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There are literally
hundreds of different
diets on the market
today. In fact, the
wider people become, the
more diets are
born. Ironically,
sometimes the more
diets we try, the
wider we get! Every
diet shares the same
common goal: To help us
lose our excess
weight. However,
every diet has a
different way of
reaching that goal. Some
insist that
carbohydrates have to be
cut off completely, and
some want you to only
buy and eat pre-packaged
foods. Other diets
are altogether crazy,
and expect you to only
eat two or three types
of food for as long as
your diet lasts.
That can be up to two
years or more!
Unfortunately for our
bodies, it seems that
the only things you need
to start selling a new diet is an idea
and a good marketing
plan. The idea doesn’t
even have to be a good
one! Dieting is a
fast growing industry,
and because everyone
wants the “miracle cure”
to lose the weight
quickly with little or
no effort or exercise,
it is very easy for
people to get roped into
spending enormous
amounts of money for a diet that will
not work. Because of the
large number of these
kinds of diets,
it can be very confusing
for people to know which diet is the best
fit for their body and
their lifestyle. As
there are just too many
types of diets
out there to write about
here, we will just cover
the most popular ones.
The
Atkins Diet has been
a very popular one. Most
people have either heard
about it, have tried it,
or are currently on this
diet. It is
virtually impossible to
miss the advertising and
testimonials about the
Atkins Diet, and if
you do happen to
overlook these, there
are too many people
talking about it these
days to not overhear.
Probably the best thing
that the
Atkins Diet has
going for it is the fact
that dieters can still
eat high fat dairy
products like cheese and
butter. However, with
every good thing there
is always at least one
downside, and this
diet has more than
its share! Scientists
are currently debating
the health risks of the
Atkins Diet, because
of suspicions of an
increased risk of heart
disease. Also, more
relevant to the
dieting population,
large numbers of Atkins
dieters are complaining
of diarrhea, weakness,
muscle cramps and
rashes. If you really
like being able to eat
cheese and butter enough
to brave the side
effects of this diet,
I guess it may be the
one for you.
Next on our list is the
Zone Diet. This strict
diet program was
started by a man named
Barry Sears, and it is
all about balance. You
achieve the right
balance in your body by
eating the right mix of
foods. When your body
has reached its state of
balance, you are in the
“Zone”, hence the name
of the diet. One
good thing about this
diet is that after
it allows you to consume
calories, it makes them
useful to the body so
they are not turning
into excess fat.
However, the
Zone Diet
has been criticized by
the American Heart
Association for banning
certain foods that
provide essential
nutrients to the body.
The
Jenny Craig Diet is
one of the oldest and
longest running diets
out there, beginning in
the early 1980s. This
diet’s long life proves
it to be a diet
that works. In one way
it is easier than most diets because you
do not have to cook
complicated recipes or
look for the right kinds
of food. However, the
Jenny Craig Diet insists
that you buy their
pre-packaged foods, and
this can cost you more
than $100 per week, not
to mention the
membership fees and
extra foods that don’t
come pre-packaged.
Actually, the same foods
are available at your
grocery store, but the
pressure to buy your
food from
Jenny Craig
could be overwhelming as
your personal
Jenny
Craig expert receives a
percentage of the sale
price if you buy it.
With all of this being
said, it is still a
good diet, and if
you can afford it and
want to lose weight
successfully,
Jenny
Craig may be the way to
go.
The
South Beach Diet has
a more glamorous
sounding name, and being
from Florida also helps
with this impression.
However, as glamorous as
this diet sounds,
actually sticking to the
program is a completely
different story! The
South Beach
Diet has
been proven to be
successful, but it is a
hard program to follow.
The first two weeks
consist of completely
abolishing most
carbohydrates from your diet. If you can
stick to this first
phase, the second one
may be enough to do you
in. Basically, you have
to ease yourself back to
consuming about half of
the normal amount of
whole grains and fruits
that you were used to
before starting this
diet. This phase
lasts as long as you
still have weight to
lose. This can take
quite a while, as excess
pounds usually hang on
stubbornly and fight to
the end. The last
downside to this diet
is that it leaves you
with no choice of the
foods you eat. There are
no substitutes. If you
decide to go on the
South Beach Diet and you
find that you don’t like
the foods allowed, you
are basically stuck.
The last major diet
program we will
discuss is an old one
called
Weight Watchers.
This diet has
been so successful
because instead of
controlling what and
when you eat, it permits
the dieter to manage on
his or her own. This
program also allows you
to exercise willpower
and restraint, both of
which are essential to
keeping the weight off
once you are done with
the diet.
Weight
Watchers meeting are a
great place to find
encouragement as well.
Studies have proven that
having someone to keep
you accountable when
trying to lose weight
and get into shape will
give you a much better
chance of sticking to a
program. The same
studies also show that
when you have one or
more people that are
going through the same
program with you, you
will have an even more
increased chance of
reaching your goals.
Because
Weight Watchers
provides an environment
where positive peer
pressure can grow, it is
a very good program to
join.
If after reading these
diet reviews, you
are still unsure of
which one to choose, do
some more research
before making your
choice. Also, a lot of
people find it helpful
to talk to people who
have “been there,” and
hear what they have to
say about what diets
they have tried and
which ones worked the
best. Another thing to
consider would be your
body type and your
lifestyle. Choosing the
diet program that
suits you is an
important factor in
whether or not you will
stick to the rules of
that diet. Also,
talk to your doctor
before starting any
program, no matter how
harmless it may seem.
Your physician knows
your medical history and
will be able to counsel
you as to which diet
would be the most
healthy and helpful to
your body.
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