet that is going to help you change your eating habits. This will help you both lose weight on the short-term and keep the weight off in the long term. A quality weight loss diet is not a quick fix, or a diet that you follow a few weeks and then you can go back to eating like you did before the diet. A quality weight loss diet is a lifestyle change that dares you to leave your bad eating habits behind and step into a thinner way of living.