If you have a clear idea about dieting, why some diets fail while others work, it shouldn’t be difficult choosing a weight-loss programme. Here’s the lowdown on some of today's hottest diet programmes. These include the Atkins diet, the Blood-type diet, the Low-fat diet, the Juice diet, the Pritkin diet and the Zone diet. Let’s take them one by one:
1. Atkins Diet
By eating foods high in protein and fat and limiting foods high in carbohydrate, we can increase our metabolism. Atkins proposes that eating a large amount of carbos results in overproduction of insulin, which leads to increased hunger pangs and consequently weight gain. Thus consuming protein and fat is highly encouraged, while carbohydrate intake is limited to between 15-60 grams per day.
Many people like feasting on foods rich in fat such as steak, bacon and butter, especially since these foods aren't typically considered diet foods. For others, the increase in protein decreases food cravings and leads to rapid weight loss.
The flip side is that eating unlimited amounts of saturated fat can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. A diet that limits carbohydrates causes the body to rely on muscle or fat for energy (recall that carbohydrate is the body's primary fuel source). When the body breaks down stored fat to supply energy, ketone is formed. Ketones may suppress appetite, but they also cause fatigue, nausea and a potentially dangerous fluid loss. Anyone with diabetes or heart or kidney problems should not follow a diet that promotes the formation of ketones. The overwhelming consensus is that this diet is a complete failure. Any weight loss is immediately regained (and usually more). It's unhealthy and dangerous!
2. Blood-type diet
Depending on your blood type, there is a detailed list of foods to avoid. This is because each blood type has its own antigen marker that doesn't react well to certain foods.
Do you like the idea of eating only certain foods? Do you enjoy measuring foods and timing every meal? If you answered yes to both, then this diet may be for you.
But the odds are that if your blood type is 0 positive and your spouse is AB negative, then you've got your work cut out for you with regard to food shopping and cooking. The list of each blood type's food restrictions eliminates specific groups of foods -- that means you're guaranteed to miss out on nutrients you need. Most experts expressed amazement that a diet premise this absurd found a following. What's blood type got to do with weight loss? According to the experts, nothing.
3. Juice Fasts
For one to five days, you drink juice and nothing but juice (100 per cent fruit and vegetable juices). You may dilute your juices with water, but no salt, sugar or additives are allowed.
The good thing is that you don't have to think about what you'll be having for breakfast, lunch or dinner, because it'll always be the same: juice. The pounds will appear to drop off because of the very low calorie intake (although you're really losing mostly water). Some believe juice fasts allow the body to rejuvenate and cleanse itself.
But if you are living only on juice, then you’ll soon turn into a couch potato, having energy only to flip channels. This diet will also slow your metabolism to a grinding halt in the fastest possible time. And what about returning to solid foods post-fast? Ease back in with foods that are easy to digest because your tummy has taken a vacation and needs some time to get back up to speed.
You're asking for trouble when you try fasting (unless you're supervised by a physician). Your body is usually worse off after the fast than when you started. This happens because your body will try to protect itself for the next time it is starved by storing excess calories as soon as you stop fasting. This means you could eat less than you ate before the fast and yet gain weight.
4. Low-fat diets
Fat has more than double the calories of carbohydrates and proteins, so if you reduce the fat in your diet you'll lose weight. Only 20 per cent of the calories you eat come from fat, so the foods at the very top of the food pyramid (butter, mayonaisse, salad dressing) are greatly reduced or eliminated. Swap fatty foods (fried, snack foods, cheeses, meats) with lower-fat versions or eat smaller portions. If you are at risk for heart disease, obesity or cancer, then reducing your intake of saturated fat (animal fat, cheese and dairy products) is a smart choice. Low-fat diets promote foods like fruits and vegetables, which are low in fat and rich in nutrients.
A low-fat diet isn't healthy and won't work if those low-fat or nonfat foods are not fresh. Eating foods high in sugar, but low in fat inevitably leads to the snackwell syndrome. This happens when a large quantity of fat-free snacks are consumed because they don't contain fat. Often, fat-free is confused with calorie-free, so you think it's okay to polish off the box. Fat-free processed foods will definitely cause you to pile on the pounds if you eat too much.
Eating excess fat is not the only reason people gain weight. You gain weight when you eat more calories than your body can use. Studies show that people who cut down fat intake well below 30 per cent tend to add more calories to their diet because they're hungry. The less fat you have in your diet, the hungrier you'll be. The American Dietetic Association recommends that less than 30 per cent of the day's total calories should come from fat and less than 10 per cent from saturated fat.
5. The Pritikin diet
Developed to treat heart disease, Pritkin is a very low-fat, primarily vegetarian diet that is based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Which foods aren't allowed? Processed foods such as pasta and white bread, animal proteins, eggs and most types of fats.
Who would dispute the health benefits of eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and less fat? This diet is perfect for those who don't like calorie counting or watching portions. However, low-fat diets often increase hunger leading to overeating. When you significantly decrease the fat in your diet, your body will start craving calories from sugars and carbohydrates. Pritkin can also be low in vitamins and minerals, due to the elimination of many types of foods.If you have heart disease or a strong family history of heart disease, then Pritikin is the answer for you. When it comes to weight loss, this diet is too low in fat and restrictive to stay on long enough to lose weight and keep it off.
6. The Zone diet
Like the Atkins diet, this is a high-protein diet. It proposes that a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet decreases hunger and consequently weight. Unlike Atkins, the Zone allows greater carbohydrate intake: the diet's breakdown is 40 per cent protein, 30 per cent fat and 30 per cent carbohydrate. All meals and snacks follow this 40:30:30 ratio, which allows the body to work within its peak performance zone for utmost energy and weight loss.
The Zone's low-calorie intake allows you to drop weight rapidly while eating foods like bacon and steak. The health risks, like heart disease and cancer, are similar to the Atkins Diets, though little lesser as Zone allows for more healthy carbohydrates, such as veggies and fruits. You may drop pounds quickly, but you regain them just as fast once you go off the diet. Lastly, the time it takes to follow the Zone's stringent guidelines is like having a part-time job.
The Zone's popularity can be attributed to good word of mouth because people have lost weight on the diet. Why does it work? Because it's a low-calorie diet in disguise. When you decrease your calories, weight loss will soon follow. But as soon as you eat that extra bite, you know what your body will do with it. Both the American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association disapprove strongly of the Zone primarily due to its high protein content.
Now that you know more about the different kinds of diets, it might make it easier for you to decide which diet you want to follow. On the other hand, it might just make it all the more harder.
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