South Beach
Diet
The South Beach diet was designed by a well know cardiologist in
Miami, Florida, hence the South Beach Diet name. Arthur
Agatston, the cardiologist, came up with a good carbohydrates
and good fat list along with a list of bad carbohydrates and bad
fat.
The basic philosophy of the
diet is that the bad carbohydrates and bad fats contribute to
cardiovascular disease and should be avoided. Dr. Agatston wrote
a book outlining the technical aspects of his theory and
outlines the basic requirements.
The South Beach Diet consists
of three phases.
The first phase is limited to
consuming the good carbohydrates and good fats. Many common food
items such as candy, dairy products, sugar, bread, fruit,
cereals, and grains are off limits for two weeks.
The 2nd phase allows some of
the items mentioned in the first phase to slowly be added back
into the meals. Small amounts are recommended.
The third phase is entered
after the desired weight is attained. This allows 2-3 servings
of fruit and cereals per day but still limits bad carbohydrates
and bad fat.
This is a diet for life,
requires some serious re-evaluation of food consumed, and
probably lifestyle changes. You have to dedicate yourself to
this type of diet and it requires some effort to avoid many
common foods. The first phase is difficult for many, some even
experience stomach and bowel problems.
But if you have severe health
problems, especially risk of heart disease, then this would be a
good choice.
Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet is the granddaddy of the low carbohydrates
diets. Dr. Atkins was the first doctor to go against the common
beliefs of dieting. Most doctors were recommending high
carbohydrate and low fat diets at the time this diet was
introduced.
The diet is based on the theory
that if you take away the carbohydrates, the body will be more
inclined to burn the stored fat. It gets pretty technical but
that's the bottom line. At the time this was a radical approach.
This is another three phase
diet, with a serious first two week approach. That's where most
of Dr. Atkins critics complain about his methods. And when you
see the list of what is recommended for the first two weeks,
you'll certainly understand their concern.
The first phase is meant to
shock your system and kick start the ketosis (this is a very
technical area - part of the controversy of the first phase -
but basically gets the body to start burning fat). You can
actually test for ketosis by using test strips to see if you
have started the process.
The first phase creates this
scenario by limiting you to 20 grams or less of carbohydrates
per day. That means you will be eating a lot of meat. Therein
lies the next issue many have with the diet. Eating a lot of
meat means you also consume a lot of saturated fats, which is
against most opinions on weight loss.
But the catch-22 is that if you
trigger the ketosis, you will lose weight quickly since you are
burning stored fat. So many people love this diet and have very
quick results. Maybe not the healthiest way to achieve weight
loss but there is instant gratification.
In phase two you slowly add 5
grams of carbohydrates a day until you stop losing weight. So
you continue this phase until you have reached your desired
weight.
In the last phase you enter the
maintenance stage. This has a closer "normal" amount
of carbohydrates. You've slowly raised the amount of
carbohydrates to what your body requires, which is still lower
than you were consuming initially.
This is a controversial method
of losing weight, but many people get fast results and it
remains very popular since it was introduced. Once again that
first phase it tough, and requires serious changes to your
eating habits.
And if you are a vegetarian.
forget it. People who have health problems or have a high risk
to saturated fats should always consult their doctors before
stating the Atkins Diet. And this is also a permanent change in
lifestyle and eating habits. You will need to limit your
carbohydrates forever to keep the weight off.
Fat Smash
Diet
Think of this diet as Hollywood and Reality Television meets
healthy eating habits. The Fat Smash Diet was introduced to the
masses by Ian K. Smith on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. This became
a very popular cable TV show that had celebrities competing on
weight loss.
The Fat Smash Diet is a 90 day
program based on low calories, exercise, and educating about
healthy eating habits. It also includes 50 recipes and tips to
help manage the weight loss efforts.
The Fat Smash Diet has four
phases and does not require any calorie counting. There is a
list of good foods along with advice on adopting long term good
eating habits.
The first phase in 9 days and
is designated as the detox period. This phase helps you cleanse
your body and develop better and healthier eating habits. Like
many of the first phases of most diets, you are severally
limited in your choices of food.
The second phase is a three
week period that involves 4 to 5 small meals per day. Additional
foods are slowly added back in to your diet. Preparation is kept
simple and exercise is often.
The third phase slowly adds
additional foods and still maintains the methods learned in the
two previous phases.
The fourth phase adds back in
some of the more fun foods (pizza, beer, potatoes) and
establishes the main principals of weight maintenance. Exercise,
portion control, eating 4-5 small meals, and portion control.
Take away the celebrities and
reality show, and most experts agree that it is a sensible and
healthy way for people to lose weight. The only drawback is the
first phase is tough, like many others. And the denial of common
foods lasts all the way to the fourth phase, which is well over
2 months.
Cabbage Soup Diet
The Cabbage Soup Diet has been around since email and the
Internet. There are several sources that the diet could have
come from but none have been verified.
In some references it was
linked to a fast diet solution for people who were going to have
surgery and wanted to lose some weight before their operation.
Other references were to the Mayo Clinic for similar reasons
(see the Mayo Clinic Diet below for more on other diet rumors).
Regardless of where it came
from, most doctors and nutritionists recommend against the
Cabbage Diet. The extreme nature (very low caloric intake) can
cause health problems and slow down your metabolism to a very
low level.
Plus very few people could eat
the cabbage soup for the recommended 7 day period, even if they
loved cabbage. But many still try, it often comes along with
very unrealistic promises of weight loss (like 10 pounds or
more).
Here's the recipe and
instructions:
Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
Ingredients
6 large green onions
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
about 10oz mushrooms (1 container)
3 carrots
1 bunch celery
1/2 head cabbage
1 package Lipton soup mix
1 or 2 cubes bullion (optional)
1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, curry,
etc.
Instructions
1. Slice the green
onions.
2. Remove the seeds from the green pepper and chop into bite sized
pieces.
3. Sauté the onions and peppers in a large pot with some cooking
spray.
4. Cut the cabbage, carrots, celery and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and put them in the pot. Also add the can(s) of
tomatoes.
5. Add 12 cups of water, the Lipton soup mix, and bullion (if
desired).
6. If you want a spicy soup, add the desired spices.
7. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or more.
During the 7 days, you can eat as much of this soup as you want.
As for the rest of the food that you can eat on the Cabbage Soup
Diet:
Day
One: Eat as much fruit as you want (except bananas) in addition to the soup. Nothing
else.
Day Two: No fruit today, but you can eat as many raw or cooked vegetables as you want, in addition to the soup.
Eat a lot of leafy green vegetables and no dried beans, peas, or corn. At dinner,
eat a baked potato with butter.
Day Three: Eat as much soup, fruits, and vegetables as you want. No
potatoes.
Day Four: Soup, bananas and milk. You can have up to 8 bananas
and as many glasses of skim milk as you want.
Day Five: Eat 10-20 ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink extra water today. And don't forget to eat your
soup. You can eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but no skin on the chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef on one of the beef
days.
Day Six: As much beef and vegetables as you want today
and soup.
Day Seven: Eat as much brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables as you
want with your soup.
I'm fond of cabbage, but this
diet would probably change that. Most weight loss experts agree
that you will lose weight but most of it will be water and come
right back. I've never spoken to anyone who liked this diet who
have tried it. Some cabbage farmer somewhere is probably the
source.
Dash Diet
The DASH Diet was created to reduce blood pressure, and is recommended by
several respected health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health
(NIH).
Dash stands for Dietary
Approaches To Stop Hypertension. It's a lifestyle changing and
adopting healthy eating habits style diet.
You can learn more and even get
menus, recommendations, and a book about it at this web site: http://dashdiet.org/
The kicker is that I've heard
it's hard to adopt such a rigid plan for many people. Many
complain of eating too much to fulfill the diet requirements.
Mayo Clinic Diet
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no diet they recommend as
their own and claim no knowledge of the Mayo Clinic Diet that
has spread all over the Internet and emailed to many people.
They even commented on it in
their Medical Edge Newsletter in the July 2005 edition.
"Versions of a Mayo Clinic Diet have been circulating for decades. Most push grapefruit, eggs, cabbage soup or meat and promise dramatic weight loss. None of these diets is associated with or has been endorsed by Mayo Clinic."
Who knows how this started, but
here is the generally accepted fake Mayo Clinic Diet that often
is referenced.
This is a 12 day diet plan, with 10 on and 2 off. The main
catalyst is the 1/2 grapefruit with every meal. And due to the
nature of the food groups, it is believed to enhance the fat
burning process of most people.
12 days on - 2 days off
Breakfast
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
2 Eggs (any style)
2 Slices Bacon
Lunch
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount)
Salad (any kind of dressing)
Dinner
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount) (fish may be substituted for meat)
Vegetables (any green, yellow, or red vegetables cooked in butter or any seasoning)
Bed Time Snack
1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass Skim milk
Vegetables Allowed
Red onions, green onions, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas.
Vegetables to Avoid
White onions, potatoes, celery.
Supposedly the more you eat of the recommended choices, the more
weight you will lose. Does it work? Most people have stated that
they did lose weight but that might be attributed to the
grapefruit at each meal. It is a know fact that grapefruit can
be beneficial in burning calories.
Many like it since it is simple
and easy to follow. But most weight loss experts say that other
than the grapefruit, there's really no benefit. And the Mayo
Clinic has definitely disowned it in every way.
Zone Diet
The Zone Diet by Dr. Barry Sears suggests you eat a diet that
consists of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat. If you
create that ideal balance of food, you will be in the
"Zone" and feel better and be healthier too.
It's like Zen dieting in that
you try to achieve a hormonal balance that your body needs to
function, no more or no less. In order to achieve this balance,
you need to follow the diet exactly.
Each carbohydrate, protein, and
fat must come from very specific foods and it is recommended you
eat even when you are not hungry to maintain this level.
Preparation and planning are the key to success on this diet.
But that's also the difficult
part, since many requirements are exact and must be prepared in
advance. People who have the time to dedicate to this type of
strict requirements have reported success. But not everyone has
that kind of free time to commit.
Many healthy eating habits and
proper types of food are incorporated into this diet plan. And
people have claimed a huge impact on feeling good and even
improving on health problems. But it does take a real dedicated
effort.
Flat Belly Diet
The Flat Belly Diet is designed to lose weight where many of us
have it, around the belly or midsection. Liz Vaccariello, who is
an editor at Prevention Magazine, and Cynthia Sass, a nutrition
expert for the same publication collaborated on this diet.
This is primarily directed at
women, and the diet book has may girly advice tidbits directed
at readers. The diet is modeled after a Mediterranean style
menus with very little meat (once in 30 days) and lots of
wholesome unrefined foods.
The secret to the diet,
according to the authors, is including the addition of
monounsaturated fat with every meal. Items like olives, nuts,
seeds, soybean, chocolate, flax, and sunflower oils are
incorporated into each meal.
The promise is up to 15lbs of
weight loss, aimed right at the belly. And no exercise required.
I believe that would get the attention of any prospective
dieter.
The diet is based on a 28 + 4
day plan. There is a jump start period of four days that
involves drinking up to 2 liters per day of "Sassy
Water", which is a concoction of spices, herbs, citrus, and cucumber.
I tried some, it tasted terrible to me.
The diet book details 11 women
who are volunteers to try out the new weight loss methods. Not a
large group by any means. But they do have some good success
stories and provide some positive feedback on the diet.
The Flat Belly Diet has been criticized
by some medical authorities who state there is no proof of the
connection of consuming monounsaturated fat and loss of belly
fat. And some of the other recommendations such as gum chewing, bulky raw foods, drinking carbonated drinks, alcohol, coffee, tea, and acidic fruit juices is pure speculation.
But like most popular diets,
there is a dedicated following and many say they have had
excellent results.
Grapefruit Diet
This is the fake Mayo Clinic Diet mentioned above, only under
the Grapefruit Diet name. There are many variations, some
tilting towards the Atkins style and other variations. But the
common element is the eating the grapefruit half with every
meal. See the Mayo Clinic Diet for details.
Suddenly Slim
Diet
The Suddenly Slim Diet was created by the makers of herbal diet
supplements. It's a basic 10 day diet that's designed to combine
elements of food and diet supplements to increase your
metabolism and burn more fat.
The Slim 'N Up supplement helps
to replace energy and reduce hunger. Body FX milkshakes are made
up of nutrients that supposedly increase metabolic function and
burn fat. Reneu offers a cleansing formula designed to cleanse
and detoxify the body.
The Suddenly Slim Diet also
contains information and instructions on creating a more healthy
diet. Like many diet pills, they combine basic elements of a
healthy diet with their supplements to help with the weight loss
efforts.
They can be more convenient that
some of the more sophisticated diets, especially since there is
no calorie or carbohydrate counting. This makes it easy for busy
people and those less inclined to preparing intricate meal
plans.
There is a large following of
this diet plan who have had good success and it's been around
for over 25 years. The three key supplements don't contain any
of the more recent radical ones that can be dangerous like
ephedra (which has been linked to raised and irregular
heartbeats).
I've never read any negatives
about it and the people I know that have tried it were
successful.
3 Day Diet
The 3 Day Diet is one of diets referred to as calorie crash
variety. This is where you greatly reduce your intake of
calories and hopefully lose weight as a result. The only problem
is that it's hard on your system and results don't last any
longer than the diet.
The 3 Day Diet also makes some
pretty strong (some might say unrealistic) promises in that they
claim you can lose up to 10lbs in the three day period.
But if you still want to try
it, here's the basics:
Day One
Breakfast: Black coffee, tea, or water; 1/2 grapefruit
or juice; 1 slice toast with 1T of peanut butter
Lunch: 1/2 cup tuna; 1 slice toast; black coffee, tea, or water
Dinner: 3oz. any lean meat; 1 cup green beans; 1 cup carrots; 1
cup vanilla ice cream; black coffee, tea, or water
Day Two
Breakfast: Black coffee, tea, or water; 1 egg (any style); 1 slice toast; 1
banana
Lunch: 1 cup cottage cheese
or tuna; 5 saltine crackers; black coffee, tea or water
Dinner: 2 beef franks or hot dogs; 1/2 cup carrots; 1 banana; 1 cup broccoli or cabbage; 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream; black coffee, tea, or
water
Day Three
Breakfast: Black coffee, tea or water; 5 saltine crackers; 1 slice cheddar cheese; 1
apple
Lunch: 1 hard boiled egg; 1 slice toast;
black coffee, tea, or water
Dinner: 1 cup tuna; 1 cup carrots; 1 cup cauliflower; 1 cup melon; 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream; black coffee, tea, or
water.
This is pretty hardcore on the
limiting of calories. Even though it is only 3 days, some people
might have a hard time with such a reduction of energy. And much
of the loss in weight might be water, since it's so short term
you don't have much time to burn fat.
And then on the fourth day what
do you do? You're probably starving so you may just go crazy and
eat so much that you cancel out the weight loss. I guess if you
want to fit into that dress or suit that feels tight for a
special occasion, this could help. Otherwise it would be better
to pick a longer term diet that relies on healthy eating habits
rather than crash calorie diets.
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