Popular diet fads - part 2.
The Atkins diet.
While not quite as popular as it once was, the Atkins diet is still in fairly widespread use.
This one was favored by dieters since it is one of the few diets to allow you to have high fat foods like cheese and butter in decent amounts. Instead the diet focused on cutting carbohydrates out of the diet.
The quick start plan for the Atkins diet has the person eat absolutely no carbohydrates for the first week or two. A lot of people were happy with this diet as they did lose weight fast when they first started the Atkins plan.
However, those who continued on the plan for a length of time starting having problems like diarrhea, muscle cramps and rashes. Any time that you severely restrict the diet by trying to eliminate a whole food group, there is going to be a backlash on the body.
Resource about Atkins (from answers.com) : click here
The South Beach Diet.
One of the newer fad diets is the South Beach Diet. You can even find prepared foods in the supermarket now that are labeled for use with the South Beach Diet so that shows you how popular it has become.
The diet plan itself is very strict with what foods are allowed or not. Phase one of the South Beach Diet lasts for two weeks and focuses on eliminating almost all carbohydrates from the diet.
Phase two slowly brings back some of the whole grains and fruits that were restricted but not a lot. This phase is supposed to be followed until you reach your desired weight whether it takes you two months or two years.
This diet plan does work and there are a lot of satisfied thinner people out there because of it. There are also many who couldn't bear the extreme restrictions and lack of alternatives and gave up.
Related information about the south beach diet on about.com
Weight Watchers.
Weight Watchers is one of the oldest diet plans around and also one of the most successful. Their success hinges on educating their participants so they can make smarter food choices and on the membership aspect of the program.
Some people just do better when they have the peer pressure to help keep them focused. Traditional Weight Watchers call for a weekly meeting where members are weighed in and recorded right in front of the rest of the group.
There is now an internet version of Weight Watchers that you also pay a membership fee but can be done completely online. Weight Watchers puts all the tools you need at your disposal to make the diet work and they've had a huge amount of success. Weight Watchers is one of the few diet plans that don't eliminate foods completely and so is healthier than most of the others.
Conclusion : choosing the right diet.
The key factor to choosing the right diet is to be sure that it is not going to actually harm your health in any way. Before going on any diet plan, you should do your research. Don't rely just on the testimonials that the diet company puts up, either.
A simple Google search will often get you a ton of information from both sides of the fence. You should also consult with your doctor before starting a diet plan. They'll be able to tell you of any health issues that you might have that could hinder your dieting as well as tell you if a certain plan is unhealthy or not.
