Everywhere you look; there are signs, commercials, and advertisements trying to get you to buy their miracle fat-loss pill and/or diet. From Anna Nicole Smith and Trim-Spa to such potent supplements that are only recommended to people in need of losing over 30 pounds, there are so many options for the dieters of America.
Americans spend over 33 billion dollars annually on diet pills and devices. And with the recent ban of Epehdra by the government, Americans are resorting to anything that looks like it might work.
With so much hype out there about dieting and diet pills let us examine, some fad diets, tips to stay healthy, and new developments in weight management.
There are so many diets these days that one gets lost in the diet world frenzy. I have heard just about everything from the Oreo diet to the starvation diet. Most advertisements are backed by what the advertiser says is clinical proof the diet works.
Not only does it work, but it is backed by a doctor who was paid very well to appear in the ad. It has been said, that for every pound lost with a fab diet, the person gains twice as much back within months. So with all this hype about various diets, let us take a look and examine all of them.
The Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet has been heralded by many. This diet is a low carbohydrate high protein diet. So if you are a pasta craving Italian, it is doubtful you will survive a week on this diet. However, if you frequently snack on nuts, eggs, and meat, this may be a match made in heaven.
Atkins assures dieters that not only will they shed the pounds away, but they will be healthier in the long run. The diet is built on the theory that overweight and obese people eat way too many unneeded carbohydrates. By severely reducing carbohydrate intake and eating more protein, our bodies naturally lose weight by burning stored body fat more efficiently.
Or so they say. Here's the experts take on it. Gary D. Foster, PhD, clinical director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania said, "The Atkins diet works at producing weight loss. If you are looking for weight loss? it works?"
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Atkins Diet: America's Carbohydrate Prohibition!
It seems like just in the last year or so, the Atkins diet has reached epidemic proportions. Needless to say, this scares me...
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To the contrary, many physicians wonder about the long term effects of such a diet. Robert H. Eckel, MD, says, "We worry that the diet promotes heart disease. ... We have concerns over whether this is a healthy diet for preventing heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
There is also potential loss of bone and the potential for people with liver and kidney problems to have trouble with the high amounts of protein in these diets." Yet, even with these risks that Eckel pointed out, thousands flock to the Atkins Diet everyday. Many Atkins products are available here on bodybuilding.com, check it out.
The Zone Diet
The Zone does not recommend that you eat fewer calories than you're currently consuming, just different ones. Although the book has a more complicated and exacting measurement of what to eat, it can be simplified as:
- A small amount of protein at every meal (approximately the size of your palm or one small chicken breast) and at every snack (one in the late afternoon, one in the late evening)
- "Favorable" carbohydrates twice the size of the protein portion -- these include most vegetables and lentils, beans, whole grains, and most fruits
- A smaller amount of carbohydrates if you have chosen "unfavorable" ones -- these include brown rice, pasta, papaya, mango, banana, dry breakfast cereal, bread, bagel, tortilla, carrots, and all fruit juices.1
The Zone claims it is backed by 15 years of studies and extensive research. The Diet declares that it is effective because it regulates the insulin our body produces. Unlike the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet petitions for a lower carbohydrate intake, not an absolute abolishment of them.
Simply put, I think the Zone is all about eating healthy for the long term. A meal would include meat and vegetables, but like most diets, portion control is key. Many doctors and scientists are skeptical about the status of this diet.
They say that the Zone's authors have blown research and studies out of proportion. Susan Roberts, PhD, who is a professor of medicine at Tufts University says, "Like most fad diet books, The Zone takes one of the several known controllers of energy, blood glucose, and blows it up into a whole book. It downplays the other factors that also determine how hungry we get and how much we eat, such as fiber and the caloric density of the food."
Sources: Web MD
The South Beach Diet
The South Beach and Atkins Diet nearly walk hand-in-hand. Both diets preach about the restriction of carbohydrates. One of the main differences between these two popular diets is the fact that the South Beach Diet allows "good" carbohydrates, such that are derived from fruit and foods with a low glycemic index.
South Beach also advocates portion control. They allow snacking all day and do not count calories. However, if you are like most, and take advantage of these snacking periods by gorging on whatever you can get your hands on, the diet will not work.
It is funny how similar many of these diets are. As with the Atkins Diet, there is an "Initiation" phase that bans nearly all carbohydrates and then it is followed by the gradual increase of carbohydrates to the diet.
The problem is that with the initiation phase or as they the "Induction Phase" nearly all of the weight that is lost is water weight.
Weight Watchers
If you have not seen there own brand of food in the super markets you must be living under a shell. That or the fact you may not be the one who goes shopping. Weight Watchers comes equip with many low calorie options in grocery stores.
From full dinners to ice cream cones, Weight Watchers preaches low caloric intake. They believe that they are not teaching a diet, yet a way to eat healthier long-term. I have taken there point system diet and seen tremendous results while still eating the foods I wanted like Pizza and Hot Dogs.
The points system is run something like this: each food has a point value ranging from 0 for Jell-O to 8 for Pizza. Depending upon your body weight, you can have "x" amount of points daily. Stay under your limit, and lose weight.
But what makes this so unique is the fact that you are allowed to bank points and carry spare points over for days. Exercise more and get additional points. Finally a reward for going to the gym! Group support is another great feature.
If you are feeling in the doldrums or are not motivated simply go to one of the daily meetings at a Weight Watchers center and hear from others who have achieved there goals and get great tips from big losers. In April 1998 there was a study taken of doctors who had recommended weight loss plans. Remarkably, Weight Watchers was recommended 65% of the time.
The Weight Watchers' program has changed some over the years, but it has certainly stood the test of time," says Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University. This, to me, is the ideal diet. Reducing caloric intake to this point is the only proven way of losing weight, and Weight Watchers has calories down to a science.
Slim-Fast
Slim-Fast is focused upon the idea that meal replacement makes you lose weight. Slim-Fast outlines a four-step approach to weight loss that is similar to most others -- emphasizing portion control, sensible eating, regular physical activity, and support.2
It is a slow and steady diet with average losses of one to two pounds a week. However, the Slim Fast website says that you will lose 10% of your weight in six months.
Many know Slim-Fast for their shakes, but recently, the company has come out with products like snack bars and dinners. A positive about this diet is that it is very structured and I think that is crucial.
Many diets emphasize having so many foods available to you. However, with Slim-Fast they prescribe a day's worth of food, so it is near impossible to mess up. Nevertheless, if you do not like the taste of their products, it will be difficult to stay on the diet.
Sources: Slim Fast official website
Dieting Tips
With all these diets and miracle pills, here is a list of tips that many physicians recommend to stay fit and healthy.
- 30 minutes of exercise daily will help burn off calories
- Portion control is key, don't super-size anything!
- Drink 8 or more glasses of water a day, it helps flush out toxins that help bind fat.
- Reducing caloric intake is the only proven way to lose weight
- Make sure to take a multi-vitamin.
- Make many short-term goals to get to the long-term goal.
- Reward yourself! Dieting is hard, make deals that if you lose 10 pounds, you'll go out and buy yourself a gift.
- You're not alone! Try to diet with another family member and push each other to stay on the diet. It's much easier that way. You can even try betting on who will lose more weight quicker.
New Development In Fat Loss
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) may prove to be a miracle in a pill for overweight people. In a recent study, a group of 180 overweight men and women supplemented with CLA for one year. All had a body mass index between 25 and 30. They did not change their eating or diet habits.
The results showed that the participants lost on average 9% body fat in the course of the year and about four total pounds of body weight. "We really believe this is promising," said lead researcher Jean-Michel Gaullier, PhD. "It is the first time we have looked at the effects of CLA on body composition to get unequivocal results," he said.
As for the weight loss, "any weight loss is better than no weight loss -- and at least they didn't gain weight," said Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic.
The only one problem was that the participants had changes is certain heart disease risk factors. However, Gaullier said that the changes in cholesterol and blood sugar levels were not significant.
CLA is mostly sold as a pill or syrup. CLA is a naturally occurring free fatty acid found mainly in meat and dairy products. It is also a popular dietary supplement that is sold with claims of helping people lose fat, maintain weight loss, retain lean muscle mass, and control type 2 diabetes -- the type of diabetes that is often associated with obesity.
In recent studies in animals, it has even been shown to help improve the immune system. In a study by the Department of Human Nutrition, it was concluded that CLA also decreases the fat content of both human and bovine milk.
Also, the Department of Human Biology at Maastricht University concluded that the consumption of 1.8 to 3.6 grams of CLA per day increased the metabolic heart rate. This transfers to more calories burnt per hour and more calories lost per day.
While every diet is unique in its own way, many stem from the same ideas-low carbs and low calories. While there is no substantial research to support the idea that cutting out carbohydrates directly results in weight-loss, millions are getting involved in the "low carb frenzy."
The fact is, reducing caloric intake is the only sure-fire way to lose weight. While many see success with Atkins, Zone, and South Beach Diet, I think the best diets are Weight Watchers and Slim Fast because they are not just about losing 10 pounds in under 14 days, they are about long-term weight management.
Whatever diet you choose, stick with it. Many times your body takes a little bit of time to get used to losing weight. Don't get discouraged if you see the scale only move half a pound. If you lose a half a pound a week, you will lose 26 pounds in a year! Good luck and let's get ready for the beach.
Evan Waters
waters_ev@msn.com
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