New weight loss diet programs are out all the time these days. Some are better than others, so here in this section I will review some of the more popular weight loss diet programs.
It has been my consistent observation that most such programs work to help people lose weight. The reason for this is simple. When one gets serious enough about their health to pick up a book on the subject of health or nutrition, they’re already MOTIVATED. That’s half the battle!
Another reason that most weight loss diet programs work is that when one is reading or studying such a program, no matter what the program is, the person becomes much more consciously aware of what they eat, and how much they eat. Even without following the advice of the book, that awareness alone goes a long way toward helping one cut back on intake and lose weight.
Very few people serious enough to read about health and nutrition will go out for lunch and order the giant bacon and cheese suicide burger with a large side of cheddar fries and big dessert!
The Atkins Diet
By nearly all accounts the Atkins Diet is the pioneer of the low-carb approach to dieting, health, and weight loss. One would need to have been living under a rock to have not heard of it by now. It no doubt inspired a lot more “thinking outside the box” on the subject than nearly any other book on the subject.
Prior to Atkins, meat, bacon, eggs, cheese, butter, and anything else high in fat was to be consumed sparingly. At the bottom of the food pyramid (the things you should eat most) were breads, cereals, rice, and pasta.
For all practical purposes Atkins turned the pyramid upside down.
But was this a good move? Find the answer at Atkins Diet.
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet is based on Barry Sears’ “The Zone” book first published in the mid 1990s. Like Atkins, the Zone Diet also limits carbohydrates, just not quite as strictly. The Atkins Diet limits carbs to 20 grams/day during the early phases of the program. That means about 4% of one’s calories come from carbs. The Zone Diet recommends that one get 40% of his calories from carbs.
Another significant difference is that Atkins is significantly more lenient about overall calorie count. The Zone imposes strict calorie limits.
Both weight loss diet programs recommend limiting “bad carbs”, like processed wheat flour, breads, pastas, sugars, and potatoes.
I go into far more detail in my full review at Zone Diet.
The Keto Diet
The Keto Diet is the relatively new kid on the block, but the concept of a “ketogenic” diet has been the cornerstone of many diets. “Ketogenic” in it’s simplest form simply means “fat burning”.
More specifically, advocates of the Keto diet believe that by very strictly limiting carbohydrates and moderately limiting proteins one puts the body in a state of “ketosis” (fat burning) that will easily burn fat and weight.
It is the phase 1 of the Atkins diet, but extended indefinitely.
But is this the best way to lose fat and weight?
Find the answers in my full discussion of the Keto Diet.
The Paleo Diet
The “Paleo Diet” is a diet that promotes eating only foods that were available prior to the agricultural revolution. The agricultural revolution came about when humans realized that life was a lot easier if they just grew their own animals and plants for food rather than constantly have to search for it or chase it. Prior to then man only ate what he hunted or picked off trees and ate.
So that means that the Paleo diet consists mostly of fresh meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit. It excludes anything refined or made of wheat, sugar, or potatoes.
See my full discussion of this at Paleo Diet.
The Mediterranean Diet
Finally we come to the last of the programs I’ll review, the Mediterranean Diet. As its name implies, this diet advocates eating foods commonly consumed in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
It has long been known that people from this region have a very low incidence of heart disease, and their diet is usually assumed to be the reason.
See my full discussion at Mediterranean Diet.
Return to Home from Weight Loss Diet Programs