Top 10 dieting, or simply the new illusion?

There is no shortage of ideas for weight loss, especially for those who knew how to exercise and eat right. INFORMATION diets, which normally focus on one type of food or food categories, have become popular in recent years. But there is a difference between a fad diet and a healthy diet that optimizes the weight loss. And while pills can be a big thing now, do not provide the one thing that needs a dieter: the ability to make wise choices. Top 10 diet diets, such as Sonoma County and the South Beach Diet not only provide healthy eating choices, helping fans changed eating habits. The following diets designed by doctors and dieters both:

1. South Beach Diet: it has much in common with a once-popular diet Atkins. Created by an origin, this three-phased diet includes fruit, temporarily giving of fatty meats and starches, intended to cure the longing for types of unhealthy foods.

2. Lake Mary diet: this is another three phases of the diet, but this focuses on ten "energy" foods, including spinach, tomatoes and grapes. This is not a low-carb or low-sugar diet, but does not limit saturated fats and white flour.

3. top 10: The NutriSystem diet, this program is the only one that requires dieters to buy their food from the company. Serves to reduce cravings by controlling carbs glycaemic index recruitment.

4. the weight watchers: this is not a diet but a lifestyle. People determine objectives, and work towards the completion of these goals while regular support group meetings. There are two different projects, core and flex projects. Both operate with the exception of a point, with each food that gives a different value.

5. diet: this is not a "diet" in the traditional sense either. It was invented by a biochemist, and promotes eating protein and carbs in a ratio of 3 or 4. While it is a low-carb diet, you don't need to do this at the edges of other diets. The zone diet stresses the importance of maintaining hormonal balance through consumption of certain foods.

6. Atkins Diet: perhaps the most popular of the low-carb diets, Atkins, we the people away from the food pyramid and a diet that restricts carbohydrates effect blood sugar. With exercise and nutritional supplements, diet Atkins stresses the importance of eating unprocessed foods and avoiding foods high in saturated fats.

7. This diet: nutrition Ornish opposes the Atkins and other low-carb diets. Is a vegetarian diet, which stresses the importance of complex carbohydrates and simple sugars, strictly prohibits cholesterol and saturated fats. Another reason the diet, with 10% fat, 20% to 70% protein and carbohydrates.

8. the blood type diet: this is a controversial diet that works with the idea that each person should eat foods that match their blood type, based on the development of formulas. Proponents of this diet believe that these types of "O" should eat mainly meat. "A" vegetarian diet formulas have at most and types "B" must eat high amounts of dairy products.

9. fit for life diet: Short-term dieting is not the solution, according to the couple that created the diet. Combinations of foods are emphasised. Only the fruits should be eaten in the morning and meat should not be combined with complex carbs.

10. Metro nutrition: the list of top 10 diets will be complete by this diet. Everyone seems to know Jared, the College student who lost 245 pounds eating subway Sandwiches. But it is in fact a diet? As with other weight loss plans, story of Jared includes daily walks and a severe reduction in calories daily, except for eating healthy subs with fresh vegetables and baked chips.

Top ten diet reviews Information

Many people want to lose weight and are willing to try anything, from a stomach stapling for measure allokotoi diet. Some diets are controversial and may be harmful to health. Others are short-term hunger. Here is a list of the top 10 fad diets.

# 1 of the Atkins diet is one of the most popular Americas and philosophy after many years. The Atkins diet is based on the processed food and nutrition carbohydrates are the core problems that make people fat and maintain. The diet has four phases.

The first phase and more restrictive is the OWL phase. The OWL phase (continuous weight loss) restrict their intake of carbohydrates just 20 grams per day. Twelve to fifteen grams must originate from salad. Meat, seafood, fish and poultry are abundant at this stage. A small soft cheese is allowed daily, some low-carbohydrate vegetables, alcohol, caffeine is not limited, butter or oil and water, lots and lots of water should be consumed.

Phase two allows more carbohydrates each week, selected by a ladder. The dieter is an increase of 5 grams of carbohydrate per week by a group of various food every week during this phase.

The next phase increases the carbohydrates, until you stop losing weight. Once the dieter arrives the final goal weight maintenance phase begins the kicks.

Atkins Diet weight loss displays direct, but it is difficult to observe due to rigid dietary patterns. A study has shown that the diet could cause kidney damage.

# 2 of the diet green tea using a low calorie diet and nutritional adds green tea to every meal and snack.

# 3 Number three in the list of diet fad is negative calorie diet ten.
The diet takes its name from the theory that the food in the diet uses more calories to digest than they contain. While there is no scientific proof that you can eat your way thin, many of these foods are healthy, nutritious foods that are low in calories. Foodstuffs in the list increases the metabolism of the body and AIDS rapid weight reduction.

# 4 Grape diet is number four fad diets and ten one rather worse. Nothing but grapes and water is the fare for days on end. The diet, was originally created to cleanse the system and the fight against cancer, became a diet weight loss somewhere along the way.

# 5 three-hour diet that takes into account the time of day they are eating. Diet food breaks into mini-meals eaten every three hours. Looks like a diet for hypoglycemia. This diet is nutritionally balanced and maintains stable blood sugar levels. That stability decreases the rush for a 5: 00 p.m. feeding frenzy that often occurs in dieters. This one makes sense. At the bottom is the need to eat constantly, even if you are busy or not hungry.

# 6 diet lemonade cleanse diet was another who has changed his weight loss. Nothing but a salad maple syrup, Cayenne Pepper and lemon juice is added to the list of edibles for the ten day fast.

# 7The ice cream diet is simply a regular calorie controlled diet that makes space for a small ice cream at the end of the day. Of course, if controlled, calorie weight loss occurs. The diet is nothing more than assigning for ice cream. Calcium in the ice cream is good for the bones and metabolism, but apart from this, you can substitute a brownie and brownie diet to call.

# 8 The cabbage soup diet soup created by using a cabbage and other vegetables and mixtures with other low-calorie food rations and cranberry juice or tea for five days of tedium and gassy stomach.

# 9 The raw diet is a diet with vegan foods left Uncooked. Blend, Chop them and arrange them nothing but not cook or heat it beyond 116 Degrees Fahrenheit. Raw contains more vitamins, in many cases by their cooked counterparts. Nuts are included in the raw diet as a source of protein. The diet consists mainly of vegetables is a diet low calories, but it is difficult to keep well balanced. It is much healthier than most fad diets and the introduction in the body of the fresh vegetables brings in many nutrients. The fiber of raw vegetables clean very toxic waste.

# 10 Final diet in the list of ten is zone diet fad diets. Like Atkins diet has phases and attempts to change lifestyle and eating habits. The zone diet uses a balancing act of carbohydrate ratio. Each meal consists of 40% carbohydrates, proteins, food 30% and 30% fat content of the flour. The popularity of this diet created by Visa puts Oprah's to list the top 10 fad diets.

Looking for the Top 10 diets?

Want to learn what are the Top 10 diets? We have done the same. So we decided to find out what the most searched for on Google-diets was the number one search engine. And here are the top 10 diets, starting with number 10:

Ornish diet) 10-Ornish diet, which was created by Dr. Dean Ornish diet is a low-fat vegetarian. This plan gives you the option of going under the knife to get rid of their clogged arteries--take control of your life, your diet and learn to manage stress.

9) Zone diet-zone diet created by Dr. Barry Sears, a diet with reduced calories and has a simple premise-food be used as fuel. Eating the correct proportion low carbohydrates, dietary fat and lean proteins you can burn excess body fat and keep permanently.

8) Okinawa diet-first published in 2001, the diet of Okinawa is an outline of healthy habits in lifestyle and diet of Okinawans who have the highest rate of centuries (40 per 100,000) on Earth. With lots of vegetables and complex carbohydrates diet that takes much of the protein from tofu.

7) Genotype diet-Dr. Peter j. D'Adamo, author of eat right 4 your type has done it again, and now defines six types of distinct body genetics. If you are a nomad, Warrior, Explorer, teacher, or a hunter gatherer, Dr. D'Adamo offers a custom program that compliments your genetic makeup.

-6) DASH diet created by n. i. (National Institute of health) to lower cholesterol and blood pressure without benefit of medicines. This diet has many fruits and vegetables, low-fat or nonfat milk and/or, beans, fish and poultry, grains, nuts and lean meat. This diet has 28 days of meal plans along with the recipes.

5) Diabetic diet-Dr. Richard k. Bernstein brings a new low-carb diet plan that has enabled patients to control their disease by stabilizing blood sugar without the usual anebokatebasmata and with fewer drugs.

4) Weight Watchers diet-weight watchers first surfaced early in mid air. Some 97% of the members of the weight Watcher tell them not only as the plan will constitute the diet to a friend. There are no forbidden foods or required prepackaged foodstuffs on the market. The various eating plans, you have several options for weight watchers.

3) South Beach diet-diet was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a home for patients to use to improve insulin and cholesterol levels. But to the surprise, not only did this diet low fat low-carbohydrate and improve their health, has also caused patients to drop weight.

2) Mediterranean diet-50 years, doctors have observed that the people of the Mediterranean region were far less likely to suffer heart disease or strokes. The characteristic of the area of health to a diet low in saturated fat with plenty of whole grains. This reduced-fat diet, with many complex carbohydrates is one of the easiest to follow.

1) Atkins Diet-Dr. Robert Atkins, whose diet books business directories for years, is the author of "Atkins Diet". Dr. Atkins advocates a diet rich in protein, weight loss, which stresses the benefits of protein and the dangers of carbohydrates. Still number one, after all these years.

So you will have the top 10 diets to be served by Google itself.

Types of Information diets

There are many types of fad diets. Some of the fad diets that focus magic melting fat with not so secret food types or combinations of foods that cause destruction of fat cells.
There are a few examples of such diets.

A myth that cyber money for clinical Mayo is a 12-day grapefruit diet. This diet does not have a menu that is used daily for 12 days and each menu meal contains a grapefruit. At the end of 12 days, get two days on your own and then again in the diet.

Another diet that focuses on what you eat is lemonade diet. This fad diet allows only one item for 10 days. This is a lemonade with maple syrup, lemon juice and Cayenne Pepper, all added to a glass of purified water. The creators of this fad diet intended to clean the House and be healthier, but having lost weight, everyone jumped on the chariot of power to the test. A cleanse is perhaps good, studies on the fasting display benefit. As a diet, is horrible. The metabolism slows down and the weight lost water, come back quickly.

There are diets that limit the intake of certain foods.

Atkins diet and South Beach diets restrict carbohydrate intake in different ways. Atkins merely reduces the South Beach Diet and distinguishes between good and bad carbohydrates. Both diets contain phases that begin with hunger and keep you closer to normal diet as you proceed. Long-term reduction of specific foods can be dangerous. The final phase of both diets are close to the usual requirements for carbohydrate intake.

Other diets that restrict certain types of food is a low fat diet. Low-fat is not "fat" and doctors and health care professionals often define these types of diets. The amount of fat in the diet necessary to maintain the good health is part of a diet recipe. Some types of these fad diets, not completely, eliminate the fat from the diet. These types of fad diets cause many problems, including depression of low cholesterol.

Some types of fad diets are diets simply crash. Lemonade diet mentioned above is one of them. Crash diets eliminate virtually all foods from the diet and to create an operation hunger dieter House. Also called grape diet, the diet of grape juice is another fad diet, what began as a quick health. This diet reduces food intake nothing other than grapes for period differed.

Another type of diet fad uses bad science as a basis. The diet plan explains that some foods take more calories to digest than they contain, and lists all the foods you need to consume to the magic happen. These diets focus on low-calorie foods and actually works because of food restriction.

The final type of fad diet is a diet that tells you when to eat. Three hour diet is one of the top fad diets in that category. Designer diet creates consumption in every three hours. Small meals every three hours create reduction of blood sugar spikes and keep hunger pangs away.

Another diet that matches this category is the diet "anything after 6". The dieter has only to remember a rule, eat anything after 6 pm the diet States that food creates fat after this time. One reason is that many diets work challenged eating late at night.

Weight loss diet reviews

Here is a look at some of the most common diets people use.

Atkins Diet

Atkins diet is rich in protein, low-carbohydrate fare. Allows all the meat and vegetables that you want the fat without restriction. Fruits are kept to a minimum. Bread, pasta, cereal and other products is limited. Many people have had success of Atkins Diet weight loss because it offers many options, delicious food. However, it may be high in fat, possible harmful for long periods and low fibre and calcium.

The carbohydrate Addict's diet

This is another low carbohydrate diet that lets meats, dairy products, vegetables, fruit and cereal products, but restricts all other carbohydrates. This tends to be very high in fat and saturated fat.

The choose to lose diet

This is a low fat diet that allows you to eat from all food groups large. Only limited by a "fat budget" that you can choose how to spend it. Are carbohydrates, lean meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables, bread and pasta. Choose to lose diet allows sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and provides a fairly healthy eating plan for quick weight loss.

The DASH diet

The DASH diet provides carbohydrates intake, with moderate amounts of fat and protein. Originally designed as a light diet. The DASH diet follows the principles of the food pyramid, but recommends more servings of fruits and vegetables (up to nine daily) and more dairy servings (two to three daily servings of low fat or nonfat dairy.), DASH diet may require very large amounts of food for most people to see the results of weight loss.

The eat more weigh less diet

This diet is a very low-fat diet that focuses on vegetarian fare. Allows for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, eggs and some white nonfat dairy products. This is a very limited diet that restricts even healthy foods such as lean organic meat, poultry, and low fat dairy products. This diet is great for vegetarians, but it is a low concentration of calcium, and can be very difficult for most people to follow long enough to see the results of weight loss.

The eat right for your blood type diet

This diet plan bases your food choices on the type of your blood. For example, those with type o blood follow an eating plan that includes lots of meat. Some of the diets "blood Type" in this draft are excessive in calories and may be poor nutritional balance. Little evidence offered on the basis of nutrition, since this type of blood should not hinder dietary choices.

The diet of the Pritkin principle

This diet focuses on reducing calories, eat more "Watery" food that fills up quickly. (This follows the same principle that you should drink a full glass of water before each meal for your stomach to feel full faster; this allows for fruits, vegetables, pasta, oatmeal, soups, salads and low-fat milk productsbut limits the sources of protein lean meat, poultry and seafood. This is a low fat diet offers an abundance of fruits and vegetables, but may be low in calcium.

Protein power diet

This is a very high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Allows for lots of meat and fats, however, that the consumption of fruits and vegetables. This is a very restrictive diet restricts healthy foods like whole grains and beans. It is very high in fat, especially saturated fats, and is very low in calcium.

Busters power

This is a low-carbohydrate diet that is high in fat and protein. Forbidden fruit and cereal products, but allowed high-fat meat and dairy products. Like many other low-carb diets, diet Busters power is high in fat, high in saturated fat, and low levels of calcium.

The diet of Slimirex

I commend particularly Slimirex diet. I have been using the product, weight loss, Slimirex moderate exercise coupled with at least three times per week and a moderate diet is an effective method of losting the weight you want.

Volumetrics

Volumetrics diet is a restricted calorie diet that allows for fruits, vegetables, pasta, oatmeal, soups, salads, lean meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products. High fat food and "dry" foods such as crackers, koyloyria and sweetcorn are limited. Is low in saturated fat and provides a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables ...

Weight watchers

This diet is not limiting followers to a total meal plan. Dieters are able to plan their diet each day by a point system that allows the dieter to spend a certain "allowance" in each category. This allows "Moderate diet intake fat and protein and carbohydrate consumption. Generally, vegetables and whole grain products have the lowest price point and high fat foods cost the most amount of points.

The zone diet

This diet is moderately high in protein and low carbohydrate content. Allows low-fat foods like chicken and fish and abundance of fruits and vegetables. But grain is limited. This is a healthy eating plan, although it is a low concentration of calcium.

All these diets, Slimirex and personally recommend taking the "bio-rate diet plan" described in the "Weight loss secrets revealed" eBook in http://www.weightlossobesity.com website.

Life is one diet after another penny

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A common expression is that we're "going on a diet." The phrase suggests that, like a vacation trip, there is a beginning and an end. We dream of the day we will reach our weight goal and how wonderful it will be when we don't have to lead a life of painful deprivation.

In the back of our minds, there is a comforting little tape playing, promising us that when our weight loss campaign is over, we'll be able to stop counting calories, carbohydrates, or fats. We long for the day when we no longer have to clench our teeth as we refuse a favorite dish that always causes us to salivate in our sleep. We reach for the carrot and celery sticks without anticipation or enthusiasm while torturing ourselves with visions of the special treats we'll enjoy when the diet is over.

Uh, hello?

Allowing ourselves to think of a diet as a delineated, restricted period within our total life span is a sure avenue back to tent city (that refers to what we wear, not where we live). To have any hope of attaining permanent weight control, we must approach it as a lifelong effort, watching our intake day after day, week after week, year after year.

You feel your heart sinking in your chest. You think "If I have to live like this all the time, it's just not worth it!" That little voice promises you that you are different. You can relax because now you know how to lose weight, you can do it anytime you want. Gain five pounds and you'll go back on your diet and be back to goal in no time at all.

But you won't! Think back over your chequered weight history. We all believe that once our weight is down, it will be so easy to go on a short diet if we gain back a few pounds. It doesn't work that way, though, does it? We start gaining a pound here and a pound there, but then there are some special events coming up and a diet would be so inconvenient. We don't go back "on" our diet until we've gained enough weight to develop the self-disgust that warrants a new period of serious deprivation. We have become a full-fledged member of the yo-yo club, that vast majority of dieters who cannot keep the weight off for more than a few weeks.

The reasons we go "on" and "off" diets are numerous: they are boring, depressing, and very uncomfortable. They set us apart from friends, family, and coworkers who continue to snack, to feast, and to celebrate. We resent how diets make us feel and how they impact our daily lives.

Let's look at the whole picture from a different perspective for a minute.

Instead of "a diet" envision a way of eating that involves living on a diet for the rest of your life. While the prospect may appall you, don't say you can't do it just yet.

First, consider another wide-spread concept many of us accept. To lose substantial weight in a relatively short time, we need to select the diet that seems to fit us and then stay with it, religiously, until we've reached our goal.

Let's now take these two concepts, squish them together, and then turn them upside down.

We are not "going on a diet." We are starting our diet-for-life. We then pick a diet, any diet at all, and make the commitment to stick with that diet for one week, and one week only. At the end of the week, we are going to pick an entirely different diet to which again we only commit for a one week period. This continues for virtually the rest of our lives with selected diets changing on a weekly basis.

What does this accomplish? A whole bunch of things:

1. By selecting a different diet each week, it removes those common misgivings that maybe we should have gone in a different direction. We worry that we're not getting the right nutrients or that we're going to get sick or develop a rare disease. We read the diet ratings and panic at the warnings posted for all the popular programs. With our new approach, you don't have to fret about if you made a good or bad choice because you'll be making a new choice in a week.

2. If there are particularly painful "No-Nos" in this week's diet, resolve to try something next week that allows a currently forbidden fruit. For example, a primarily protein regimen has been found successful for many participants who often lose five or ten pounds in a week. However, they miss the vegetables and salad they enjoy. The next week could then be a vegetables and salad only routine, also successful for rapid weight loss but a bit lean on the protein your body needs for self-repair.

You may then find yourself craving some good bread so you switch to the Subway diet for a week until your craving is satisfied. Move on to something completely different - the cabbage soup diet or liquid shakes. Since there are literally thousands of diets, a few are bound to include the food you crave.

You are never more than a week away from having what you feel you absolutely must have in order to keep going. You can include spartan fad diets that move fat quickly and you can include calorie counting or Weight Watcher diets that allow almost anything so long as you adjust your intake to stay within the totals specified.

3. The frequent changes in your eating patterns keep your body off-balance. Give the body enough time and advance notice and it will adapt to anything, turning protein into carbohydrates and storing even low calorie carbohydrates as little pockets of fat. By totally changing what you eat on a regular basis, the body gives up trying to figure out how to thwart you and spends its time efficiently processing what you give it. You are effectively using your smart little mind to outmaneuver your smart not-so-little body.

4. The constant changes force you to buy food in smaller packages. It's pointless and wasteful to buy those family packs of anything. That will help you with overall portion reduction, a must for any serious dieter. Your shopping goal is only to purchase items that you can consume within a week. If you see something that you particularly want but is not on your allowed list, make a mental note to find a diet for next week that can accommodate it.

5. The need for a new diet each week requires that you read and research a lot of diets. The reading acts as reinforcement for your goals and will assure your continuing education on nutrition and fitness. When you see something that intrigues you or just makes a lot of sense, try it out. Perhaps one week will involve barely restricted eating but require a lot of exercise. Go for it - it's only a week.

6. You are in the happy position of having wide choices available but also the needed structure of an organized plan to follow. The regimented eating is within each week's diet; the power of choice is operative when you decide what the next week's program will be.

7. Can you stay on a diet permanently? Yes, you can, because you're not restricting yourself from anything for life, just for a week at a time. Should you stay on a diet for the rest of your life? Yes, you probably should as long as you are getting a balance of foods from an intelligent mixing of alternative diet plans. If you like one diet more than another, or if one particular program works exceptionally well for you, by all means cycle that diet into your routine on a regular basis. Just make sure you don't use the same plan more than once a month or your body is going to be ready for it and Zap! you find it no longer works so well.

8. Can you over-diet? We have all seen (although they seem to be harder to find these days) overly thin, cadaverous dieters with sunken cheeks and loose skin. That can be avoided by making your selected diets very diverse so you are never without needed nutrients for very long. For example, many retirement homes and assisted living co-ops produce thin seniors with pallid skin and protruding abdomens. Replace their mushy, high starch meals with any of the myriad high protein and vegetable-fruit diets and their color will improve, their energy increase, and their tummies fade.

9. Can you ever be too thin? Visit an eating disorder facility and you will see the results of anorexia nervosa, not a pretty sight and highly dangerous from a medical standpoint. If you have a history of overweight, you may tell yourself that being too thin will never be in the cards for you. However, there are not infrequent cases of the perennial heavy who becomes anorexic through dieting too much with resulting anxiety about gaining back even an ounce of the flesh so painfully discarded. If you have a distorted body image, and reliable friends are concerned about your being too thin, get professional help.

10. It all comes down to using your brain intelligently. When you are at your heaviest, with the most to lose, the logical choice is a rather spartan program that will get the fat moving quickly. As you lose, more moderate programs can be interspersed so that your skin and cheeks have a chance to adjust and fill in as your weight stores become redistributed. If a particular part of your body is resistant to reduction, exercise may become a more important part of your plan than simply a dietary approach. Once you are hovering at your ideal weight, simple calorie counting or support group involvement may be all you need.

The secret is to be rational about it all and use that wonderful mind of yours to set the program for your not-so-intelligent body with its insatiable appetite and poundage conservation cravings. Don't try to cheat unless you want to cheat yourself and then be honest and admit that, for whatever reason there is, you want to avoid further weight loss. When you want and need to lose fifty pounds, an ice cream and chocolate diet is not rational. When you are at ideal weight or below, a stringent fad diet makes no sense.

Will all this mixing of diets result in consistent weight loss? There is never consistency in weight loss because there are just too many factors involved: water retention, digestive inefficiencies, the amount of energy expended, and individual body quirks. Over time, you will lose steadily but there will always be some ups and downs along the way.

Once the concept of "going on a diet" has been discarded, a lifelong eating plan can be embraced, guaranteed to leave you in control of your weight for the rest of your long slender life.

The diet Craze

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That little bikini in the back of your bottom dresser drawer is calling your name. The sun is shining, the kids are begging for a trip to the beach, but the idea of putting on a bathing suit makes you about as excited as the idea of spending the day scrubbing toilets. You are not alone. In 2003, 65% of U.S. citizens tried some form of weight loss or weight control. But the idea of weight-loss is daunting to anyone, especially with the ever-increasing number of weight-loss plans, online diets and magic pills that make the weight vanish while you sleep (wouldn't that be nice?).

To ease your worries and debunk the mysteries, we have taken a close look at three of the most popular diets out there.

Atkins

* What it is

Known predominantly for its low-carb stance on weight-loss, the Atkins diet has been making noise in the media for decades. Dr. Atkins' theory is that a diet high in carbohydrates does not allow the body to produce high levels of energy. By eliminating these carbohydrates from your diet, your body will instead use fat as fuel, ultimately resulting in weight loss. This "fat burning energy," as the plan calls it, claims to shed pounds and diminish your appetite. The drastic exclusion of carbs, while adding in healthy doses of saturated fat is the basic formula of the Atkins' diet supposed magic.

* What you do

The Atkins' diet is broken up into four phases that guide you through the weight-loss process. You may choose to begin your diet at any phase, but it is recommended that you start at Phase 1 to help your body adjust to the drastic diet change.

- Phase 1: Induction

This is essentially a 14-day boot camp for your body in which you eat leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables as the 20 Net Carbs allowed per day.

- Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)

During this time, you are given greater freedom in your diet choices and can eat up to 25 Net Carbs per day. This is a slower-paced phase in which the Atkins people promise the pounds will come off gradually.

- Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance

Nearing your target weight, this phase encourages you to "take ownership of your new Atkins healthy eating habits" and plan to maintain them even after reaching your weight goal.

- Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance

In this final phase, Atkins challenges you to maintain your Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium (ACE) and stay within 5 pounds of your final target weight. Using the knowledge and habits learned throughout the diet, you should potentially be able to maintain your weight for the rest of your life.

* What you eat

Your carb intake is determined by which phase you are in, so obviously you'll have more options the longer you stick with the plan. The following are just a few menu options, but click here for more recipes:

Crab and Avocado Salad

Chocolate Pancakes

Pork Chops with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Shrimp and Feta Stew

Chocolate Cream Frosty

Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Cheese Omelets

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Italian Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Vanilla Mousse with Rhubarb Sauce

Salmon-Stuffed Zucchini

* What you should know

Like any fad, there are always loyal followers and skeptic criticizers. For the Atkins diet, most criticism from the medical profession focuses around a health concern. Because the diet is so high in saturated fats, you may shed the pounds, but your heart may be suffering as well. It has also been found to be as effective or less effective than other diets that include carbohydrates in a more balanced diet. However, to date, there have been no long-term studies of people on the Atkins' diet.

Zone (also see Dr. Sears' website)

* What it is

Unlike the Atkins' diet, the Zone Diet is less about dieting and more about a lifetime of healthy eating. Founded by Dr. Barry Sears in 1984, he believes that achieving hormonal balance through diet is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. According to Sears, hormone insulin will make you fat and keep you fat, so the goal is to regulate that insulin.

* What you do

The Zone Diet is simpler to explain because its foundation is very basic. There are no steps or phases, just the goal to stay within the Zone.

- 3 meals, 2 snacks

In order to maintain your desired insulin level, Sears believes you should eat at specific timed intervals throughout the day, totaling three meals and two snacks. Even if you aren't hungry, you must eat to stay in the Zone. It is essential to plan your meals like you plan the rest of your day to ensure you eat the proper amount at the right time. This controls how your body uses proteins and carbohydrates consistently throughout the day.

- Exercise

Because staying in the Zone promises an increased level of energy, even people who are not normally active will want to add exercise into their daily routine. Sears encourages this activity, but believes that exercise can only get you so far. He says that it should be an 80/20 rule, with 80% diet and 20% exercise.

* What you eat

The possibilities are endless as to what you can create, as long as you stay within the guidelines. The following are some Zone snacks to keep you full between meals(click here for full recipes). Also, check out the Zone food and recipe website for more ideas:

Deviled Eggs with Hummus

Waldorf Salad

Chips and Salsa

Mini Pita Pizza

Spinach Salad

Tuna Salad and Cracker

Hot Dog (soy)

Low-Fat Cottage Cheese & Fruit

Crabmeat Salad Sandwiches

Ham and Fruit

* What you should know

Although the Zone diet shows slightly higher success rates than the Atkins' diet, it is smart to be skeptical of any diet that concentrates on one food group drastically more than the others. Consequently, the American Heart Association does not recommend the Zone diet of its excessive emphasis on high-protein, little nutrients and the lack of long-term studies done on the Zone diet.

South Beach Diet

* What it is

The South Beach Diet was originally created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, who is a cardiologist in Miami, Florida. He wanted to find a way for his heart patients to lose weight in a healthy way. Concentrating on good carbs and good fats rather than bad carbs and bad fats, the idea is to get rid of bad fats and carbs that impair insulin's ability to properly process fats and sugars. Overall, Agatston believes in a healthy balance of food in general, rather than an elimination of carbohydrates.

* What you do

There are three phases in this diet and, like the Atkins' diet, with each new phase you have more options of food.

- Phase 1: Start losing weight

During this phase, your three meals per day will include normal-sized helpings and plenty of choices including meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs and nuts. Part of this phase is eliminating hunger cravings and learning which foods will keep you full the longest. Like the Zone diet, you should eat two snacks per day as well.

- Phase 2: Reach your goal

The key to this phase is balance. You may start adding foods back into your diet that were not allowed before, but in a balanced relation to the other foods in your diet. Whether it be bread, rice, potatoes or cereal, you will learn how to eat them and make them "smart carbs."

- Phase 3: A diet for life

After the first two phases, you will have learned how to eat and prepare meals that include good carbs and good fat to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. The South Beach Diet emphasizes the long-term effects of the diet. In fact, they say that, "you'll notice that this plan feels less like a diet and more like a way of life."

* What you eat

The South Beach Diet has hundreds of recipes for each phase so you can prepare healthy meals at home, but they also have a retail product lines from Kraft and Santa Fe to make staying on the diet that much easier. Here are a few choices:

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Roasted Eggplant with Lemon and Olive Oil

Baked Barbecue Chicken

Whole Wheat Penne with Eggplant and Ricotta

Cannellini Bean Salad

Warm Beef Salad

Mango Smoothie

Pear Bran Muffins

* What you should know

While this diet may seem to be the most flexible, don't be fooled by introductory gimmicks. While the South Beach Diet allows you some leeway, be prepared to make some sacrifices to lose the weight.

Please remember, this is just an overview. If you are seriously thinking of trying these diets or any others, do your research. Read the diet books and talk to people who have tried them. The more you know the better chance you have at being successful.

Copyright © 2006 Ampere Media LLC